Last week we looked at being Destined For Victory. This week we look at how to walk into that victory we are destined for, and we look to Apostle Paul for this. Upon learning about how much faith and love the believers in Ephesus have, Paul is filled with appreciation and gratitude, so much so that he pens a prayer and a petition to GOD for Him to bless them—Ephesians 1:15-19. And through this prayer, Paul is expressing the very heart and the will of GOD, not just for the saints in Ephesus, but for believers everywhere throughout the ages, including you and me. Paul prays in this way and releases such an amazing blessing on the Church in this manner because of the Church’s faith and love for all the people of GOD. The two are the pillars (cornerstones) of being in Christ. Paul takes this notion further in 1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP where he writes that the most important graces for us to focus on in the kingdom are faith, hope, and love, and that the greatest of the three is love.
Since love is the most important pillar to focus on, as quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13, it becomes imperative that we not just love in words only, in theory only, giving only lip service. Love should be ‘in deed and in truth’ [1 John 3:18 NKJV]. Love is real and practical, it is in doing everything sincerely from the heart. And note, that love for one another is a commandment that came from the mouth of Jesus Himself [John 13:34]. It is a must, not a recommendation, and definitely not a gentle suggestion. This is the love that we as believers ought to have for one another. This is the love of GOD, the love dealt to all children of GOD through the Holy Spirit (the grace of GOD) that now dwells in us. It is the new nature in Christ that we are born into anew, that commands and indeed compels the love in us for others. This is the love that unlocks the mysteries and the realities of a life in Christ. This is the only way to live in the reality of a life in Christ. [1 John 3:18-20 MSG/NIV/NKJV]
Paul develops the love pillar further in Galatians 5:6 NIV, when he says that, ‘the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’, and in this way, gives us the exact revelation of how far faith and love are intertwined as the cornerstones of our life in Christ. In Christ, nothing has any value, nothing counts for anything, nothing amounts to anything, except when faith expresses itself through love [Galatians 5:6]. Consider the revelation in this Scripture as this— Since faith expresses itself through love [Galatians 5:6]; And faith needs works and actions to be effective in a believer, as faith without works, doings or actions is dead [James 2:17]; The works of faith are thus the works of love because faith works through and by love. This in turn means that—(i) faith is love in action, (ii) faith without love is dead, and (iii) the works of faith are the works of love. Everything else other than this is vanity, a useless performance unknown to the kingdom, because it is not recognised by GOD in the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit.
The fact that faith works by love, manifests itself through love, and expresses itself in love, means that the mysteries of whatever we desire from GOD and in GOD are hidden in love. Does this then not explain that the only reason we fail to manifest GOD, the love of GOD and a GOD-life, is because of our failure to live a life of faith and love as commanded in the Word? Just that one believer that you have a problem with could be what is absolutely hindering the whole GOD-life that you so desperately seek from coming to pass?? Know this—you do not need to like someone to love that person. We are not called to like each other, only to love each other. And so, we must be discerning in the spirit in this way, and not fall victim to satan’s trap of unforgiveness. Speaking in tongues without love is mere noise before GOD [1 Corinthians 13:1]; Prophecy, understanding the mysteries of the gospel, or using any spiritual gift without love is pure nonsense and nothing but pure vanity without love [1 Corinthians 13:2]; Works of charity without love will profit me nothing [1 Corinthians 13:3].
In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prays for every believer seeking spiritual growth and spiritual maturity to get ‘the spirit of wisdom and understanding (revelation) in the knowledge in Christ’. Spiritual growth, wisdom, understanding or common sense cannot be attained where the faith and love cornerstones are lacking in a believer. Such believers abide in foolishness, spiritual blindness and darkness, left in a place where we can neither hear, see and discern in the spirit, nor hear and discern the Word of GOD. Without the faith and love cornerstones, we walk in the deceptive constructs of our hearts, where unforgiveness and hatred find justification in blatant disobedience to the Spirit of GOD. This behaviour undermines and nullifies everything that the Father did for us through His Son. Furthermore, ‘he who does not love, does not know GOD, for GOD is love’ [1 John 4:8], meaning that, one who lives with unforgiveness clearly knows nothing of love, and thus knows nothing of Him. And so, if we do not know by Him, then He cannot know us, and this is how we become cold and die in the spirit as we yield to satan.
In contrast, when you are rooted in love, the things manifesting in your life will effortlessly display nothing that is of the flesh, only the fruit of the Spirit and acts of love. There are two noteworthy consequences of a life that lacks faith and love. Firstly, we are lost as far as our calling, our purpose, our assignment and our future in Christ are concerned, and we go about our lives simply missing the mark completely. Secondly, we do not understand and cannot attain that same power, anointing and grace that rested upon Jesus that is supposed to rest on all believers. When your whole life is rooted in the faith and love cornerstones, which is the grace of GOD upon all true believers, everything else will emanate from them. The results of a life of FAITH are that: nothing will be too much, too hard or impossible for you; and you will get GOD’s everything. The results of a life of LOVE are that: you will forgive everyone; and so too GOD will forgive your sins. The posture of your heart, in having or lacking Faith And Love, determines if the GOD-life, its power and authority is attainable for you.—Mark 11:22-25
Without the faith and love cornerstones, we walk in the deceptive constructs of our hearts, where unforgiveness and hatred find justification in blatant disobedience to the Spirit of GOD. The posture of your heart, in having or lacking Faith And Love, determines if the GOD-life, its power and authority is attainable for you.
0 Comments