How Do We Live

​LOVE
The fruits are the characteristics and personality of the Spirit. Love is the first fruit mentioned and is the most important of all the fruits. It is also one that we see used the least.
Love should be without dissimulation (Rom 12:9). Meaning that love should not be conditional. God is love and everything that Jesus did was out of love. He died because He loved us that much! So if we love a God that we cannot see, then surely we can love our brother and sister whom we can (1John 4:20).
I John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth God is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.
Regardless of what we see and what we feel we should love each other. It’s easier said than done. Love is an action word. However, God said He wouldn’t put more on us than we could bear. If God is love and we have been made in His image and likeness, then people see us, they should see the love of God in us, at all times.
Everything we do should be done in love. At no time should we be convinced to compete against each other. The enemy will try to use even the fruits of the Spirit as an open door for division and strife.
If we love God, then we should also delight to do His will and not our own. Most of us have experienced hurts whether it was a trial or tribulation but nothing beats a church hurt. We, who are the vessels of the Spirit of God and entrusted with this gift often use it to hurt others instead of loving them.
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen ministers Lord over their members and “hold them hostage” in the church instead of walking in love. Many faithful members have come forward to their Elders to express that God has a call on their life that they are ready to accept and want to use their gifts and talents for the uplifting of the Kingdom of God.
They sit these zealous members down and tell them to wait two or three years sometimes saying they need to “humble” themselves under the ministry and one day they will be launched off on their own. Huh? I know that the gift will make room for itself but wow! Meanwhile, they are not allowed to utilize and stir up the gifts within them as God has ordained. Often this happens because of jealousy or simply because of control. Nevertheless, the love of God is not reflected.
When people aren’t what we want them to be, then love seems to die. Oftentimes, it’s because we know too much. I’ll say it again; we know too much. We see how they live or how they may be heavy laden in sin and with this knowledge many turn their backs. This is the time when the hope should flow the most. Some of us show more love to those we don’t know than to those we do. We should stand in love knowing that love covers a multitude of sins.
Your love through the blood of Christ has the power they may need to break them down and have them cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” The Word tells us that we should take hold of those weak in the faith. Your labor of love may just be the faith foundation they need to surrender and seek out the Spirit of God.
Love had the power to lay down His life and pick it up again. Love saved you and saved me. Love took out the trash in your life just like your local garbage man and it’s our responsibility take out the trash in the lives of others with love and through the blood. This is our “reasonable service”. It’s not a pretty job. It’s not a clean job. We are the gatekeepers and no one enters into the Kingdom without love.
Rom 9:37
Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The true love of Christ is patient, kind, gentle, and long suffering. We are the children of the Most High and one of the most difficult things to do is wait patiently on the Lord. Sometimes it’s hard not knowing which way to go or which way to turn but we wait and trust.
He is always on time coming to the rescue. This is how He continues to show His love toward His children. Call on the name of Jesus and fall into His loving arms.
When we love it must be pure.
I Tim 1:5
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
When we go forth to do things it must be done with the purified love of Christ. If you’re praying for someone it should be pure intercession. It’s not by chance the things you hear about people. The Lord has allowed it so that the true saints will pray with a pure heart about the situations believing that the Lord will do it.
When we hear about job loss or someone’s struggle with smoking or drinking, we pray with sincerity and pureness of heart. We don’t do our works as men pleasers or with eye-service but we do it unto the Lord with pure desire for those members of the body to be healed and become more effective witnesses within the body.
Perfect, purified love casts out all fear. This means that when you go forth you’re not second guessing whether what you did was right or wrong. When the Spirit moves you in an act of love there’s not a lot to think about or to question. There’s no doubt. There’s no fear. We as children of the Most High must do what needs to be done.
Don’t allow the enemy to intimidate you with fear. Don’t allow people to intimidate you with fear. If God be for you, who can be against you? With His Spirit you’re more than able to do what you’re called to do in love.
We Christians who possess the Holy Spirit should not be the ones on the run. We should be utilizing the Holy Spirit with pureness of heart to fight effectively in spiritual warfare along with our brothers and our sisters in Christ, without wavering and without compromise.
We must operate in confidence that Jesus is with us always. Don’t have a fear of falling, and we love not our lives unto the death. Keep confidence in knowing that His Spirit is leading and guiding you. It is easy for fear to creep in when the belief is not pure and there is a lack of assurance that His Spirit is what’s moving you. When you’re operating with a mindset to please the Lord and to be obedient, then you know the Spirit is pure and you can go forth in a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.
 Now, more than ever we must show forth the true love of Christ, not the love of the world. The true love of Christ is without dissimulation, meaning it is not conditional. It means seeing people as Christ sees them “as trees planted by the rivers of water”. When Christ loves, He’s looking past our faults, not wondering whether we’re deserving but simply because He is our creator and we belong to Him.
So many people are hurting because they’ve experienced the love of the world but haven’t truly experienced and recognized the love of Christ given by His blood. They need to know that no matter the situation or circumstance; no matter what their mother or father did… that Jesus was there, He is there, and He will always be there. He’s willing and able to do all things. That’s the kind of love they need to know!
I can remember growing up and misbehaving often. Sometimes I would skip class and sometimes I wouldn’t come home. I did these things because I desired attention and love that only Christ could give. I didn’t know how to love others. You must first experience and receive the true love of Christ before it can be poured upon others in your life through you.
I must admit that it was hard for me to receive it at first. I was considered a gifted and bright student with many talents but I was quiet, shy, and standoffish. I didn’t particularly want to mingle or be around people. For a long time I felt unworthy of their love or attention. I knew that Jesus loved me but I couldn’t understand why.
I was born the oldest of six children with a younger sister born just nineteen months later. My mother at the time was a single parent, and I must admit that I was somewhat jealous and selfish because the time that I wanted was having to be shared with someone else. Two years later my brother was born and from my perspective I was put in a place of competition. I was starved for attention and affection and I believed that it was their fault. I allowed the enemy to convince me of such foolishness and that I wasn’t good enough so she had more children to try to replace me, I thought. I must admit that sometimes it was easier to believe that lie (especially when you want to use it to rationalize your own faults).
After barely graduating because of multiple absences, I started life as an adult chasing people. It wasn’t conspicuous but it was subtle. On jobs I would always do extra and more hoping for recognition. In relationships I’d always hide things thinking if they didn’t see all of me they couldn’t get the satisfaction of hurting me. However, on the other end I’d exceed expectation with “works”…cooking, cleaning, and a decent paycheck thinking that could compensate for lack of communication which showed lack of trust and true love.
I would sometime go to church and I must admit I was compelled a few times to go to the alter call. However, my insecurities prevented me. Subconsciously I would ask myself and the Lord, “What’s wrong with me?” I’d ask over and over. I would blame myself for things that went wrong whether they were my fault or not. I thought I was nothing. “Why did You make me like this?” I would ask. After my self-hatred had hit its record high, the Lord sent someone on my job to answer some of the questions I had been asking.
“There’s nothing wrong with you”. They reminded me that I was fearfully and wonderfully made and that I had a call on my life. I was told that the things that I had gone through and that I would later go through was to be used as a witness and testimony to others with similar experiences. It was difficult to process it all but it penetrated my heart to know that Jesus really did love me and that He chose me for a greater purpose. The chase changed at that time from being a people chaser to being a Jesus chaser. He became my best friend and I began to seek His face like never before. I wanted to know more about this love…I wanted to explore the depths that only He could reveal.
The Lord loved me so much that He gave His life for me and He poured His Spirit upon me. I didn’t receive it all at once like most people have, but in fragments as I continued to praise Him and seek Him through His Word. As He poured I received a boldness to tell others of His goodness.
I needed to hear of how much He loved me and I needed it often. That’s what His Word is for and this what the saints of God are supposed to do. We must pour the true love of Christ upon others.
Sometimes it can be rather easy to get distracted  and become discouraged based on what the situation is right in front of you, whether it’s your situation or someone else’s. We walk by faith, and with love we believe that all things are possible. We pray like we’ve never prayed before…fervently…effectually…until something happens. We should not give up or ever assume that someone is beyond saving or that their situation is beyond the willingness for Christ to intervene. Unless He says so…all things are possible!
There was a time that I was led to visit a particular church. After the service the pastor said, “I love you”. I was somewhat intrigued by such a gesture. However, at that appointed time it was necessary. The Lord knew what I needed. As saints and disciples we must be sensitive enough to recognize the unctions and the move of the Holy Spirit. Then we’re not questioning what the Lord is trying to do but we’re in position to assist with the pouring of His love.
Once I was fully accept His love toward me then I was able to recognize the need in others. As I grew in Christ I saw He made me over from the person I used to be. When you look at yourself and recognize that you’re standing tall because of the grace, mercy, and love of Christ, then you have no doubt that He can do the same for someone else if they are just as willing.
There’s no question about whether the Lord wants us or if He loves us. Yes! That’s the reason He created us. However, we must have a heart to receive Him. Remember, He’s a gentleman with great patience and longsuffering, but what He doesn’t do is force Himself upon you. We must make the choice to love Him in return. He’s there and He’s with you as long as you desire Him to be.