Steps with God
Christian life-True love fostering fellowship, peace, victory and success in life
Love Of God Defined
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Hi, Jesus loves you
What is the love of God all about? How will you know if you are actually walking in the love of the Lord? The expression of God’s love in you defines your level of Christianity, but you can only express what you understand. This post is to help you with your understanding of the meaning of the love of God.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)
The word ‘love’ is so commonly used that even some Christians can’t differentiate the love of God from other types of love. God’s love is the Agape love (unconditional love), totally different from human love (Philos or Eros). It is divine and so has its source from God.
Understanding the meaning of Agape love will help you assess your walk of love and ultimately your stand with God. So, what is Love?
Love is God
God is love (1 John 4:8) and so love is God. If you know God, then you will love with the love of God. To know God is to walk in love. The closer your relationship with God, the more you’ll live a life of unconditional love.
When you study the scriptures, you will discover that every action of God is driven by love. For example, God created woman for man out of love. God watched Adam and saw how lonely he was, the animals and birds could not fill the emptiness around and in him. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) and so He made Eve for Adam.
God crowned His love for man by giving His only son for mankind, (John 3:16). Christ went to the cross because of His love for God the father and mankind. On the cross, God forsook His only son because of His desire to restore to man all that he lost at the fall of man, fully driven by love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Love is obedience to God
If you have the love of God operating your life, you will obey His words, (John 14:15-30). He who does not love God will not obey His commands. Many people know what God’s word says concerning many issues but the question is “how good are they in keeping them?”
Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…” (John 14:23, NKJV). So, do you love Jesus? Now, surely you and God know the correct answer. (more…)
Living Right By The Love Of God
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Hi, Jesus loves you.
Do you desire to do and live right all the time? Or are you struggling with all manner of temptations and you need help? I have good news for you. The power to overcome the weakness of the flesh and please God lies on the law of the New Covenant: the love of God. This post explains how God’s love helps you to live right.
For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died; And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (AMP)
Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the law – Romans 13:10 (AMP)
Many people sincerely desire to obey God and His commands but are most times defeated because they have not embrace Christ’s new commandment to us: that we should love one another even as He had loved us, John 13:34. Your victory over sin depends on how much you obey this instruction.
The love for God and man in you delivers the power to do and live right to you. Your love for God will urge you to please Him and your love for your neighbor will help you to do good to him. The love of God in your heart will not allow you to think evil of anyone talk less carrying it out.
When you understand that the life you live now is Christ living in you, and that you are no longer to live to and for yourself but to and for Christ, the power to do good will be greatly increased in you. And Living for Christ is to walk in love at all times.
When you struggle with walking in love, it means that you are not yet dead to self ( Romans 6:6-11), but your desire to please your flesh is still very much alive. God’s love empowers you to put God and His will first before your own will and desires.
Moses is a good example of a man who walked in love. The Israelites had disobeyed and angered God, and God decided to eliminate and build another nation through Moses. But Moses didn’t allow God to do so, instead he pleaded on behalf of the people and God repented of the harm that he had planned for the Israelites, Exodus 32:9-14. (more…)
How To Be Like God On earth
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Hi, Jesus loves you.
Why are Christians not as God in this world when the scriptures say that we are gods? Why are Christians not exercising the power to be like God on earth? The answer lies in our walk of love. This post shares how walking in love empowers to live like Christ.
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world – 1 John 4:16-17 (NKJV, emphasis mine)
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” – John 3:2 (NIV)
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work – John 14:10 (NIV)
We are to be like God on earth in every area of our lives. This is God’s perfect original plan but we see this not being so in the lives of Christians. They are buffeted and battered by the enemy, yet they are gods, Psalm 82:6.
Jesus lived as God on earth and His secret was that God was with Him all through His walk on earth. The scriptures say that he who abides in love abides in God and God in him, and Jesus abided in God’s love, John 15:10. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil because God was with Him, Acts 10:38.
When you walk in love, Christ will dwell in you and you will be empowered to be like God on earth. If you desire to do exploits and enjoy all round victory, then you need to walk in love. Walking in love is walking in God, in His dominion and authority. (more…)
Building Up Confidence For The Day Of Judgment
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Hi, Jesus loves you.
Can you boldly stand before God on the day of judgment? Are you scared of being told “depart from me”, by Jesus? You need not be: there is a perfect way to build up confidence for that day. The best way is by a walk of love.
In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world – 1 John 4:17 (AMP)
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ – Luke 13: 24, 27 (NKJV)
Many people don’t believe that the day of judgment is coming and that they should prepare for it. The truth is that it shall surely come to pass. If other prophesies of God came to pass, this one will also.
What is the day of judgment?
It is the day that God will judge both the living and the dead, books will be opened and whosoever was not found written in the book of life will be condemned, Revelations 20:12, 15, 2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4: 5-8.
So, what can of life should we live to escape damnation?
It is a life of love. Love is the beginning and the ending of God’s manual for escape. It meets all the requirements of God and is the fulfilling of the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, Romans 13: 8-10.
Walking in love builds up your confidence for the day of judgment. You will be bold to stand before God knowing that you have met God’s requirements for eternal life with Him. You will not be afraid of death because you will ever be ready to face God boldly. (more…)
Antidote For Fear Of All Types
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Hi, Jesus loves you.
I want to start a series on Perfect love, sharing the importance and virtues of perfect love. Today, we will be looking at its virtue as an antidote for fear.
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Are you always afraid of one thing or the other? And do you want to live your life without fear of anything? The good news is that there is an antidote for fear and it is called perfect love. It is a cure for fear of all types. A full dose of it keeps you perpetually free of fear. This post reveals how to access this perfect love.
“… God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him. In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection] – 1 John 4:16-18 (AMP)
You are a believing Christian and you know that fear is not of God but you find that you are often fearful of one thing or the other: afraid of tomorrow, of your family members dying, of getting any of these deadly sickness and diseases, of lack and want, etc. You have prayed, consulted counselors either personally or through their books and yet you are not free of the torments of fear. It is because your love is yet to attain perfection.
Fear is a spirit, and God has not given you the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind, 2 Timothy 1:7. Perfect love casts fear out and keeps it far away from you. And your love is made perfect as you remain in union and communion with God.
God is love, and so communion with God is communion with love. The stronger your fellowship with God, the more your love is perfected and less fearful you become. This antidote for fear takes root within you and expels fear from you.
Now let’s look at the three major ways by which we commune with God to secure this cure for fear.
The three major channels of communing with God
- The Word Channel
The Word of God is God’s love letter to His children and to all mankind. As you read and study the bible, you are actually having encounters with the love of God: as you increase your word in-take, you also increase your love level, leading to perfection of your love.
When you dwell and continue in the word you are communing with God, and love will dwell and continue with you leading to perfect love. As iron sharpens iron, so God’s love sharpens your love as you study God’s word, Proverbs 27:17. Also, as you continue in the word of God, you are constantly being transfigured into His very own image of love, 2 Corinthians 3:18 (more…)
