Passage
Dearly beloved, if our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards God.
1 John 3:21 (DRB)
Nearby Context
1 John 3:19 In this we know that we are of the truth and in his sight shall persuade our hearts.
1 John 3:20 For if our heart reprehend us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
1 John 3:21 Dearly beloved, if our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards God.
1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him: because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.
1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment: That we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as he hath given commandment unto us.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "dearly", "beloved", "heart", "reprehend", "confidence", and "towards". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dearly" and "beloved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 20's "For if our heart reprehend us God..." into verse 22's "And whatsoever we shall ask we shall...", so "dearly" and "beloved" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "dearly" and "beloved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.