January 18th, 2026
Discernment: Living Wisely in the New Year!
Part 4: The Power of Discernment
1 John 4:1-6
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
January 18, 2026
Memory Verse:
“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.”
1 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today we are in part four of our series called "Discernment: Living Wisely in the New Year" The word "discern" comes from the Greek word "anakrino" which means to examine, to separate, or to distinguish.
What does discernment do to us as followers of Jesus? It gives us the ability to distinguish lies from the truth and the Spirit of God from the spirit of this world. Do you have the discernment coming from the Holy Spirit? How do you know that it is from the Spirit of God?
Main Pointers:
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many falseprophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
1 John 4:1-3 NLT
1. Deception is everywhere, we must have discernment to know which comes from the Spirit of God.
A. The early church dealt with many false prophets and just like today there are so many. How do we know which spirit is from God? The Bible is very clear how to identify deception. Do not easily believe everyone who claims they are speaking in behalf of the spirit of God.
B. It is our responsibility to test everything! The Bible warns us that there are many deceptive spirits that like to pretend. The only way to spot falsehood is to be a student of the Word of God.
C. “That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open- minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly toPaul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.”
Acts of the Apostles 17:10-12 NLT
2. The most important question to ask, “is it Christ-like?”
“But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
1 John 4:3 NLT
A. There are so many pretenders nowadays who uses the name of Jesus for their own agenda but it is really not hard to spot them.
B. Only those who do not have the right discernment fall into believing in them. All you need to do is ask yourself “are they CHRIST-Like?” The Bible says that you will know them by their fruits. Everything is centered around the person of Jesus Christ. Anything that is self-serving, ego-centered, and self-glorifying is not from Christ.
C. “I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.”
2 John 1:7-11 NLT
3. It’s either you have the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us.That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”
1 John 4:4-6 NLT
A. Look at how John addressed those who are true followers of God. They “belong” to God and victory has already been won! if you read the Gospel of John his main theme in that book is “abiding” in Christ.
B. There is a big distinction. The Spirit who lives in the heart of true followers of Christ is much greater than the spirit of deception. That means true believers of Christ are not deceived. They are victorious over the pretenders because the Spirit of God gives them discernment.
C. “Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This manwill come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived,and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 NLT
Conclusion:
As we take on this brand new year and start this another amazing journey that God has in front of us, we must have the wisdom to know that it is not going to be an easy ride. There are going to be bumps and even strong weather along the journey. There will be distractions and obstacles but all of that is part of the journey itself. With wisdom and discernment we can be prepared and ready to take on any challenge that the road ahead might throw at us.
Always remember that greater is the Spirit of truth that lives in us than the spirit of lies that is in the world. Victory belongs to us in Christ Jesus!
“For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”
James 3:15-17 NLT
Part 4: The Power of Discernment
1 John 4:1-6
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
January 18, 2026
Memory Verse:
“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.”
1 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today we are in part four of our series called "Discernment: Living Wisely in the New Year" The word "discern" comes from the Greek word "anakrino" which means to examine, to separate, or to distinguish.
What does discernment do to us as followers of Jesus? It gives us the ability to distinguish lies from the truth and the Spirit of God from the spirit of this world. Do you have the discernment coming from the Holy Spirit? How do you know that it is from the Spirit of God?
Main Pointers:
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many falseprophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
1 John 4:1-3 NLT
1. Deception is everywhere, we must have discernment to know which comes from the Spirit of God.
A. The early church dealt with many false prophets and just like today there are so many. How do we know which spirit is from God? The Bible is very clear how to identify deception. Do not easily believe everyone who claims they are speaking in behalf of the spirit of God.
B. It is our responsibility to test everything! The Bible warns us that there are many deceptive spirits that like to pretend. The only way to spot falsehood is to be a student of the Word of God.
C. “That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open- minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly toPaul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.”
Acts of the Apostles 17:10-12 NLT
2. The most important question to ask, “is it Christ-like?”
“But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
1 John 4:3 NLT
A. There are so many pretenders nowadays who uses the name of Jesus for their own agenda but it is really not hard to spot them.
B. Only those who do not have the right discernment fall into believing in them. All you need to do is ask yourself “are they CHRIST-Like?” The Bible says that you will know them by their fruits. Everything is centered around the person of Jesus Christ. Anything that is self-serving, ego-centered, and self-glorifying is not from Christ.
C. “I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.”
2 John 1:7-11 NLT
3. It’s either you have the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us.That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”
1 John 4:4-6 NLT
A. Look at how John addressed those who are true followers of God. They “belong” to God and victory has already been won! if you read the Gospel of John his main theme in that book is “abiding” in Christ.
B. There is a big distinction. The Spirit who lives in the heart of true followers of Christ is much greater than the spirit of deception. That means true believers of Christ are not deceived. They are victorious over the pretenders because the Spirit of God gives them discernment.
C. “Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This manwill come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived,and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 NLT
Conclusion:
As we take on this brand new year and start this another amazing journey that God has in front of us, we must have the wisdom to know that it is not going to be an easy ride. There are going to be bumps and even strong weather along the journey. There will be distractions and obstacles but all of that is part of the journey itself. With wisdom and discernment we can be prepared and ready to take on any challenge that the road ahead might throw at us.
Always remember that greater is the Spirit of truth that lives in us than the spirit of lies that is in the world. Victory belongs to us in Christ Jesus!
“For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”
James 3:15-17 NLT
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