Heeding the New Commandment

Encourage Someone Today
HOME

Watching a Year of Healing "PRAYER-STARTERS"

—Part 8

Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent;
that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Knowing God In the Darkness

...Getting to Know Him with the Help of
the "Last Hour" Revelation of I John

I JOHN IS A "LAST HOUR" EPISTLE to help us know God. Forty times some form of the word "to know" occurs in it. In the Greek New Testament, 25 of these come from the word ginósko which we learn means "to know" by acquiring knowledge, or by learning. 15 times the word comes from oída which means "to know" in a more absolute way. It is the kind of knowledge more like an instinct, or an idea that bursts upon the mind pure and unaffected by outward observance. Strangely—or maybe wonderfully—ginósko occurs more prominently in the first part of the Epistle. As we draw toward its conclusion, it is oída that finds almost exclusive use. The knowledge that is acquired about God and His Beloved Son develops from a knowledge that comes on by learning into a knowledge that is absolute. We can’t observe these distinctions of the Epistle in this brief writing, but we make reference to them to confirm a point. Our knowledge of God grows in the end to become pure. It cannot be foiled by any attempt of the anti-Christ to confuse us regarding Who and where He is with us and who and where we are with Him.

We should note that I John covers three specific subjects: Christ, anti-Christ and love. Through Christ we know God. Anti-Christ and the spirits that work with him oppose this. Knowing God is to know love, pure and absolute. While John never mentions the reins, as such, the whole idea of what they are and how they function comes to us throughout its five chapters. The Epistle will help strengthen our God consciousness and our self-conscience.

DAY 1—The Life that Was Manifested unto Us
I Jn 1:1,2 That Which was from the beginning, Which we have heard, Which we have seen with our eyes, Which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen It, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life, Which was with the Father and was manifested unto us,)
• FATHER, I want to grow into a pure and absolute knowledge of the Life that comes from You. I want to see with my eyes, even to gaze upon, that Life as it was manifested in Your Son. Teach me to wait in Your presence till I know Him so intimately it will be as though He is my life. Then I will know You perfectly.
The Heart that Longs to Know God—Ps 27:4; Phil 3:8-15

DAY 2—Coming into the Joy of Fellowship with the Father and His Son
I Jn 1:3,4 That Which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
• FATHER, help me learn from this Epistle how I can intimately know You and Your Son Jesus Christ. Teach me to open myself to its words and receive them into my spirit. Draw me on in seeking You till my joy becomes full. Let it become so settled that nothing can take it from me.
The Joy that Becomes Full—Jn 15:11; in 16:24; in 17:13

DAY 3—Coming into the Light for Cleansing
I John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
• GRACIOUS FATHER, help me open myself to the light that knowing You brings. Help me not to fear that light nor its exposure. I want it to shine into every part of me to expose every sin and need. Teach me how the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse me from all sin. Then I can have a fellowship with You that is clear and open.
How Close to the Father the Blood of His Son Brings Us—Eph 2:11-14; Rom 3:23-26

DAY 4—Dealing with the Sin that Will Keep Us from Knowing God
I John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.
• LORD, I can never say I have not sinned, it has been in my nature, in my way of thinking, and in how I live before others. It has weakened me and made me susceptible to sickness and disease. I want no more of it. I am ready for freedom from its hold so I can know You freely.
Laying Our Sins Out in the Open—Ps 32:5-7; Ps 51 :2,3

DAY 5—Knowing Jesus Christ Who Is Our Advocate with the Father
I John 2:1,2 My little children, these things write 1 unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the Propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
• FATHER, I see my freedom comes only through Your Son Whom I have taken as my Savior. Because He is my Advocate before You, I no longer fear Your presence. Because He is the Propitiation for my sins, I have no more fear of Your wrath. Teach me to rest in Your presence.
How God’s Wrath against Our Sin is Propitiated, Satisfied, in the Sacrifice of Jesus—Rom 3:25; Rom 5:1-9

DAY 6—How We Can Know that We Know Him
I John 2:3-5 And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.
• LORD, I have been hindered in knowing You fully because of my disobedience. I am ready now to yield to Your full injunction upon my life. I want to do what You want me to do. Cleanse me. Set me free so I can know You without hindrance as You draw me into full obedience.
How Knowing the Son Brings Us to Know the Father—Jn 8:19; Jn 14:6-9

DAY 7—How Abiding in Christ Enables Us to Walk in the Light of Fellowship with God
I John 2:6-8 He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
• LORD, help me know the darkness is past and the true light is now shining. Show me that light. Draw me to live in it so I won‘t fear my path. And LORD, help me become a light to those around me so they can walk without fear.
Walking in His Light—Jn 8:12, 35, 36; Eph 5:8

DAY 8—How Love Helps us Live in His Light
I John 2:9-11 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
• FATHER, this has been an area of trouble for me. Please help me. Because I have not loved certain people, it has been difficult to love You perfectly, and I have walked in darkness. I am ready now to bring before You each one I have difficulty loving. Help me honestly to seek Your blessing upon them and to regard them with Your love.
Loving One Another—Heb 13:1; I Pet 1:22; I Pet 3:8,9

DAY 9—How God Reaches Us Where We Are—Little Children, Young People, or Adults
I John 2:12,13 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
• FATHER, thank You for receiving all of us, no matter our age. Thank You for dealing with us where we are and drawing us all into the maturity of knowing You. Help me see how rapidly life passes. Give me the grace to walk in the fullness of what You have for me at this stage of my life. Help me live so I won’t have to end up with regrets.
All Knowing God Together—Ps 148:11-14; Lk 18:16

DAY 10—Deliverance from the World to Do God’s Will
I John 2: 15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
• LORD, I renounce the hold the world has on me. I renounce the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Set me perfectly free from these strongholds so I can be free to know You and fulfill Your will for me.
Having Left the Old Way to Find the New—Eph 2:1-10

DAY 11—Discerning Anti-Christ’s Last Hour Work
I John 2: 18,19 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
• LORD, I want to stand with You in the last days. Deal with anything in me that makes me prone to follow the anti-Christ. May that operation of Your Spirit called the "discerning of spirits" work in me. Draw me close to Your heart so nothing anti-Christ presents will entice me.
What Jesus Said about End-Time Deception—Mt 24:4, 5; Mt 24:23-25

DAY 12—The Anointing that Helps us Discern
I John 2:20,21 But ye have an unction (an "anointing") from the Holy One, and ye (instinctively) know all things (that anti-Christ does). I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye (instinctively) know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
• DEAR LORD, I open myself to the anointing Your Spirit brings. With that anointing I go to Your Word so its power can come over on my life. Strengthen me, and these with whom I share its light, so we can withstand the deception of the last days and know You perfectly in the last hour.
Knowing His Voice, Fleeing the Stranger—Jn 10:1-5

DAY 13—Acknowledging the Son to Have the Father
I John 2:22,23 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
• FATHER, I’ve come to You through Your precious Son. Thank You for receiving me in Him. Teach me to watch Him, to stay close by Him and live with Him so I can continue knowing You everyday. When I know You in every situation, I believe I can stand strong in the last hour.
Discovering Him as the Strength of My Life—Ps 73:22-26

DAY 14—Continuing in the Son, and in the Father
I John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
• FATHER, no matter what happens to me, or around me, I want to know You in it. Cause me to hear Your voice in my spirit. Help me become stable in what You tell me so I will continue in Your Son, and in You.
Becoming a Disciple Indeed by Continuing in His Word and in His Love—Jn 8:31; Jn 14:23; Jn 15:10

DAY 15—How the Anointing Teaches us to Abide in Him
I John 2:26,27 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.
• LORD, teach me what it means to watch and pray so I won’t be seduced from You. Help me discern what is true and what is a lie of the enemy Your anointing is teaching us to abide in You. Teach me more of what this means.
Abiding in Him, Abiding in His Love—Jn 15:4-10

DAY 16—Confidence at the End with No Shame
I John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.
• LORD, there are times I am slow to confess Your Name. Sometimes my confidence grows weak. I am sorry for this. I need Your enabling grace. Let confidence come upon me to stand in Your presence and, as well, to stand in the presence of others to confess Your Name. Also, help me stand with utmost confidence before the enemy.
Boldness in the Day of Judgment—I Jn 4:17; Isa 25:9; Phil 1:20; Heb 10:25

DAY 17—Beloved of God, Unknown to the World
I John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
• FATHER, today I just need for You to love me. My love toward You is not perfect, but I wait in Your presence as Your child. Please give me the spiritual and emotional strength to withstand the pressure coming from the world. As those pressures increase, help me love You the more.
Living with the Father as Sons—Jn 1:12; Rom 8:14-19

DAY 18—The Hope that Brings Purity to the Children of God
I John 3:2,3 Beloved, now are we the sons ("children") of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure.
• LORD, I know that You are drawing me on to something I have not yet seen. You are drawing me into something I have never been. A strong hope for this is rising in me. Please give me a pure heart as Your draw me on so nothing will hinder what You are doing in me.
The Promises that Cause Cleansing—II Cor 6:14—7:1

DAY 19—How Our Break with Sin Comes about
I John 3:4-6 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not (continually): whosoever sinneth (continually) hath not seen Him, neither known Him.
• FATHER, so many sins have laid hold on me that I sometimes despair of becoming pure. They rise up from within me. But today, I see Your Son is my perfect Hope. I am ready to yield my all to Him. Teach me to see Him, to abide in Him, and to know Him with nothing between.
Our Justification—Jn 1:29; Mt 1:21; Rom 3:24-26

DAY 20—When Continuing in Sin Will Become an Impossibility
I John 3:8,9 He that committeth sin (continually) is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy ("undo") the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin (as a continuing practice); for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot (continue in the practice of) sin, because he is born of God.
• FATHER GOD, I thank you for the grace whereby You saved me. I’ve been born again—even born "from above." I confess I now am related to Your eternal Kingdom. You have placed the seed of Your Nature in me. Cause that seed to grow till my life becomes complete in You and sin becomes a foreign thing to me.
Born Again, Born from Above, Beholding God’s Kingdom—Jn 3:1-7

DAY 21—Love, the Prime Mark of a Child of God
I John 3:10,11 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
• DEAR LORD, I see that the prime mark of my new life should be that I am set free to love. Oh, how this has been attacked in me! Please help me! I have ample opportunity to love, but please release in me the grace to do it. Help me, especially, love these I now name...
The Cardinal Commandment—Lev 19:18; Lk 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14

DAY 22—Love, whereby We Know We Have Life
I John 3:13,14 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
• FATHER, as the hatred of the world toward us increases, help me all the more to love those who try to follow You. Purge from me all contempt toward those who profess to love You, but who think differently than I do. Give me the grace and wisdom to get matters settled in love with everyone toward whom I have held ill feelings.
The End-time Hatred that Will Come from the World—Mt 10:22; Mt 24:9; in 7:7; in 15:18-21

DAY 23—An Example of Brotherly Hatred
I John 3:12,15 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.... Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
• FATHER, help me hear this heavy word that whosoever hates his brother is a murderer. Deal with any tendency in me that even leans toward hating another of Your children. Purge me of all this evil. Set me free to love.
Getting Our Differences Settled for the Kingdom’s Sake—I Cor 6:1-11

DAY 24—How Love Causes Us to Lay down Our Lives for Our Brethren
I John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. John 3:16 For God so loved (or, "this is the way God loved") the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
• FATHER, I want to love with the kind of love You have, but this is beyond my human ability. All I know to do is to open myself to Your love to me and let it move through me to others. I’m not even sure how to do this. So, I wait before You today for You to shaw me how You want to love me and love others through me.
Loving with a Pure Heart—Gal 5:13; I Pet 1:22; I Pet 3:8

DAY 25—How Love Gives Us Assurance before God
I John 3:17-19 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
• FATHER, I am still sometimes blind to the needs of others. I tend to be more concerned with what I need. Forgive me for this hardness. Open my eyes to see where Your love through me must go. Bring forth in me a heart that is kind and open to the people around me.
God’s Early Injunction upon His People that They Care for the Poor—Deut 15:7-11

DAY 26—Confidence toward God and the Promise of Answered Prayer
I John 3:20-22 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
• LOVING GOD, thank You for overruling my heart so You can bring it into line for Your Kingdom. My confidence toward You is growing. A freedom is coming to ask of You things once beyond the reach of my little faith. I now feel more desire to do exactly what You want me to do than I ever felt before. Thank You for loving me.
The Exultation of a Heart Set Free—Ps 20:5,6; Ps 25:1-3

Top of Page

Visit Us at http://www.maschil.com