God is Love

"love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13: 7-8)

The love passage of 1 Corinthians is very challenging in that it clearly can show the motive of our hearts.  Love is the universal language because God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and He is the Creator of all things, which have been created by and through His love.  Love is the essence of God and all things created, especially mankind made in His image show His loving thoughts and touch.  But we have, because of sin and self, a love deficit in areas of our hearts.  Experiences of rejection in life teach us to withdraw and build walls, which ultimately keep us from love and loving.  This passage clearly shows us what love is and the lack of it, or indeed its fullness, in our hearts and even in the world. We just need to look at all the crime in the world to see that people do not walk in love for others.

Anything that we do, even if it is good, that is done without love being the motive, profits nothing. Everything God does is motivated by His love for us and we are to be imitators of Him.  Ultimately it is the experience of God's perfect love that will cast out fear (1 Jn 4:18) and open our hearts more to Him and others.

There is a vulnerability in love.  Jesus loved all and kept His heart open, even to those who rejected Him and sought His death.  This is why He could pray, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing", (Luke 23:34) even as He watched them divide and gamble for His clothes at the foot of the cross.  Love bears no grudge but is full in its forgiveness, which is why the act of forgiveness, even in extreme hurt, is so powerful and releasing. That is why movies such as "The Railway Man" touch us to the core of our being, when we see the act of forgiveness so powerfully portrayed as a Japanese POW meets and forgives his torturer.

Love pulls at the strings of our heart.  There is a deep desire in us to experience true love (not just romantic love) but to be deeply and unconditionally loved and appreciated by family and friends.  Even the heart withdrawn, at its core, desires this love as much as it fears it.  A preacher known as "The Ambassador of Love" once said we need to ask God to heal and fill those areas in us that are uncomfortable with love.  Only God can heal these areas in our hearts and so fill them with His love and light that they can become vulnerable and fully open before Him, healed and overflowing towards others.  His love is safe and a refuge for the weary and love-starved heart.

Jesus fully knew the love of  His Father and the total acceptance of His God and Father even before He began His ministry and He powerfully walked in the same love for humankind.  We too can know the Father's love for us through Jesus Christ.  We just need to mediate on the cross to know how much He loved us with a perfect, sacrificial love.

One of Apostle Paul's prayers for the church was, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:17-18)

God is Love

"love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13: 7-8)

The love passage of 1 Corinthians is very challenging in that it clearly can show the motive of our hearts.  Love is the universal language because God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and He is the Creator of all things, which have been created by and through His love.  Love is the essence of God and all things created, especially mankind made in His image show His loving thoughts and touch.  But we have, because of sin and self, a love deficit in areas of our hearts.  Experiences of rejection in life teach us to withdraw and build walls, which ultimately keep us from love and loving.  This passage clearly shows us what love is and the lack of it, or indeed its fullness, in our hearts and even in the world. We just need to look at all the crime in the world to see that people do not walk in love for others.

Anything that we do, even if it is good, that is done without love being the motive, profits nothing. Everything God does is motivated by His love for us and we are to be imitators of Him.  Ultimately it is the experience of God's perfect love that will cast out fear (1 Jn 4:18) and open our hearts more to Him and others.

There is a vulnerability in love.  Jesus loved all and kept His heart open, even to those who rejected Him and sought His death.  This is why He could pray, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing", (Luke 23:34) even as He watched them divide and gamble for His clothes at the foot of the cross.  Love bears no grudge but is full in its forgiveness, which is why the act of forgiveness, even in extreme hurt, is so powerful and releasing. That is why movies such as "The Railway Man" touch us to the core of our being, when we see the act of forgiveness so powerfully portrayed as a Japanese POW meets and forgives his torturer.

Love pulls at the strings of our heart.  There is a deep desire in us to experience true love (not just romantic love) but to be deeply and unconditionally loved and appreciated by family and friends.  Even the heart withdrawn, at its core, desires this love as much as it fears it.  A preacher known as "The Ambassador of Love" once said we need to ask God to heal and fill those areas in us that are uncomfortable with love.  Only God can heal these areas in our hearts and so fill them with His love and light that they can become vulnerable and fully open before Him, healed and overflowing towards others.  His love is safe and a refuge for the weary and love-starved heart.

Jesus fully knew the love of  His Father and the total acceptance of His God and Father even before He began His ministry and He powerfully walked in the same love for humankind.  We too can know the Father's love for us through Jesus Christ.  We just need to mediate on the cross to know how much He loved us with a perfect, sacrificial love.

One of Apostle Paul's prayers for the church was, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:17-18)

Glorifying Jesus

Glorifying Jesus

"He will glorify me, for He will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you." Jn 16:14

Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit in this passage of scripture. The Spirit of Truth who would take of what belonged to Jesus and reveal it to the disciples, leading them into all truth and declaring things to them that were coming.  This scripture really struck me this morning that the word the Holy Spirit heard from Jesus, He would declare the same, and by it Jesus would be glorified.

We all have a desire to glorify Jesus and if I get this passage right, we do so by declaring the word.  God declared in Isaiah 55:11 about the word of His mouth: "so shall my word be that goes forth out of mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it."

When we declare God's word, we are agreeing with Truth and this glorifies Him and His word.  Confession of the word is a large part of our faith and in declaring His word, we actually prophesy His word into the atmosphere.  God's word is eternal and He honours His word even above His Name for He is a covenant keeping God who never breaks His word.  It is His bond with us and inherent with His creative power. We only release that power, when by faith we receive the word and declare it.  When it comes to pass, as God has declared, it brings Him glory and praise.

We have a choice.  We either speak God's word and agree or we go against truth and agree with our enemy.  satan is a legalist and when we agree with him, he has a legal claim to bring our words to pass in our life.  For example, if we declare lack in our lives instead of speaking the truth, "and my God shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (PHIL 4:19), satan can bring lack into our lives.

The other way we can glorify God is to do His works on earth.  Jesus said, "I have glorified you on earth.  I have accomplished the work you have given me to do."  When God directs us to pray for someone and we are bold enough to lay hands on them and release His healing into their body, for by His stripes we are healed, their healing will bring glory and thanksgiving to God.

Let us follow Jesus and take what is His, all the promises, and release them on earth, so that glory can rise from hearts to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

As it is in Heaven

As it is in Heaven... Luke 11:2

God, our Father's main mission is to bring His Kingdom to earth so that it resembles Heaven.  We know His heart, for He sent Jesus to us, to save, heal and deliver and to do serious damage to the kingdom of darkness, as He brought the fragrance of the Heavenly Kingdom to earth.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Lk 4:18-19

Jesus is the exact representation of the image of God and we, as His body, should be the exact representation of Him displayed on earth - challenging!  Jesus came to show us the great unfailing love the Father has loved us with, from before the foundations of the world, and His heart for humanity.

So what are the citizens in heaven like?  Do they lack joy? Do they lack love? Are they sick, depressed, miserable, SELF FOCUSED and defeated?  All of us would declare with conviction, no, no, no, they are none of these things.  They dwell in the presence of God and His great glory.  They are filled with the life, health and vitality of the Living God whose glory fills them, as well as all His attributes.


Then why are we...if the truth is...your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?  Do we forget we have access to His presence 24/7 and of His fullness we have received and grace for grace.  The glory of the Godhead dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.  We are not alone, nor walking this walk of a faith alone.  The Living God's health and vitality and attributes all dwell in us, just like the citizens of heaven, yet we don't appropriate these truths to our lives.

We are God's citizens on earth - yet often we are defeated, sick, depressed, complaining, unthankful and full of unbelief and doubt.  Yet many of us are awakening to the fact that we, the bride of Christ and His body here on earth presently, should be more like the Citizens of heaven - victorious, overcomers who apply His Word to our lives and hang out in the presence of our Almighty King and God.

In doing so, we become what we magnify (Ps 115:4-8) and spending time worshipping our Great God in His presence will ensure we do become more like Him.  And becoming more like Him, we will begin to manifest His work and will on this earth.  We firstly need to receive from our Heavenly loving Dad, before we can manifest His essence and attributes to others.

Some find it hard to forgive and let go, especially if they haven't first felt His cleansing power when He forgave them of all sins and trespasses against Him and others.  But when we understand the full depth of what Jesus went though and the full depth of His mercy in pardoning all our iniquities, we have mercy and grace to pass on to others and are able to let their sins against us be released and forgiven.  Unforgiveness is really a very serious issue and I cannot, for one, imagine the citizens living in heaven now squabbling and backbiting or filled with envy.  No, instead they would be cheering us up and on to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and to live a life full of forgiveness, unity wherever possible and growing in peace and favour with God and man.

If we are to bring heaven to earth, we must firstly love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and love others; allow His love in us to go though us to touch others.  We are the body of Christ and we are called to show all the fullness of Godhead that dwells in us.  God wants us to be His eyes, His ears, His Heart, His mouth, His arms to those who desperately need a touch from the Loving Saviour.

Are we going to respond to this call?  Very challenging but with His overcoming spirit and prayer we can.

Living from Heaven to Earth

No one has ascended into Heaven, but He who descended out of Heaven, the Son of Man, who is in Heaven. Jn 3:13

The Holy Spirit brought my attention to the phrase Jesus used here in speaking to Nicodemus, "who IS in heaven".  I really didn't want to miss this, for Jesus was intimating the present tense "is" in this sentence.  In other words, Jesus was actually saying that He lived in two places at one, the Heaven and earthly realms.  It certainly lines up with Eph 2:6

"and raised us up WITH Him, and made us to sit WITH Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

We know that scripture teaches us that truth is established out of the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses.  Well we certainly have this here - Jesus testified to it and the Holy Spirit inspired the same message through the Apostle Paul.

So...... How do we live out of these two realms?  Actually I don't think that we are too!  Jesus said we are not of this world even though we are in it. (Jn 15:19; 17:16; 2 Cor 1:12). That leaves us, living from the Heavenly realm, of which the Ephesians passage also teaches, we have been given every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. (Eph 1:3)

We tend to focus our prayers from earth to heaven, hoping to touch God's heart of mercy and compassion.  But our prayers should be focused from where we sit.....in the heavenly realm.  Practically what does this mean....doing what Jesus did as we are to follow Him.  He went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)  Jesus was bringing Kingdom light and life, exposing the darkness and healing all, effectively making void the kingdom of darkness on earth in the lives of those He touched.

I believe that everything comes out of intimacy with God firstly, and having a correct and  truthful belief of our identity as Kingdom Kids.  God's desire is that we imitate His Son and do good, but doing good on earth is not His first priority.  He desires that we know Him and that He loves us for who we are (who He created us to be and not like anyone else) - not for what we do.  He certainly does not love us more or less based on what we do.  We don't put the great commission above the first commandment (from a wonderful preacher Graham Cooke).  The first commandment, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and body is our priority and out of that relationship with Him will flow the good works (rivers of living water Jn 7:38). Works that He prepared before hand for us to do (Eph 2:10)

Jesus was totally confident in His identity and relationship with Father, as the Father's beloved Son. (Matt3:17; 17:5). Having an intimate relationship with God, and knowing who we are in Christ gives us the heart of compassion for the human condition.  It is out of the Father's love and compassion for humanity that we are compelled to move and pray for people, touch them and command healing to their bodies and souls.

We need to understand and fervently believe that the authority Jesus gave us as His disciples was for us and didn't pass away with the Apostles.  We need to "kill" this traditional way of man that makes void God's commandment to us. (Matt 5:6). Thankfully God is raising up followers of Jesus Christ who understand their identity, who are filled with the Holy Spirit power,  to see the most amazing healings, miracles and salvation around the world, because they have the audacity to believe that they have the authority over darkness that Jesus gave them in the great commission.  That is living from
Heaven to earth.

Another "religious tradition" we have to break out of our belief, and beloved ones of God, I do not want to offend you, but we need to consider this.  God is our loving Father and what good Father desires to inflict His children with illness.  Yet we, beloved ones of Jesus, believe if we are sick or poor we are more holy.  Sorry, this is incorrect because we try to match up our experiences with God's word to make excuses as to why someone was not healed.  We need to stand firmly on God's truth rather then our experience for His word teaches us He is our healer. (Ps 41:3; 103:3; 107:20; 147:3; Is 53:5; 58:8) we are hypocrites if we think God has inflicted us with sickness and then go to doctors to be healed.

When the bible talks of trials and tribulations, I believe these are not in the line of sickness but persecution. People will reject us because we stand up for Jesus and righteousness, and we are told to rejoice in these as they will ultimately bring us great reward. (Rom 5:3-5, Pet 1:6, Jn 16:33)

Something a lady preacher said the other day really stuck a cord in me.  When sickness, depression or pain comes upon her, she immediately rejects it because she didn't "order" it.  Satan will find any legal  entry to afflict us and make us lose faith, joy, peace or health, but we don't order these things.  If you went to a restaurant and ordered something you wanted off the menu and they brought you a wrong order, you would respectfully ask them  to take it back and bring what you ordered.  This spoke to me as a spiritual principle.  We reject the wrong order and we command the right order with the authority we have in Christ.  We have the authority to "order" healing and life, the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have.

As Jesus said, "The thief comes ONLY to kill, steal and destroy but I have COME ...(He has come).. that you may have LIFE and have it to the FULL." (Jn 10:10)

Celebration of Life

Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage. Jn 2:2

It really struck me this morning as I was thinking about this passage of scripture and asking the Holy Spirit to give me fresh revelation, that this passage is written in the scripture to show us clearly, Jesus celebrated life and love.  This marriage was a celebration of life and love and the first recorded of His signs performed in Cana of Galilee that showed His glory.

I had to repent because I know that I haven't enjoyed life the way Jesus wants us too.  After all, it was Jesus who emphatically said:-

The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. Jn 10:10

We get so caught us in the rush and frustrations of life, past unsealed wounds, and offences we carry, that they taint life for us.  We no longer stop and even enjoy God's creation.  I can image Jesus beingdelighted in everything around Him, for He is joy, and passing that contagious joy onto His disciples.  I see Him saying things like, touch this leaf, look at the clouds, feel the rain on your face, examine this delicate flower, look at the ants - how industrious they are.  Let us just enjoy this moment we are in and give glory to God.

That was the key for me this morning as I took the puppy for a walk and got frustrated with the stopping at every bush and tree.  In fact, I tugged a bit hard at the lead a few times to get going again and a Holy Ghost thought came to me....it had to be the Holy Ghost and definitely not my own....why don't you enjoy even this moment that you have stopped.  Wow, that was revelation to my heart.  So I put my eyes on Jesus and asked Him to help me enjoy each and every moment, as if He was walking with me, and to see through His eyes.  It was as if I suddenly saw the fresh blue sky and beautiful clouds, the deep shadows the sun cast and the light shining on the beautiful gum trees.  This is obviously is something to practise as a few moments later, I tugged on that lead again, and immediately apologised to Jesus and quieted my heart and declared I will enjoy this moment.

I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full. Jn 15:11

In this passage, Jesus was talking about abiding in Him, the vine, and abiding in his love.  If we keep our eyes on Him and practise walking with Him and looking for His glory, he will teach us about enjoying and celebrating life and love, even as He did at that wedding in Cana of Galilee.  After all, He turned the water into wine....and I would have said, "don't you think they have had enough?"  The issue for Jesus was to not let anything mar that celebration of love, life and joy.

The Image of God

... and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Rom 1:23

I was mediating on this scripture and asked God to ensure that I have the right image of Him and not one that traded His Glory for a lie, even of my own making, and this got me to think about God's image.  How do we, incorruptible created beings, see God in truth and purity?

The answer, of course, is in Jesus Christ.

... seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 4:6

Jesus came to show us the father for He is the "image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Col 1:15.  So who is this Jesus?  How do we see Him, for if we look intently at Him, we should clearly see the Heavenly Father, creator of all things in Heaven and earth.  It is one thing to know God is the Creator but we need to see His relationship with us created beings, and how He so longed to make Himself known, that He sent Jesus to reveal Himself through His precious Son.

There are beautiful aspects of God's nature that Jesus so clearly displayed.  The first is LOVE as Jn 3:16 tells us.  God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Jesus loved us so was willing to lay down His life for us.  The question to ask is do you see God the Father as one who was willing to rescue you through the death of His Son and give you eternal life that you can live with Him forever.  This eternal life happens from the first moment we believe until He calls us home one day.

Jesus was so compassionate toward human suffering and grief that He was moved to act and relieve and restore.  Do we see God compassion toward our suffering that He will run to our rescue to restore us?

Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. Is 49:13

Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.....
Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.
For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.....
But Yahweh's loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children's children;  Ps 103: 8-11,13,17

Do you see God as an angry God, or one who is willing to forgive all wrongs perpetrated against Him and others?  Some of the most touching times were when Jesus forgave the sins of the "worst sinners" according to the religious groups.  One was when Mary (sister of Lazarus) came and anointed Jesus feet with tears and perfume whilst He was at the house of a religious leader who was indignant at the sinner's display of worship.  She was touched by mercy and forgiveness, yet the religious leader was not changed at all.  There is no one beyond the mercy and forgiveness found in the cross at Calvary, if we really repent on the level of our hearts, and receive this wonderful Grace paid for by Jesus.

Let's look at Jesus for a right perspective of the Father and sincerely ask Him to reveal the correct image of His beauty, majesty and glory.  We will never be able to pass up the fact that God is good, for no evil exists in Him, only goodness, light and love

Living in the Supernatural

The law of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:2

I have often pondered about The Kingdom of Heaven being a supernatural, miraculous, joyful place where the Glory of God and His Love fills and permeates every living thing in the glorious colours of the Majesty of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The above scripture gives me great comfort in knowing that there is a law of life in Christ.  This is not a theory but an immutable law that there is life in Christ and it superimposes the law of sin and death. Sin and death reign in those outside of Christ, but when we acknowledge that we are in desperate need of His forgiveness paid for us at Calvary we exchange to the law of life in Christ. He gives us His life, we become new creatures in Him and as the Bible teaches, God gives us a new heart that begins to yearn for more of Him in our lives.

This life flows to us not only at the new birth but we should see this supernatural power throughout our life on earth.  The Lord God is a God of goodness, mercy and compassion and I love the title that the net translation of Isaiah 61, which is Jesus mandate to alleviate human suffering, is "The Lord will Rejuvenate His people."  Jesus commission on earth was that He was anointed to:-

encourage the poor,
to help the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2
to announce the year when the Lord will show his favour,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,
to console all who mourn,
3
to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolising joy, instead of mourning,
a garment symbolising praise, instead of discouragement.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendour.

The main theme of this passage is the word "instead".  Instead of living in the suffering, weakness, lack of joy, Jesus wants us to live in the supernatural replacement He paid for us to have at Calvary.  He came to destroy the works of the devil in all our lives and intends for us to live in His abundant LIFE.

So, practically, how do we live in this supernatural realm?  How do we tap into this as children of God?  Firstly, I believe that we have to be convinced that God's mercy and compassion are toward us.  He is our awesome, lovingly Heavenly Dad who only want the best for His kids.  Our identity, or how we see Father relating to us is imperative to our belief that all the promises and provision are ours now in this time and that He is pleased to give us the keys to Kingdom living.  Trials will come but Jesus is the overcomer,  and we can overcome with His power that dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.  God the Father wants us to experience Him in deeper ways and to therefore hold on to the promises and provision that He has provided to us through His Son.

Every problem we face has a promise, if we live in the "instead" and release to him the problem and by faith receive the supernatural provision.  Give Jesus our anxiety and receive His peace through prayer and declaration.  e.g. Jesus you have not given me a spirit of fear and anxiety. This is not apart of my new creation in you. I give you this anxiety, for you took it on the cross and by faith I release your peace to flow though my body and mind now, in your precious name.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us – by me and Silvanus and Timothy – was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him.
For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. 2 Cor 1:19-20

Remember all the promises are yes and amen through Jesus Christ.