Loving with Intentionality. Pt.2
Even when trials come don’t be upset but view it as a blessing to know that what you have has so much power that satan has deemed it as a threat to his plan of destruction. We have already won the battle regardless of what our mind may say or try to show us
(My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing - James 1:2-4)
( The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life--life in all its fullness - John 10:10)
Now speaking for myself I’ve always wanted to live a fulfilling life but the only way for me to truly experience that and live my life on empty using everything that God has given me I can only do that with a true partnership with Him)
People will try and test what you have and that will be the time you gently show them the fruit from the seed God has planted in you
(But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. - 1 Peter 3:15-16)
They won’t know what you have gone through because they weren’t there when God was in the process of refining the both of you to be in this relationship
The pruning, separation, revival, pressing, all to bring new life
With CPR you don’t rub the chest to get the heart started… you have to apply REPEATED PRESSURE
What do you think God is doing when He takes you from level to level, Glory to Glory? We always want the end result more than we are willing to put our faith to the test
(But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 3:18)
It's all repeated pressure to deepen the roots that will bear so much fruit
As some of us know to get new wine, you have to use some kind of fruit (grapes) for the juice. to come together there had to be a pressing of the grapes to get what was inside out
In Biblical times you would use your feet to press the grapes. whereas now we have been blessed to have machines to do the work for us
The God we serve does not operate out of automated machinery but manual labor
When He formed us, He created us in the palm of His hand and breathed life into our nostrils
(Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live. - Genesis 2:7)
How many people drive a manual vehicle… Only 18% of people currently drive manual vehicles.
This is why we expect things to happen immediately when we begin to pursue our dreams. We’ve now become geared to things happening automatically. When patience is needed, we begin to fall under attacks of the mind because of a lack of foundation in the process.
God has called us to do the work not to sit back, say a prayer, and expect healthy fruit to come from our lack of effort
(So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. - James 2:17)
The difference between a genie and a creator (Potter) is the level of work being put in
We are born from the Greatest Creator there is, and we are born to create life and disciples. We weren’t born from a being that makes wishes but goes out and produces with His hands
Even the Make-Wish Foundation requires work from donations and volunteers
All that to say is LOVE IS WORK and it takes FAITH
To craft something, it takes consistency. We have been on the potter’s wheel our entire lives, and because of that blessing each life experience has been able to add to our ability to grow and adapt to new heights
Love truthfully isn’t something that you physically see or that you can reach out and touch but the byproduct of it is what we experience throughout our life
(So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. - Galatians 6:9)
(Lord, make us prosperous again, just as the rain brings water back to dry riverbeds. Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy! Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest. - Psalm 126:4-6)
(To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. - Hebrews 11:1)
