Could Love Be The Missing Link?
What are you believing God for that has not happened yet?………..salvation for a lost loved one, healing in your body, a needed financial breakthrough for a friend, an increased understanding of the Word, an expansion in your ministry, revelation of God’s plan and purpose for you life?
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
(Hebrews 11:1 – NIV)
What do you have faith in God to do, see, or receive for yourself or someone else but there is no manifestation up to this point?
Perhaps what you desire is not within God’s will.
Maybe it is simply not yet time for manifestation.
Or, could it be that there is a lack of love somewhere in the equation……….. could love be the missing link?
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
(Galatians 5:6 – KJV)
Galatians 5:6 (KJV) tells us that faith works by love.
According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for worketh is “energeō”, which is pronounced “en-erg-eh’-o” and it means, “to be active, efficient: – do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in).”
So then, faith is active, efficient, energized, and effectual, shows itself forth and works effectually in or by love.
Hhhhmmmm!…………..Considering this scripture, could love be the missing link?
Could a lack of love on your part toward God, yourself and/or others be why there has not yet been a manifestation of your faith?
How’s your love walk towards God?
Before you answer that, let’s look at what the Word has to say about how God expects us to prove our love toward Him.
In John 14:15, Jesus states:-
“If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.”
(John 14:15 – Amplified Bible)
In I John 5:3 it is written:-
“For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).”
(1 John 5:3 – Amplified Bible)
God measures our love towards Him by our obedience to Him and not by any warm, fuzzy, emotions, or good feelings that we may experience when we think of who He is and what He has done for us.
So I ask again, how is your love walk toward God?
Do you sincerely and earnestly seek to know and do His will each day of your life in each situation that you encounter?
To demonstrate our love for God we must obey Him and to obey Him, we must know what He requires of us through the Word and His Holy Spirit.
Faith works by love.
So what about your love walk toward others, how’s that?
Could a lack of love on your part toward others be why there has not yet been a manifestation of your faith?
I Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4-6 describes the love we are to have toward others.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-6 – NIV)
As you can see from this scripture, this love is action-based and not emotion-based. It is a love that we make a conscious decision to show in spite of how we feel. It is agape, the God-kind of love.
How’s your love walk toward those for whom you are praying?
Are you demonstrating this agape love, this God-kind of love toward the people whose salvation or deliverance you are believing God for?
Is your attitude and behavior toward them marked by love, kindness and patience, or by impatience, anger, rudeness and an arrogant spirit of condescending boastful pride in your own salvation?
“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”
(2 John 1:6 – NLT)
Faith works by love.
If you find that you lack love toward others, maybe it’s because you do not truly love yourself.
In Matthew 22:36-40 when asked which is the greatest or the most important commandment in the law, Jesus replied:-
“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:37-40 – NLT)
Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
How’s your love walk toward yourself?
Do you have the God-kind of love toward yourself?
Are you patient with and kind to yourself or impatient and mean?
Are you easily angered with and hold grudges and secret hatred toward yourself or are you merciful and forgiving toward yourself?
If we do not have Godly love for ourselves, it is not then understandable why we may lack such love toward others?
Faith works by love.
Could love be the missing link in our assemblies?
Could a general lack of obedience to God and a general lack of genuine love toward each other in the Body of Christ be a key reason why we have so much expressed faith yet so little manifested results?
Isn’t it ironic how so often we as Saints can willfully disobey God, thereby not walking in love toward Him, not repent, yet expect our faith to work and produce great results in our lives and the lives of others?
Isn’t it ironic how so often we pray in faith for persons, believing God for a breakthrough, yet harbor envy, jealousy, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, offense and grudges toward these same people, i.e., not walk in love toward them, yet expect our faith to work and produce great manifestation?
In Matthew 24:12, Jesus warns that one of the signs of the last days is that because iniquity, i.e., lawlessness and wickedness will abound, the love of many will wax cold.
Since faith works by love, as Kingdom Ambassadors, you and I need to make it a priority to guard our hearts to ensure that we are not counted among those whose love waxes cold because it will hinder the working of our faith and subsequently the outward manifestation of the Kingdom to the honor and glory of God.
Faith works by love.
So my fellow Ambassadors, today if you are believing God for something, in addition to checking to see if your desires are in line with God’s will, and checking with the Lord about His timing, I urge you to check your love walk too.
Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are at in regard to your love for God, love for yourself and love for others, and ask Him to help you make any needed adjustments.
According to Romans 5:5, the Holy Spirit has already poured the love of God into our hearts, so the issue is not whether or not the love is there, it is a matter of by the grace of God, making a decision to die to self and practice walking in it.
Man of God, Woman of God, let’s not let love be the missing link.
Shalom!
Kim
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