“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” 1 John 4: 6

Last year I was traveling with a work colleague.  We were sitting together in an airport lounge while waiting for our separate flights home.  We shared a table, and had our laptops out, both trying to get caught up on missed emails.  Except I was writing a draft for one of these devotionals.  She noticed I was deep in thought, and asked the question, “So, what are you working on?”

Here’s the predicament.  I have the Bible open on my phone, and I’m typing a message about Jesus.  My “common sense” is telling me that this is the perfect time for a little white lie along the lines of “Oh, just some work emails”.  But why do my thoughts go first to being dishonest, especially when it comes to my faith?

When John is talking about the “Spirit of truth” competing with the “spirit of falsehood” in his letter, it’s helpful to frame these spirits as influences in our world.  The Holy Spirit calls us to remember the truth about Jesus.  When we’re in church or reading the Bible, it’s easy to feel the pull of the “Spirit of truth”.  But what about other parts of our lives? 

I often feel a great amount of pressure from worldly influences to hide my Christian identity, especially at work.  Something wants me to believe that Christianity is controversial.  Or a belief in Jesus just doesn’t fit in the “real” world.  At most, it’s fine for me but needs to stay with just me.  

Of course, these are all lies.

Yet these are some of the spirits that John is talking about.  These worldly influences cow us into hiding our faith, instead of expressing belief.  They have us believe that we should remain mute, even when we know the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” is empowering us to speak openly about Jesus.

“I’m working on a draft for a weekly devotional series I help write for my church”, was my answer.  Which was the spark for a great conversation.  She talked about her mission work, and youth group involvement at her church.  I talked more about my volunteering.  She was even kind enough to help me overcome a bit of writer’s block on a title for the devotional.

By listening to the truth of the Holy Spirit, I ended up having an amazing connection with another person over Jesus! 

Acknowledging the role of Jesus in your life doesn’t mean that every other word you share must be about Jesus. But where in your life has a “spirit of falsehood” convinced you to hide your faith, instead of being a witness for Jesus?