Lie #5 -"I Follow God But Not The Bible" (1 John 4:1-6)

 
(1John 4:6) "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." Another lie that people tell themselves is that their following God, when they believe contrary to the Bible's teachings. The Apostle John makes it very clear in the above verse that unless we follow the voice of the Holy Spirit we're not truly following God. 1) The Holy Spirit wants us to know that there are many voices in the world that say they are from God but teach contrary to the Bible. In which case, we must be careful to always use the Bible as our guide to discern truth. 2) Not all preachers have the Holy Spirit, and so what they teach is not always right. A truly saved person knows the difference because they have the Holy Spirit within them as a guide. (1Co 2:14), "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." So be careful, judge every voice/message by God's Word. If it doesn't agree with the Word, it's not truth but an error.
 

Lie’s That Prevent Joy - Lie#4

 
(1John 2:9) " He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now."  It's amazing to me how many believers believe that they can hate and still be right with God. The world has redefined the word (hate) to apply to anyone that speaks against the beliefs or lifestyles of another, (unless it's Christianity), but seriously God defines hate differently. 
1) To detest someone, meaning that you despise them and choose to dislike them and not forgive them. To say you're saved and feel this way toward anyone is in direct disobedience to the command of God. In fact God closely relates this sin to the sin of murder. 2) To treat another not in love.  Hate is the opposite of love, so if you choose not to love someone you practice hate. Hate can take many forms. God asks all believers to practice mercy and truth. When we withhold truth from another even though we are merciful it is harmful and hateful to that person. Also, we can even hate when we disassociate ourselves from some and fellowship with others. There is nothing worse in this world then to be rejected by brethren. We are supposed to be known for our Love!!

Lie’s That Prevent Joy - Lie#3

 
(1Jo 2:4) "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." The lie that says that, "I know God when I keep not his commandments," is probably one of the biggest lies that is told today. There are literally billions of people on this earth that believe that there is a God, but unfortunately most have never met Jesus through a real salvation experience. It's easy to say I believe, or I'm saved, but how many of those truthfully obey His Word. Jesus asks the question in (Luke 6:46),"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" There can only be two answers to this question. 1) Most people are not really saved.  Most people don't obey because they simply don't have God's Spirit. (Matt. 7:21) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."  2) Because of Disobedience. It's easy to get saved, but it's not so easy to obey God's commands once you’re saved. If you and I truthfully want the joy of the Lord in our lives we must first get saved, and after surrender to the will and way of God. If there is no surrender there can be no real Christian joy. True joy only comes after obedience to God’s commands.

Lie #2 – If we say we have not sinned

(1John 1:4) "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." As we are reminded in 1 John, it is very possible to have a full joy in life. Satan loves to steal the joy of all who will not repent nor listen to the Word of God. And so the second lie that we tell ourselves, that causes us to lose our joy is found in (1: 8), "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  1) Salvation. If we will not admit to God that we have sinned and need forgiveness, we cannot be saved because we deceive ourselves into rejecting God's truth. 2) Joy. If we deny the fact that we have sinned, or hide sin within us, we not only lose the Lord's mercy but also our joy. Too many believers today have hidden sins, deep and rooted within them. Sins that they justify sometimes because of the offences of others. Sins such as un-forgiveness, hatred, jealousy, resentment, guile, anger, and selfishness. Brethren it's the secret sins that cause the most harm in your life. So be wise and bring all sin into the light and confess them, and your joy will be full again!

Lie#1 - Fellowship is not important

 
(1Jo 1:4) "… And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." After we get saved, we not only become a child of God but we also are given the joy of having a personal relationship with Him. Satan hates joyful men that walk with God, and so he diligently works at destroying our fellowship with God, thus removing our joy. Satan is a thief and a liar, and if we're not careful he will convince us that our fellowship with God is not important. 1) Prayer and Bible study. Through these two avenues we begin to know and walk with God. The very moment that we begin to neglect these two very important doors of fellowship with God, Satan steals our joy. 2) Sin. When we walk in darkness, we lose our joy and communion with God. That's why confession of sin must be often. 3) Brotherly love. When believers are not right with each other they cannot be right with God, neither can we be right with God if we’re not involved in fellowship one with another in the Church. If you've lost your joy, you can be certain that one of these three fellowships are being neglected.