Do you have a vision of God big enough to sustain your ability to abide in a painful world? Our vision of God must be bigger than our world in order to truly abide in Him.

The Gospel is not just something which you graduate from…and it not just something you celebrate in…it is vital that you come to understand, that it is also something you anticipate on.

There are antichrists among us in the church that have already come to lead us astray. Be confident in your anointing as children of God, for Jesus is the one true messiah.

Your desire concerning God's one and only will for your life starts with your desire for God's one and only Son in your life. When He is all that you desire, you will know what God's will is because you'll already be in it.

Sanctification means that because of God the Son, by God the Spirit, through the means of faith, we are adopted into the household of God as sons and daughters of God. This is our permanent, final position and cannot be changed, but as we traverse our sanctification, we should be absorbing more and more of Jesus who abides in us by God's word.

Every day we are presented with false kings to deliver us from the pain and hardship in our lives; leaders that appear strong, but in the end lead us astray. Jesus is the true king, anointed by God, and is the only one who will love us fully and completely, never leaving or forsaking his people. Which king do you choose?

How often do you respond "I'm fine" when asked 'how you are doing'? If you really took the time to examine how you're really doing, is that true? We need to take the time to self-examine and stop ignoring what's really going on.

This week John reminds us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. If we're not walking in the light, then we're just talking in the dark.

Are you in the dark? Or are you walking in the light?

Jesus used the word abide when He likened Himself to a grapevine and His followers to its branches:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless itabides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4).

This portrait, no doubt, is what John had in mind when he penned his three letters on abiding in Christ. It illustrates the vital union between Christians and Jesus Christ.

The word abide basically means “to remain.” Every Christian abides, in that they are inseparably linked to Christ in all areas of life. As we come to know Jesus more and more, we abide more and more. The more we know of His grace and goodness, we abide in joy (1 John 1:4). The more we know of His word and wisdom, we abide in truth (2 John 1:9). The more we know of His purposes and power, we abide in holiness (1 John 3:6).

In short, those who truly and gratefully know Jesus Christ as the source and sustainer of their lives, abide—they won’t tap-out, they won’t be ashamed, they won’t disobey. This doesn’t mean perfection, rather far from it. In fact, John also recognized that abiding involved admitting sins, seeking forgiveness, and depending on Jesus for cleansing from shame and guilt.

So what do you say? Want to know more of Jesus? This series is about getting to know the real Jesus, so that we might abide in real love.