To truly understand read beyond verse 16 !!!
John 3
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
The GIFT is FREE; BUT, the cost is huge… You must be willing to carry the Cross of Christ, in the broad, searching and revealing LIGHT… In obedience, out of Love, Humility and Thankfulness, we are to FOLLOW Jesus, following HIS Example, HIS Righteousness, HIS Service to others and HIS Love & Compassion for the needy and low in Spirit… We are to die to self, becoming more like HIM, in that process becoming less self focused, and HE becomes more of our focus in life, in our walk and in our Witness to WHO HE IS… THIS ALL – comes from God thru the Holy Spirit, it can NOT be imitated in any sustained manner… THUSLY; we know the Fruit of the Spirit and can discern it… We must constantly examine our own Hearts prior to offering any counsel to a Brother or Sister in Christ… When offering a word of Counsel, we are well advised to speak the TRUTH in LOVE… We are not The Judge, we are simply to be an encourager, to build up the brethren and further the Kingdom of God…
The Word instructs us to test ourselves for the authenticity of the Holy Spirit that is to dwell in us…
Do you Possess the Correct Spiritual Attitudes?
The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
Matthew 5
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Do you Possess the Fruit of The Spirit?
Walk by the Spirit
Galatians 5
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
THIS IS VERY, VERY, HELPFUL: rchall
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http://counselingoneanother.com/2011/09/01/10-tests-of-genuine-faith/
10 Tests of Genuine Faith
September 1, 2011
by Paul Tautges
Romans 8:16 says, The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. In other words, part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to believers is to give assurance of salvation. Since the Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture, and since He wrote at least one New Testament book just for the sole purpose of helping believers discern the reality of their faith, the tests of genuine faith found in the book of First John must be seriously considered.
Scripture exhorts us to test our faith (2 Cor. 13:5). The reason is that our hearts are naturally deceitful and, therefore, we can even deceive ourselves. Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment there will be many people who thought themselves to be Christians, but are in the end condemned (Matt. 7:21-23).
Many years ago, I created a 2-page worksheet for use in counseling, personal Bible study, and small group discussion. It draws out of the book of First John ten tests of genuine faith and suggests questions for self-examination.
1. The Test of Conscience: Is my conscience sensitive to sin? (1 Jn 1:5-10)
2. The Test of Obedience: How obedient am I to God’s Word? (1 Jn 2:3-6; 5:2-3)
3. The Test of Worldliness: Where do my affections lie? (1 Jn 2:15-17; 5:4-5)
4. The Test of Anticipation: Deep down, do I long to see Jesus? (1 Jn 3:1-3)
5. The Test of Holiness: Am I progressing away from sin toward holiness, or am I still
in bondage? (1 Jn 3:4-10)
6. The Test of Love: Do I love other believers and long to be with them?
(1 Jn 3:11-18; 4:7-12)
7. The Test of Prayer: Does God answer my prayers? (1 Jn 3:21-22)
8. The Test of the Holy Spirit: Do I experience the power of the Spirit in my life?
(1 Jn 4:13)
9. The Test of Persecution: Have I ever suffered because of my testimony for Christ?
(1 Jn 3:10-13)
10. The Test of Confessing Christ: Do I have Jesus Christ as my own?
(1 Jn 4:1-5; 5:1, 10-12)
Pray before looking up the Scriptures and filling in your chart. Ask God to confirm the genuineness of your faith through the passing of these tests, or to confront counterfeit faith is that is indeed the case.
