Love & Loss

Unfortunately, this has been a season of lost, especially with Covid_19. However, remember that you have not lost the love of God or His favor on your life. Yes, it.is definitely trying and I am right there with you...And I see the foolishness as much as you do, but still I trust Him. Love you guys. Hang in there, and hold on to His promises. I'm trying to...

Consistent & Everlasting Love

Our God is so sweet and kind in his CONSISTENT pursuance of us via love. His heart is amazing, and always willing to accept and help. We ALL could use a lesson of His love.

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord .
Hosea 2:19‭-‬20 NIV

Behavior Towards Our Enemies

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:44 NKJV

*This is definitely one of the hardest things to do, especially with users. It's easier to cut people like that off, and not deal with them. I'm not saying be around these people, but to love inspite of is definitely a humbling experience. However, the honor is in God seeing your actions. Plus, if we can learn to work through the negativity of haters, it will be easier to handle loved ones.

What is Your Motive and Demeanor?

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26 NKJV

*This is one of the main issues that I see amongst believers: The spirit of envy, trying to compete with one another, and always questioning each in order to make the other person feel bad. Since when did God award people to be the judge and jury? Why do people provoke each other, rather than be a listening ear and help each other? What is the point in competing when we are all in the race together?...No sin holds less weight than the next. Today, I encourage you to evaluate how you carry yourself. Are you always looking for faults? Do you care or just waiting to respond and pick at others? What is your real motive?

Representing Christ

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Romans 12:15‭-‬16 NKJV

*Maybe if more people were open towards relating to others, they wouldn't have the time or room for criticism...This is one of the steps of being humble. If you can find compassion for others, not only will you be able to understand others more, but you will truly represent Christ-like behavior.

Protect the Heart

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

*We have to guard our heart from negativity at all times, otherwise we will become that negativity. There are some things we have to deal with, and pray our way through while others are unnecessary stressers or distractions. Ask God to provide wisdom to know the difference. You are not entitled to put yourself at risk with people and situations you don't have to deal with. You also have to be aware of people and environments that can taint your heart, and create poor behaviors and mannerisms as well.

How to Love

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. I John 4:11‭-‬12 NKJV

*Let me tell you, this love walk is not easy...Sadly, it is harder from my experience to love fellow believers more than those in the world. There are so many criticising, false representing, alter ego, low self-esteem, judging individuals in the body of Christ. Their behavior, but low key repressed actions and need for attention, can create quite the schizophrenic atmosphere..Making it hard to love. However, we have to exercise the wisdom of God on how to love them, because it is a must, but remember to guard out hearts as the word says and not let that behaviour rub off.

Haters Should Not Hate

A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30 NKJV

*There is no need in hating...We all have our own walks in Christ, and blessings to receive that are greater than we can imagine. The sooner you embrace that, the more peace you will have...

Being a Confidant

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 NKJV

*As believers, we are suppose to be able to talk to one another, and receive advice and support. This should be lopsided, or to the opposite extreme, hidden to convey "perfection." I'm not saying spread your business, or cast your pearls, to any and everyone...Be led. However, we as Believers need to do better about being listeners and being there for one another, instead of it being lopsided.

Guidance in Love

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 NKJV

*Getting into worldly thoughts can be easier to do than you think, especially when it comes to loving people. You may feel the need to not be bothered and preserve your energy. This is ok, but do not allow your heart to harden where you don't want to be bothered with anyone. Guard your heart from foolishness and lack of understanding or support, but still rejuvenate your mind with God's love in order to impact people that HE GUIDES YOU TO.

A Heart Like God's

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 NKJV

*"Do you know that your brain is not designed to fear but it is hard-wired for love? Fear is not a natural response, despite what you may believe. Fear is a learned response and that is actually good news. Why? If you can learn to fear, you can also learn not to fear." So, in transparency, giving a full heart is fearful in my opinion. People hurt what they don't undersrand, and they don't love you like God. However, God sends people to help you grow. Plus, no matter how much I want to say forget it and give me an island because these folks are crazy, I still see love and pitifulness when I look at people...Guess this is what happens when you continue to ask God to make your heart like His. Even the ugliest and rudest acting, selfish person saddens me because they are crying for love and attention...Interesting how that works. Don't act on learned behavior. Work on implementing the natural behavior God put inside of you.

Real Knows Who Was Sent By The REAL One

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. I John 4:1 NKJV

*This is a very deep scripture because it reminds us not to be naive, and don't be accepting to connecting and being inspired by everyone who talks like they know God. Even the devil can quote scriptures..This is why I say you can love everyone, but some people require love from a distance. Everyone is not meant to speak into your life, be in your inner circle, and know your weaknesses.  You need the right people, sent by God, to pour into you. Don't even allow everyone to influence you because they may have been sent as a distraction. Plus, some experiences were not sent from God, but created by man. Build a relationship with God to recognize His sheep.

Love: The Hardest Thing 2 Do, But The Easiest 2 Feel

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. I Peter 4:9‭-‬10 NKJV

*Loving others is definitely not easy...There are plenty of closed minds, bad attitudes, combative, delusional, and to be honest just hateful spirits. However, how can we encourage change if we judge and don't love? The saying that "you can win more flies with honey than vinegar" rings true. Letting others know that everyone is not the same, and not everyone is looking to hurt them is half the battle in bringing people closer to Christ. We all need love, and we all need to sow it to reap it. However, like everything else, it requires God's wisdom and strength to love. Examine the heart of God...Now, ask yourself how is your love walk?

God Has NOT Forgotten

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord , who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” Ruth 2:20 NKJV

*God has not forgotten about you...He sees, loves, and never forgets. No matter what we face, or how long we have to face it, God always has a plan of deliverance. Just keeping praying, listening, believing, and waiting and He will come. Don't let longevity and longsuffering cause you to veer from the course and go your own way. You will never know what you could have had by choosing for yourself...

Setting the Stage for Love

We love Him because He first loved us. I John 4:19 NKJV

*To receive love,  you must show it...Set the tone, and show love I'm order to set the stage of creating peace and obtaining love. Even if you don't receive it from a likely source, your sowing sets the stage to receive it regardless of the source. If you sow it, you will reap it. This chapter is also the standard of God's love. As humans, we will not be perfect like this love, but we can strive to be like Christ.

Kindness

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 NIV

*No matter the situation, our ability to impact others positively will conquer all.  We have to learn to ignore how we feel about people, and focus on doing God's will.

God's Listening Ear

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord , The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 NKJV

*I am so thankful that God is understanding, especially when humans aren't. He walks and talks with you, if you let Him. He is always ready to listen, and isn't just ready to respond. Thank God to have a relationship with Him...It preserves your sanity, and your ability to relate to His people...

My Heart Aches for the Term "Love"

Food 4 Thought:

If love were a battle field, there would be so many casualties...This would be due to self- destruction of feeling unworthy, selfishness in thinking a relationship is one-sided, death by convenience in doing things when you feel like it, fear would cause a yellow-belly retreat, while hopelessness and the suicide of being trapped  by your past or current situation would cause self-inflicted harm. Don't be one of the casualties that falls into the trickery of these end results...Fight the good fight of faith in knowing what God has for you, and ACT on what HE is telling you... #Love

Sexual Connection

Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. I Corinthians 7:1‭-‬3 NKJV

*Notice it says have your own husband and your own wife..Not have your own boyfriend or girlfriend. Also, each roll in sexually connecting is gender specified.  Don't get caught up in what the world depicts as ok in satisfying your sexual hunger. Secure yourself, guilt and negative consequence free, in God.

The Art of Restoration

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:1‭-‬2 NKJV

*Notice how the word tells us to gently restore the person. Many believers have lost the art of gentleness. Instead they throw the book at others while they are in hiding with their sin, or go off on someone in order to shame them into what you think they should be doing. I think the saddest course of action is just ignoring people who fall short all together, and not wanting to "involve" yourself in the restoration process. This is why it is important to be led on how to handle people, and to have a heart of empathy. Otherwise, you may be doing more harm than help in "the name of the Lord."