13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
- P56
19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- P57
John wants his readers to be fully assured that, because of their faith in the name of Jesus, they have eternal life. In addition, believers have the confidence that when we come to God with any request that accords with His will, He will hear and answer. - P58
When we bring our requests to God, let us not approach Him as if we were beggars or slaves fearful of their master. We know that God is our good Father, and He desires to bless His children. We can check our hearts and consider whether our requests align with God’s goodness and love, then we can approach Him with confidence, trusting that He cares about our requests and will grant us all that is best for us. - P58
Scripture differentiates between those who struggle with sin and those whoare unrepentant. Believers are commanded to pray for those who are caughtin sin and are promised that God will rescue the one who has sinned fromdeath. Christ protects those who are born of God from the devil‘s deceit intemptations to sin. When we see other believers sinning, God‘s commandto us is to pray for them. - P58
Those who are true children of God will notcontinue to sin, not because they are never tempted but because they loveGod and are focused on Him. When we do sin, let us quickly repent andremind ourselves that Jesus has ensured that the devil cannot take away oursalvation. - P58
Heavenly Father, thank You that I can confidently approach You with my requests, knowing that You love me and desire to bless me. Forgive me for the times I have still given in to the sins You freed me from. I recommit to keeping my heart focused on You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P59
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