Tag: love

1 Peter 5:8 NLT, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Several years ago, I was living in an apartment where the landlord refused to do pest control. So I called a pest control company and had it done myself. I remember before the pest control technician left, he said that any bugs I saw from now on, would be dead and on their backs. It was true, every bug I saw after he exterminated was dead and on their backs.

I recently thought about this, and I realized it works the same way for us in our walk with Christ. If we are properly prepared when the enemy comes against us with his evil tricks, he will end up defeated, like those bugs. We must take responsibility to ensure spiritual readiness so that we can win the spiritual battles we face.

In Christ we are more than conquerors, however we must do our part by acknowledging Him in all of our ways. We must also put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand firm in our faith and be victorious against the enemy of our souls.

I remember back when I was in the army, one of the phrases they taught us was, “Stay alert, stay alive!” We must stay alert so we don’t fall prey to the sinfulness and deception that is all around us. Blessings to you as you continue on your journey of trusting in the Lord with all of your heart. Let’s continue to pray for and encourage one another in our walk with Jesus.

Romans 8:28 NLT, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

This is a great truth for us to remember as we continue to trust God during these very difficult times. God promises to work everything out for those who love Him, and are working to fulfill His purpose for their lives. Even when things are bad, God says He will bring good out of it.

There have been so many times I have gone through difficulties, but in the end I was in awe at how God brought blessings out of it. When we find ourselves in circumstances that seem hopeless, based on this verse in Romans, we can have full assurance that God will cause things to work out in our favor. As God’s children, none of our experiences, rather they are good or bad, are ever wasted. They are used for His purposes.

When we find ourselves standing face to face with bad, it can be hard to see the good. But God has a perfect plan. We can trust Him. His love for us will never fail, and His favor surrounds us like a shield…

Psalm 5:12 NLT, “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In order to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things, we need the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us daily. Godly love in action is able to impact lives in ways that we have yet to even imagine. When we allow ourselves to be vessels that God can use to share His love with others, it not only blesses the other person, but it also blesses us. We are able to sense God’s presence in a special way, when we humble ourselves and show love.

The enemy presents so many opportunities for us to become offended by the actions and words of others. But we must not forget that rather knowingly or unknowingly, we as Christians are sometimes the ones to do the offending. Therefore in order to effectively represent Jesus Christ, we must be quick to repent when we do offend people, and quick to forgive when people offend us. One way God has taught me to show love, is by remembering how much He has forgiven me of. I have sinned and fallen short just like everyone else. Yet in His mercy, He has forgiven me, so I must do the same towards others.

God will never give up on us, so we can find the strength through Him, not to give up on loving other people. When we submit ourselves to Him, His love and compassion will rule and reign in our hearts. He will transform us more and more into His likeness so that we will be people who will bear, believe, hope, and endure all things for His glory. Through our words and actions we have the privilege to show others True Love.

Father,

Please teach us to love others by bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring all things, that You will be glorified through our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 6:33 NLT, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

When we seek God above all else, He will supply us with what we need. Our main goal should be to know Him more, and serve Him by living out the purpose He has for our lives. As we follow God’s plans, He will use us to share His love with those around us and help draw them to Christ.

God knows what we need, even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), and He desires for us to experience His goodness here in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). However, we should never allow our desire for things to control us. We must be careful not to lose site of what matters most, which is seeking the Lord.

The more we come to know who He is, the more we will be a reflection of who He is to the world. The God we serve is all powerful, and far above anything we could imagine. It’s amazing that He is willing to reveal Himself to us. And even more amazing that He calls us by name and desires a personal relationship with us (Isaiah 43:1). To seek Him, is to know Him, and what an awesome privilege it is to get to know Him intimately.