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Bible Reading Plan
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Going deeper...to go further

Daily Bible reading strengthens our relationship with God, nourishes our spirits and equips us to live a fruitful, effective life for Him.

This month we're reading a chapter from the New Testament and one from the Old Testament each day As we read the Word it’s important that we apply what we read and pray it out over our lives. One of the way you can do this is by using the acronym SOAP. To find out more about SOAP watch this video.

Below you’ll see what we’re reading today. To go forward or back a day in our reading plan use the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons.

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1 John 4

Test the spirits1Dear friends, do not trust in every spiritual power. Test the various spiritual forces that want to influence your life so that you can determine what is truly from God and what is not. Realise that there are many false prophets in the world, inspired by false spirits.2-3There is a sure way to recognise those inspired by God's Spirit: they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God come in human flesh. Every person who does not acknowledge Jesus in this way is not under the influence of God's Spirit but is under the spirit of antichrist. You have heard that this spirit was coming and I tell you that it is already present in the world.4However, dear children, because you belong to God you have overcome these false spirits and those influenced by them. The Spirit of God lives in you and He is far greater than this spirit of antichrist that is at work in the world.5These other spirits that are at work in the world speak from the ungodly viewpoint of the world and those who belong to the world listen to them.6But we belong to God, and so others who also belong to God listen to what we say. Those who do not belong to God do not listen to us. So this is how you can recognise who is motivated by the Spirit of Truth and those under the influence of what is false: whether they listen to you when you speak God's truth, or whether they refuse to listen.Living a life of love7Dear friends, it is essential that we love our fellow believers and receive love from them, for this love comes from God. Yes, this love is in every person who has received the second birth that God alone can give. Putting this love into action demonstrates to the world that you know God in your experience.8Whoever does not put such love into practice does not have personal knowledge of God, for He is love. How did He reveal His love among us?9By sending His one and only Son into the world that we might have God's eternal life through Him.10You see, this is true love: not that we have loved God, but that He has demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice offered on the cross, to bring us back to unity with God through the forgiveness of all our sins.11Dear friends, I repeat, if this is the extent of God's love for us, then surely we ought to love one another!12No-one has ever seen God as He is. Yet if we truly put our love for one another into action, His love is revealed and fulfilled in us and the world can see that love.13We can be certain that we continue to live in Him and that He continues to live in us, because we have His own Spirit living in us.14We have seen this clearly and tell others that God the Father sent His Son to be the Saviour of the entire world.15So if anyone truly believes that Jesus is God's Son, God truly lives in him and he lives in God.16In fact we can be sure of this, that we are able to depend completely on the love that God has for us. God is love. So if love is your way of life, it is clear that you live in God and that He lives in you.17This is how God's love is revealed among us, and it is this obedience to Him that will give us confidence on the Day of Judgment. Such love shows the world that we are like the One in whom we believe.18There is no fear in this kind of love that comes from God. His love is perfect and it drives fear out of our lives. The one who is afraid fears that he will be punished by God. Such a one does not have this perfect love operating fully in his life.19We love because we are responding to His great love for us.20Listen, if someone says, "I love God", but you see that he does not love his fellow believer, it is obvious that he lies. For anyone who does not love his brother, who is right in front of him, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen with the naked eye.21And, anyway, this is the command that God has given us: whoever truly lives in love for God must also live to love his fellow believer. This is a simple matter of obedience.

1 Samuel 3

1The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4Then the Lord called Samuel.Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” 15Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 17“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” 19The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 21The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
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