Reflections with Andy - 1 John 4: 1-6 – Testing

Greater is He in us than he who is in the world. Because of this, we should test every voice!

In this Wednesday reflection on 1 John 4:1–6, the familiar verse — greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world— anchors a practical and pastoral call to discernment in a noisy world. We serve a mighty God who doesn’t need us to defend him; the gates of hell will not prevail, and nothing will thwart his plan. But that confidence in God’s strength is paired with a real responsibility: test the spirits, because not every voice claiming to speak truth is from God. Three practical tests emerge from the passage — does it confess Jesus as Lord? Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit? And does it create fear? Healthy caution is one thing, but voices that constantly inflame anxiety and dread are not from God — the same God who told Joshua over and over, do not be afraid, for I am with you. The call is simple: be intentional about what you let shape your soul, and build your life around the voices that draw you closer to Jesus.

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

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Good morning! Great to be with you on this Wednesday. Hope your week is going well. It’s Bible study night here at Saint Matthew’s — if your community offers Scripture study, small groups, or youth and children’s activities tonight, I hope you’ll take part. We’re getting close to the end of the semester and I always love these last few weeks of wrapping things up together.

Today we’re starting chapter 4 of First John — verses 1 through 6:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

I grew up reading the King James, so what’s permanently lodged in my brain is: greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. That’s just what lives up there, and I love it. We talked yesterday about how if God is for us, who can be against us — and this is the same current. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. We can have hope and confidence not just because of the goodness of God, but because of the strength of God. We don’t serve a weak God. We serve a mighty God.

There’s a line from a Bono interview — I think it was around the No Line on the Horizon era — where he says, “Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady.” I just love that image. We sometimes act as though God can’t stand on his own two feet, like we have to defend him, prop him up, protect Christianity from whatever the latest threat supposedly is. But Jesus himself said the gates of hell will not triumph against the church. Nothing is going to stop God. Nothing is going to thwart his will and plan. He is the literal creator of all things, seen and unseen. He’s God. We can trust him. Lean not on your own understanding — trust in him, because he’s got this. Come, thou Fount of every blessing — tune my heart to sing thy grace. That’s the posture. Let God be the frequency. Let him be the source and the strength.

Now — the first part of this passage is just as important: do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits. Not every Facebook post is from God. Not every TikTok, not every tweet, not every Instagram reel, not every cable news segment. Not every voice speaking into your life is from God, friends. There is so much noise out there right now — from every direction, from personal interactions to social media to just the general roar of everything — and we need to be thoughtful about what we’re letting in and what we’re allowing to shape us.

So how do we test the spirits? John gives us the first marker: does it confess Jesus Christ as Lord? That’s the baseline. But I’d add two more things I personally look for. Second: does it produce the fruit of the Spirit — in the speaker, in the source, and in me when I consume it? If what I’m reading or watching or listening to is producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control — that’s a good sign. And third: does it create fear in me?

Now, there’s a difference between healthy caution and fear. Being smart isn’t fearful. Going to the doctor isn’t fearful. Taking reasonable care of yourself and the people you love isn’t fearful. But when a voice is constantly ratcheting up anxiety, stoking dread of others, making the world feel like a place where danger lurks around every corner — that’s a spirit of fear, and that’s not from God.

Think about Joshua chapter 1. Joshua had the most daunting task imaginable — leading the people after Moses. And what did God say to him, over and over in that chapter? Do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. The same God who was with Moses is with you. Do not be afraid. And the reason we don’t have to be afraid? Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

So here’s the practical word for today: test what you’re reading, watching, and scrolling. Test what you’re letting speak into your soul. Ask whether it confesses Jesus, whether it’s producing fruit, and whether it’s building courage or manufacturing fear. Then listen to the voices that are drawing you closer to Jesus, pushing you toward obedience, and calling you to love. Build your life around those voices — and you’ll find yourself living in the confidence of the God who is greater than anything the world can throw at you.

Tomorrow we’ll pick up with chapter 4, verse 7. Have a great day!