“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

The fruit of the Spirit is love

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23)

God’s command

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NIV)

Love is made complete in us

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:12 NIV)

Therefore…

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” (Psalm 143:8 NIV”

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” (Prov. 3:3-4 NIV)

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15-16 ESV)

People will not endure sound teaching

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” (2 Tim. 4:3 ESV)

Some will depart from the faith

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” (1Tim. 4:1 ESV)

Thoughts led astray

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3 ESV)

If you lose your saltiness

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” (Matt. 5:13 ESV)

Loving the world and things

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1John 2:15-16 ESV)

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt. 16:23 ESV)

Therefore…

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. 13:5 ESV)

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

The devil and his angels (demons)

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Rev. 12:9 ESV)

The devil blinds the minds of unbelievers

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4 ESV)

The devil is a thief who steals, kills and destroys

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 ESV)

The devil disguises himself as an angel of light

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14 ESV)

The whole world lies in the power of the evil one

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 Johm 5:18-19 ESV)

Put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:11-12 ESV)

God is faithful and will help you escape the devil’s temptations

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 ESV)

Submit yourself to God and resist the devil

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”(1 John 4:4 ESV)

The devil’s final fate

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt. 25:41 ESV)

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)

Christ lives in you and that makes you strong

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

You’re working for the Lord not for men

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Col. 3:23)

Jesus is your strength and shield

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Psalm 28:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:4-6 ESV)

When I first read the above passage which said God will give you “the desires of your heart”, I thought, “Wow! How can that be? My desires are usually self-centered, to say the least.” The passage seemed to be saying that I could have anything my heart desired! But, upon examining the passage more closely I saw that It included some conditions: Commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him. And add these two things to the first part of the passage which says “delight yourself in the Lord.” This process does something remarkable to one’s desires, they transform into what God wants! Therefore, when He gives you the desires of your heart, they are in line with what He wants you to have.

Trust with all your heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Strength and help

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Psalm 28:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8 WSV)

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Rom. 12:14 ESV)

The Bible records the persecution of God's people in both the Old and New Testaments. It began in Genesis 4:3-7 with the persecution of the righteous by the unrighteous when Cain murdered his brother Abel. Christians are persecuted because their belief in Jesus Christ as Savior does not conform to the godlessness of a sinful world. The Bible tells us to bless those who persecute us and pray for them.

Love your enemies

“Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.” (Luke 6:27-29 NLT)

Let God fight your battles

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Eco. 14:14 ESV)

“When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov. 16:17 ESV)

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.” (Psalm 138:7ESV)

Therefore…

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven” (Matt. 5:10-12 NLT).

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 NIV)

Charles Colson, former White House council, and President Nixon's "hatchet man," served time in a federal prison camp because of his roll in the infamous Watergate scandal. While in prison he found Christ and his life was turned totally around from upside-down to right-side up. In his best-selling memoir, Born Again, Chuck wrote, “I found myself increasingly drawn to the idea that God had put me in prison for a purpose and that I should do something for those I had left behind.” He founded the ministry of Prison Fellowship that is still active today. When you compare the “before” version of Chuck Colson with the “after” version, you see two completely different men. The before version was cold, mean spirited, argumentative, and ruthless. The after version was loving, kind and gentle. He became a wonderful example of how God can transform a life. You can find examples of this in the Bible such as the transformation of Saul the Pharisee who became the Apostle Paul. He went from being a violent persecutor of Christians to staunch defender of the faith:  Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:6-21; and Acts 26:12-18.

Instruct with gentleness

There are those who oppose the truth all around us, in religion, in politics, on social media postings and especially within the vast world of entertainment. When we see it the immediate temptation is to counter attack. But, that usually fails and is not what the Bible teaches. We are instructed to give gentle truthful responses and pray for them that God will change their hearts.

“Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” (2 Tim. 2:25-26 NLT)

Ask for God’s wisdom before responding

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17 NASB)

With humility and gentleness

“…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” (Eph. 4:1-2 NASB)

Therefore…

“Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:5 NASB)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” (Eph. 1:18)

Things you cannot see

I’ve spoken to people who say they don’t believe in God because they cannot see Him. Yet, there are many things they use that they cannot see such as radio signals, magnetic waves, microwaves, gravity, electricity and oxygen, just to name a few.

The spiritual world

There is also an invisible spiritual world that exists that you cannot see. The Bible tells us that the things we see are temporary and the things we cannot see are permanent (eternal).

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)

Elisha prayed for his servant to see the invisible

“Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see " And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17

You must be born again to understand spiritual things

“Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."(John 3:3)

“To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'” (Acts 26:18)

Spiritual blindness is removed

“But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Cor. 3:16)

Those who are spiritual receive understanding

“But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Cor. 2:14 NLT)

Faith gives assurance about what you cannot see

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (Heb. 11:1 NLT)

Therefore…

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."( 2 Cor. 10:3-5)

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)

God shows fatherly compassion

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13 ESV)

Jesus was compassionate

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36 ESV)

Jesus explains compassion

“Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’” (Luke 10:30-35 ESV)

 Therefore…

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:12-13 ESV)