Yesterday we looked at our Thoughts and learned how to pay attention and filter them. In the process we learned how to differentiate or discern spirits based on God’s character vs. the devil’s strategies, who to listen to and who to block out. I trust you spent a few minutes of introspection identifying areas that need improvement in your life, to help you get unstuck!

Today God the Holy Spirit woke me up very early (1:30 a.m.) and started downloading. I wound up typing for 5 hours, until my husband got up. The Spirit took me on a journey as always. I thought He was talking about one thing, and then He starts weaving one subject together with the next and ends up miles away from where we started. He is such an awesome teacher, with unlimited wisdom and knowledge, I could sit there all day and night and never get up!

I will start where we ended up with God’s Love, because His Love is True Love and enables us to do anything, including get unstuck.  As the Holy Spirit expounded, I realized, love truly is the “Greatest Power on earth” because “God is Love!” I was so overwhelmed with His love and presence all day. I felt like I had taken a bath and soaked in it; it was so all-encompassing and refreshing! It was alive inside you, soothing, comforting, piercing through every cell, every memory, healing every hurt, pain, grief or sorrow, wiping away every tear from your eyes. It filled you with hope and life and excitement. It was so fulfilling that it kept drawing you deeper and deeper. You just wanted more. It was pure bliss, and I didn’t want it to end.

It All Starts and Ends With Love

So, let’s take a closer look at God’s wonderful love and why it is so important for us to know and experience His love personally. God’s love is a powerful and transformative force that can permeate and fill the human heart. This is something supernatural that cannot be achieved through human effort. It is a “gift” given by the sweet Holy Spirit. This is not just an intellectual understanding, but a personal experience shared between you and God and differs from person to person. This is a continual love that can be shared every day, just like any other relationship, not just a one-time fling.

Like a couple who falls in love will do anything to please the other. They might change their clothing or hair style, lose weight, clean up their language, get a different job or make new friends, etc. They want to make them happy and put a smile on their face. They want to make their life easier and want them healthy and whole, not sick or stressed out. Of course, the longer people are together, their tender love and care grow deeper for each other. They have weathered a few storms together, for better or worse, richer or poorer… and are still standing. They know the other person has their back and they can trust them with their life.

Love & Trust Go Together

Without trust, there is no relationship. That is the same way we learn to trust and love God, after we have some experience under our belt. At first in our relationship, we are not sure if we can trust Him or not, because we have been hurt or disappointed so many times by man. But time and again God proves Himself faithful, that He will never leaves us nor forsake us. We will not be left alone as orphans to fend for ourselves or be a victim and need to try to protect ourselves. He is a true father who loves us dearly and cares for us so generously and deeply. That is what I want you to understand today, that God loves you more than you know and there is nothing you can do to make Him not love you!

With that being said, it is Love that will empower us to do anything, i.e. God will empower us to do anything. He/Love will help and enable us to:

• Please God and not our Self, preferring God and others above ourselves.
• Outgrow your Self, growing and maturing into the image of Christ.
• Have no other lovers or idols besides Him, Married to Christ, our True Love.
• Obey and Follow His instructions quickly, not questioning or second-guessing Him.
• Have reverential fear and respect for God, submitting and deferring to Him.
• Be doers of His Word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.
• Overcome bad habits, addictions, and self-defeating thoughts, words, and actions.
• Do the hard thing, not just the easy thing.
• Keep going when you want to quit.
• Change for the better, letting go of the past and embracing the future.
• Forgive and let go of painful or bitter memories.
• Trust Him to lead and guide you to your desired destination. (Inner GPS)
• Believe Him and step out in faith (over fear & doubt), taking Him at His Word.
• Trust Him to take care of you and your family.
• Know that He always has your best interest in mind… always!

More Love = More Power

If you are “trying” to do any of these things by yourself, in your own self effort, you can’t! Quit Trying and Start Trusting! Spend more time with God until you are head-over-heels in love with Him… and you “Know” you can trust Him with your life! All your worries and cares will just roll off, like water on a duck’s back. You can give it all to Him and know that “He is taking care of everything that concerns you!” (Psalm 138:3)

I have become an Ex-Do-It-Yourselfer, and I love it!! It is so much easier than trying to do everything myself when I can delegate it to God and let Him handle it. It lightens up my load and I can breathe! I don’t have to be weighed down or try to make something happen, using manipulation to get what I want (which is a spirit of witchcraft by the way)! God never tries to push or control anyone but gives everyone a free will to choose and do what they want. He will try to enlighten, lead, draw and help… but will never push or force.

Leave & Cleave!

2 Corinthians 6:17

So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor.

God loves us with a passion. He created us in His image and likeness, for His pleasure, gave us His name. He is jealous of us with a steadfast love. God referred to His people many times throughout the Bible as a faithless wife, and Jesus as our Bridegroom and Head of the Church. He even asked the prophet Hosea to illustrate the point and marry a harlot, giving a life-like demonstration of the way Israel treated Him. We should have a love for God like any other couple head-over-heels in love. We should be for His eyes only, seeing none other but Him in our love-stricken gaze. If your love is not “hot” for God, then you need to rekindle the flame. Spend time with Him, and the more you do, the more your love grows. The more your love grows… there is nothing you wouldn’t do for Him!

Focus:

1. Is God your first love? How much time do you spend with God reading His Word on a daily or weekly basis? (Reading His Word, Talking, Sharing, Taking Walks, Listening to His Spirit, Worshipping Him, being quiet in His Presence) How can you increase your time together thereby growing your love for Him, until He is all you can think about!
2. What are some unimportant things that you spend time on that you can get rid of, or distractions that you can avoid, so you can spend more time with God?
3. What do you need Love/God (the Love God) to empower you to do or not do?
4. What do you need to Let Go of and Let God handle it?
5. Read the Scriptures below and meditate on them.

Scripture References:

I John 4:8 (AMPC)

⁸ He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

Romans 5:5 (AMP)

Such hope never disappoints making us feel ashamed, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 8:38-39 (AMP)

³⁸ For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (AMP)

¹⁶ May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, ¹⁸ be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; ¹⁹ and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].  

John 13:34-35 (AMP)

³⁴ I am giving you a new commandment, that you ^[f]love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”

I Corinthians 13:4-8 (AMPC)

Love is…

⁴ Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

⁵ It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

⁶ It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

⁷ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

⁸ Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

James 4 

³ You do not have, because you do not ask. [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend (consume) it on sensual pleasures, i.e. sin-ful pleasures (Self-Centered).

⁴ You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

⁵ Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking for no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?

⁶ But He gives us more and more grace (^[a]power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

Helpful Resources:

Christ Fellowship (Articles on Love)

https://www.christfellowship.church/discover?c=devotionals-articles&s=love

“How You Can Experience More of God’s Love”

By Colin Smith