Everybody Needs Lovin'!

Love is the key to everything. I know a word and it's the most powerful word ever spoken, written or said. It's a word that's even more powerful than "faith". A word that's more powerful than healing. A single word that can turn someone's life completely upside down and even turn the world on it's axis. A word stronger than any man, any force and any belief or idea. 4 simple letters yet one complex meaning. It's a word that can do more good in someone's life than prayer. This marvelous, great word that I speak of is the word “L-O-V-E...LOVE!” Love can change anything. Love is what can make you a success or a failure in dealing with people. Love is the key that will open the hearts of the most hardened lost sheep. And love always, always, always, ALWAYS wins! People need to know that they are loved. People need to understand what the true church is. Too often have we pointed our fingers and told people how wrong they are and yet not done it based on love. And this, my friends, should not be so! I feel that maybe we’ve made the mistakes as believers, newly re-born and experienced alike, of addressing others with EMOTION rather than compassion. We hear a wonderful sermon that encourages us and pumps us up and we’re ready to just reach out to every single person we see out there! Over time, however, that just stops happening. Why is this? Let me suggest to you that we have fallen in love rather than grounding ourselves in it.

There is such a drastic difference between falling in love and growing in love. One is unstable and flighty, based solely on emotions or shallow inhibitions. The other is grounded, rooted and creates an indestructible foundation. This applies to romantic relationships as well as the relationship with our Father and, in the context of this writing, our relationship with the world. You see, Jesus never FELL in love with us. If He had done so, His sacrifice on the cross would have been a bust. He WOULD have, in fact, called down legions of angels to His rescue. No, you see, Jesus GREW in love with us. I have no doubt about that. No, there isn’t a scripture that says “And Jesus developed a love for the world over time.” Nor is there one that says “God so loved the world after an enduring process of creating and getting to know everyone.”
No, you see, we can see the results of the fact that God grew in love with us simply b/c He has never left us, forsaken us or done ANYTHING to punish us when we so justly deserved it! He fully embodies love. He IS love. And love does NOT bring calamity, sickness, poverty or hurt in order to punish, correct or even teach someone. Period.

Jesus was always showing the will of His Father by His actions. Every time He encountered sickness, He ministered. He payed attention to financial issues and ministered about those things as well. He was all about love, love, love! Love was His mission and the very foundation of EVERYTHING that He ever did on this earth as a man. And now that mission has been served to us, His followers. We are to be all about love, love, love. No, we aren’t to love this world’s ways or the moral decay that only grows day by day. No, we aren’t to support contrary lifestyles and belief systems that are enmities of the Word of God. But we are to reach out to this world, selflessly, giving all that we can give to make a difference. How do we do this? Love.

Love is the answer to just about every single difficult situation you face. When it comes to dealing with religious individuals that neither think they have an issue nor want to listen to anything you say b/c they have it all together, love is the key to breaking through. When it comes to dealing with that abusive spouse, relative or other person in your life, love is the ingredient that will drop them to their knees. When it comes to dealing with the most hardened heart, love is always the way in. You can’t look at the circumstances, however. I’ve been that guy that was so hard and non-receptive of anything even REMOTELY Christ-like. Love broke me down hard. God had placed individuals in my path that simply ministered to me with love. They showed they cared. They would tell me they cared. One brother, in particular, embraced me with a gentle hug whenever I lost my best friend and just told me, “I love you and I’m praying for you.” Wow! What a difference that made in me! I hated that guy...I think he knew it...but yet still. And then another dear brother reached out to me in homeroom one day, in love, and just ministered words of love to me about my situation at that time. I left school that day, went to my room, hit my knees and just BROKE before God. I knew these guys were Christians because I saw the difference in their conduct in mine. So their words drilled through my hardened heart every time they spoke to me because they always spoke to me from the position of love. Love always, always, always, ALWAYS works!

So where do we get this? HOW can we grow in love rather than wrapping ourselves up in “the moment” of this letter and going by emotional response? Let me suggest that we get that love from spending time touching our Father’s heart. When we spend time with our God in loving fellowship and spend time in His Word as if it’s the only “meal” at the dinner table that we will have that day, we break before Him. And when we break before our God, He fills in every single crevice with Himself. The deeper in love with God our Father that you are, the more love you are going to exude as you walk amongst the people that don’t yet know Him. And let’s not forget the power of the precious Holy Spirit that dwells in us either! Praying in the Spirit (praying in other tongues) releases the full plan of God in your life. When you pray in an unknown tongue, your spirit, your inner man, the REAL you, communicates DIRECTLY with God, though your understanding is unfruitful. When you pray in the Spirit, you pray out the perfect plan and will of God in your life. And also, when you pray in the Spirit, you edify yourself. You build yourself up, getting everything that you NEED in that moment. And FYI...you don’t even have to wait for some “feeling” to come upon you before you begin to pray in other tongues. The Holy Ghost is a gift that lives inside us and if you’ve received the baptism of that precious, Holy Spirit, you can put that gift to use anytime...and it’s STILL as the Spirit gives utterance! Praise God for the Holy Ghost!

So spend time with our Father. Love on Him, sing to Him, speak to Him like you would your dearest sweetheart. Spend time in His Word...crave it like you do your favorite meal...and as you read it, enjoy it as you would that favorite dish. Pray in the Spirit and know that everything you need is being represented in that precious time. And watch the difference in your life and the impact that your life will make from this day forward in the world around you.

I love you guys! If you have questions or comments, I welcome them!

Can you hear it?

As I sit here alone in my apartment at 11:10 p.m., I have a deep yearning within me to blog.  More so than that, I have a deep yearning, a crying out in a sense for something.  Do you hear what I hear?

What is that sound?  What is that roar?  What is that desperate call?  What is this passionate outburst of emotion?  Do you feel it?  Can you sense it? 

I feel it.  I sense it.  And currently, with all that I am, I hear it.  My heart is flooded right now in a way that I can't currently express to you.  What is it? 

The world.  Those around me that don't know my Father.  Those around me that don't know my heavenly Father the way that I do.  I yearn for them to know.  I long for them to feel Him, to listen to Him.  This generation is lost and longing for something yet they just aren't sure what that something is.

I have your answer, generation.  He's the Answer for all generations.  His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God sent to this earth as a man to take on all of our sins, sicknesses and  shortcomings.  He gave up His life for you.  He gave up EVERYTHING for you.  And He rose again for you.  He rose again for ALL of you!  I want you to know Him. 

I have to get this word out to this generation.  I have to tell them Who it is that they've been searching for all this time!  I have to prove to them that they will be giving up NOTHING to live for Him!  I know what they're thinking.."There has to be more to life than this!"  My response is this: THERE IS!!!

How can I let them know?  How can MY voice be heard around the world? 

What can I do about it?  How can I make a difference?

Am I going at this alone?  Do YOU care?  Do YOU hear it?  Do YOU feel it?  Will YOU respond to that outcry in your heart, my brother, my sister?  That outcry in your heart is none other than the very outcry of our Father to reach this world.  And if we won't LISTEN, if we won't HEAR it, if we won't take it...they will never know. 

Stir yourselves up, believers!  Stir yourselves up!  Your life is NOT your own!  Whatever God has giving you, He didn't give it for YOU to enjoy!  He gave it to you for you to take it to THEM!!  It's ALL about THEM!

My God.  I'm stirring right now.  Do you hear it yet?  Will you ever hear it yet?  Now is the time to rise up and be who God has called us to be!  Now is the time to take a stand and realize who we are in Christ so that we can effectively do His work as God's glorious church!  My goodness.  It's time to walk worthy.  These are the last, glorious days...if the harvest isn't ripe NOW then it never will be.  Let's do this, brothers!  Let's do this, sisters!  NOW is the time!  The time is NOW!  Glory to God!

If you aren't stirred up yet and you are a born-again believer, you need to re-evaluate your relationship with Jesus Christ!  If you aren't a believer yet then there is NO better time! 

The Bible says that if you will confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord then you WILL be saved...pray this aloud with me if you'd like to experience life in abundance...

Father, I confess that I'm a sinner.  I believe that You have provided a way out for me though.  I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins.  Right now, God, I ask You to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of all the things I've done in my past.  I want to live a new life and I want to live a new life with You as my Father.  Jesus Christ, I make You my Lord and I accept You as my Savior.  Thank You for forgiving me, cleansing me and saving me.  Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, let me know, I'd like to talk with you and congratulate you on your new life.

Love ya!