09/13/2026
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Teaching: Knowing God, Walking in Truth, and Trusting His Provision
Primary Scriptures: Philippians 4:19; 1 John 1–3; 1 John 5:14–19
Central Message: When we know who God is, understand who we are in Christ, and walk in fellowship with Him, we can trust His provision, approach Him in prayer, and live in the victory and freedom He gives us.
Introduction
Many believers know that God is able to provide, forgive, protect, and answer prayer. However, knowing these truths intellectually is different from living in the confidence of them.
The passages we are studying teach us something essential: our relationship with God is not built on fear, confusion, or self-reliance. It is built on knowing Him, walking in His truth, trusting His provision, and believing that we can come boldly before Him in prayer.
Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God is our provider. First John 1–3 teaches us how to live in fellowship with Him and walk as His children. First John 5:14–19 gives us confidence in prayer and reminds us that we belong to God, even though we live in a world influenced by evil.
Together, these Scriptures help us understand what it means to live a life rooted in Christ.
1. God Is Our Source and Provider
Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
This verse is a powerful reminder that God is not limited by our circumstances. Paul was writing to believers who had supported him, and he assured them that God would supply their needs.
Notice the wording: “My God shall supply all your need.”
Paul was not pointing them toward their own strength, their resources, or the uncertainty of the world. He was pointing them toward God.
What does this teach us?
A. God is our source.
People, jobs, opportunities, and resources may be instruments God uses, but ultimately, our trust belongs in Him. We should be grateful for what God provides through others, while remembering that our confidence is in the Lord.
B. God knows what we need.
This verse is not a promise that God will fulfill every desire or provide everything according to our preferred timing. It is a reminder that He is faithful to care for His children according to His wisdom and riches.
C. Our confidence must be in Christ.
The verse concludes with “by Christ Jesus.” Our relationship with God and the provision He gives are connected to Christ. We do not have to live as though we are abandoned or left to figure everything out alone.
Teaching application: When fear tells you, “What am I going to do?” faith reminds you, “My God knows what I need, and I can trust Him.”
2. Walking in the Light Begins With Fellowship With God
1 John 1
First John begins by emphasizing that Jesus Christ is real, that He was seen and heard, and that the message of the Gospel is grounded in Him. John’s purpose is to bring believers into fellowship with God and with one another.
One of the key statements is found in 1 John 1:5:
“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
What does it mean to walk in the light?
Walking in the light means living openly before God. It means allowing His truth to guide our thoughts, choices, attitudes, and actions.
It does not mean that a believer never makes a mistake. It means we do not make darkness our way of life or hide from God when He reveals something that needs to change.
Three important truths from 1 John 1
A. Fellowship with God requires honesty.
We cannot grow spiritually while pretending that everything is right when it is not. God does not ask us to pretend; He invites us to come into His light.
B. We must recognize the seriousness of sin.
John makes it clear that sin cannot be treated casually. Sin affects our fellowship with God and contradicts His character.
C. God provides cleansing and forgiveness.
First John 1:9 teaches that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from unrighteousness.
This is not permission to continue living in sin. It is an invitation to repent, receive forgiveness, and walk in restored fellowship with God.
Important balance
We should never use grace as an excuse to remain in disobedience. But we should also never allow shame to convince us that we cannot return to God.
The light exposes what needs to change, and the grace of God makes cleansing possible.
3. Jesus Is Our Advocate, and Obedience Is Evidence of Our Relationship
1 John 2
First John 2 continues by showing us that Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father and the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
John also explains that knowing God is demonstrated through how we live.
A. Jesus is our advocate
When we fail, Jesus is not distant from us. First John 2:1 reminds believers that we have an advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous.
This should produce gratitude, not carelessness.
We do not obey God in order to earn His love. We obey because we have come to know Him and love Him.
B. Knowing God should affect our conduct
First John 2:3–4 teaches that we know we have come to know Him when we keep His commandments. This does not mean that Christians achieve sinless perfection. It means that genuine faith produces a desire to follow Christ.
Our lifestyle should increasingly reflect the One we claim to know.
A person cannot consistently claim to walk with Christ while deliberately making disobedience their identity and practice.
C. We are called to love
First John 2 emphasizes the commandment to love one another. Love is not merely an emotion or a statement we make; it is reflected in how we treat people.
Walking in the light means we cannot allow hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, and resentment to become permanent residents in our hearts.
D. We must guard our hearts from the world
First John 2:15–17 warns us not to love the world in the sense of being controlled by its values and desires.
John identifies the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as things that do not come from the Father.
The world is temporary, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
Teaching application: Ask yourself, “What is shaping my heart more—God’s Word or the values of the world around me?”
4. Our Identity as Children of God Should Change How We Live
1 John 3
First John 3 contains one of the most beautiful truths in Scripture:
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” — 1 John 3:1
We are not merely people trying to improve ourselves. Through Christ, we are invited into a relationship with the Father.
A. We are loved and called God's children
Our identity is not determined by our past, our failures, other people's opinions, or the labels placed on us.
When we understand that we are children of God, we begin to see ourselves differently. We no longer have to live as though we are rejected, forgotten, or without purpose.
Knowing whose we are helps us understand how we should live.
B. Spiritual growth involves transformation
First John 3 teaches that those who belong to Christ should not make a continuing practice of sin. Again, this is not saying that a believer never stumbles. It is addressing a life that refuses God's righteousness and makes sin its pattern.
The presence of God's life in us should produce change.
We should be growing in:
Our love for God
Our obedience to His Word
Our love for others
Our willingness to repent
Our desire to live righteously
C. Love must be demonstrated
First John 3:18 teaches us not to love merely in word or in speech, but in action and in truth.
This means love is more than saying, “I love you.” It is being willing to help, forgive, encourage, serve, and respond to the needs of others.
A mature Christian life is not measured only by what we say in church, but also by how we treat people when we leave church.
D. God knows our hearts
First John 3:19–20 reminds us that God knows all things. When our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts.
This does not mean we should ignore conviction or refuse correction. It means that our confidence must ultimately rest in God's truth, not in every accusation or feeling we experience.
5. We Can Approach God With Confidence in Prayer
1 John 5:14–15
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”
This passage teaches us that prayer is not simply presenting our wishes to God. Prayer is coming into agreement with His will.
What does confidence in prayer mean?
A. We can come to God boldly.
Because of our relationship with Christ, we do not have to approach God as strangers. We can come with reverence, humility, and confidence that He hears us.
B. We must pray according to His will.
God's will is not something we should treat as an obstacle to receiving what we want. His will is connected to His wisdom, His goodness, and His purpose.
Sometimes God answers:
Yes
No
Wait
Or He answers in a way different from what we expected
But we can trust that His hearing us does not depend on our ability to control the outcome.
C. Confidence is not the same as demanding.
Faith does not mean telling God what He must do. Faith means trusting God enough to ask, believing He hears, and surrendering the result to Him.
A practical prayer question
Before praying, ask:
“Lord, am I asking You to bless my will, or am I asking You to lead me into Yours?”
That question can transform our prayer life.
6. We Are Called to Care About Others and Pray for Them
1 John 5:16–17
John speaks about seeing a brother or sister in sin and responding appropriately. This passage requires careful handling because it distinguishes between different kinds of sin and discusses what he calls “sin unto death.”
The larger principle is that we should not become indifferent to the spiritual condition of others.
What can we learn?
A. We should care when someone is struggling.
When we see someone making destructive choices, our response should not be gossip, condemnation, or pride. We should respond with prayer, love, truth, and wisdom.
B. Prayer should be part of our response.
John encourages prayer concerning a brother or sister. This reminds us that we are not called merely to identify problems in people's lives; we are called to bring those concerns before God.
C. We must avoid pretending to know every person's spiritual condition.
The phrase “sin unto death” has been understood in different ways by Bible scholars. We should be careful not to use this passage to make careless judgments about who is saved, who is lost, or whose sin God will or will not forgive.
The central teaching remains: sin is serious, prayer matters, and we should respond to others with truth and love.
7. We Belong to God, Even Though We Live in a Troubled World
1 John 5:18–19
These verses teach that those born of God belong to Him, and that the whole world lies under the influence of the evil one.
This gives us a realistic understanding of our spiritual environment.
A. We should not be surprised by the presence of evil
The world is not always aligned with God's ways. We will encounter temptation, deception, injustice, and opposition.
Understanding this helps us remain spiritually alert.
B. We do not have to identify with the world's darkness
Although we live in the world, our identity and allegiance belong to God.
We do not have to let the world's fear become our fear, the world's values become our values, or the world's confusion become our direction.
C. We must remain rooted in truth
The answer to spiritual darkness is not fear. It is to remain in Christ, know God's Word, walk in the light, and depend on the Holy Spirit.
We are not called to blend into darkness; we are called to live as people who belong to God.
Bringing the Scriptures Together
These passages give us a clear picture of the Christian life:
Know God
First John teaches us that fellowship with God begins with knowing Him and walking in His light.
Walk in obedience
Our relationship with Christ should be reflected in our choices, our love, and our willingness to repent.
Trust God's provision
Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God is our source and that we can trust Him to supply our needs.
Pray with confidence
First John 5 teaches us to approach God with confidence, while submitting our requests to His will.
Remember who you are
You belong to God. You do not have to live under the control of the world's darkness.
Practical Application
This week, consider putting these Scriptures into practice:
Spend time in God's Word. Don't only read to gather information; read to know God's heart and direction.
Ask God to reveal anything that needs to change. Be willing to walk in the light and confess what He brings to your attention.
Examine your love. Are your actions toward others reflecting the love of Christ?
Pray according to God's will. Bring your needs, concerns, and desires to Him with confidence and surrender.
Trust God as your provider. Refuse to let fear convince you that you are alone or that everything depends on you.
Remember your identity. You are called to live as someone who belongs to God.
Conclusion
Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God is our provider. First John 1–3 reminds us that we are called to know Him, walk in His light, love others, and live as His children. First John 5:14–19 reminds us that we can pray with confidence, care about the spiritual condition of others, and remember that we belong to God in a world filled with darkness.
The Christian life is not simply about knowing Scripture; it is about allowing God's Word to shape how we live.
When we know who God is, we can trust Him more deeply. When we know who we are in Christ, we do not have to be controlled by fear, shame, or the opinions of others. And when we walk in fellowship with Him, we can face life's circumstances with the confidence that we belong to God, He hears us, and He is faithful.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word and for the truth that You are our provider. Teach us to walk in Your light, to be honest before You, and to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Help us to love others in action and in truth. Give us confidence to pray according to Your will, wisdom to respond to sin with grace and truth, and strength to remain faithful in a world that does not always honor You. Remind us of who we are in Christ and help us to live in a way that reflects Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Build a Foundation Ministries (BAFCI) teaches the uncompromised Word of God through its online Living in a World of Wisdom broadcasts. Dr. Mario and Denese Ramos teach who you are in Christ and how to apply it to your everyday life.
