The Trees in the Garden of Eden (Part 2)

In part 1,

I went through

the root fear

we all face and

how we conquer that fear.

We delve into the role of love and fear and

our role as sons and daughters of God.

Why it's so important that we find

our true individual identities

in relationship with God, so that we can be

a stronger community.

If you haven't,

you might want to read it

before getting into the actual trees, but

part 2 will still make sense if you don't.

The Trees in the Garden of Eden

The two trees we hear of in the garden of Eden were the

Tree of Life (#1)

and the

Tree of the Knowledge

of Good and Evil (#2)

.

 Note,

it's not just "the Tree of Knowledge". I'm sure growing up you, too, were taught that when the Word said

"their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked"

, it meant they

suddenly knew too much; things they didn't know before.

Recently, however, God took me on another very visual, very vivid journey, to reveal

this new perspective.

(It is so true that no one knows the whole mind of Christ. It is beautiful that He gave us a lifetime of mystery and relationship with Him to learn it! So amazing, our God!)

All the knowledge we had was shrunk to knowledge of just good and evil.

 In short, I've learned that the Knowledge of Good and Evil shrank the Knowledge of Life in it's Fullness to just black and white, good and evil, perpetual judgement. Get it?

Tree of Life, Tree #1,

revealed to us the

full range of colours,

the role of good and evil in the midst of the rest of life, and

the role of Love

in keeping everything else in place, in the 'right' roles. Perhaps this will help:

Tree #1 (Life)                                                                    / Tree #2 (Knowledge of Good & Evil)

• All colours (which make up white, coincidentally) / Black and white only (oh, and grey *sigh*)

• All: good, evil, beauty, Love, growth, learning       / Good and evil (and constant fear of falling)

• Love keeping perfect balance, harmony                  / Perpetual judgement (fear of falling)

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-trees-in-garden-of-eden-part-2.html

You see, Adam and Eve didn't not recognize evil because it was in it's place, when they had only seen Life to the Fullest.

They enjoyed what was good because by contrast evil shows us that good is good - that way good is never boring or 'status quo'. Remember, the enemy fell before they came - they always knew he was always there - but they (and he) always knew his place, until they submitted to him. That is why it's called the Fall. They, we (we would have done the same thing),

fell from the

Full Knowledge of Life

to the mere

knowledge of Good and Evil.

Good news!

This is why

Jesus Christ's

coming, our LORD and Saviour, is just that - salvation - because

He restored to us the capacity to see that, again.

Our gospel is that!

Hence, Love is His message!

 God is His message! God is Love! We utter words and don't hear our selves. Try this: Say it out loud and sit with it -

God is Love!

Are you free now to walk in that?

The Fullness of Life

A huge part of knowing the Fullness of Life, in Christ,

is knowing the place of Good and Evil in that Fullness. It is, then, that we begin living from a place of

restoring our Knowledge of the Fullness of Life.

That means dropping all that baggage - perfection, appearances, joggling balls, fears - and

choosing to walk (doing it, afraid or not) exactly as you truly are,

skeletons and all, right now. You will literally feel it physically: you breath more deeply, more slowly, your shoulders relax (or you finally realize they hurt! Lol), you stand straighter.

You simply are. No pressure.

No burden. You see,

we were not designed to carry all that weight.

That baggage is what came with the Knowledge of (only) Good and Evil.

That baggage is why death entered the equation. All that stress destroys us, and the enemy continues to deceive us into thinking

"oh, that's just the way it goes".

It doesn't have to be. It's why Christ revealed that it is this very body that will be transfigured. Why not start now? First, we have to accept and love our current selves, good, bad and other, before we can go any further. As long as you're holding on to all that baggage, your hands will be too full to walk out of that prison -

the prison you created after Christ died to free us from it.

This is what Christ died to give us.

That is

reconciliation with God

and

walking in Life Abundantly.

I know and honour the fact that this is not likely a perspective you've heard before. I just want you to know that. If you can see it, however, if this has awakened something in you or if it's put together all the pieces of a puzzle for you,

I'm honoured to have been a part of that.

Be & Love the True You

If you truly lived this, being true to who you are,

where you are, at all times, then light will always shine on what needs to change or a new opportunity for growth.

Your truth will illuminate your next level of learning and growth.

As you explore that new area of growth

in freedom, love and faith

(instead of the bondage of doubt, fear of doing wrong and guilt/shame),

you will enjoy it!

You will enjoy learning

"wow! all the time I thought X, and God's revealed Y to be true."

You'll want to learn more, no? Making mistakes is a part of the growth process! Learning from experience rather than the words of others is a part of the growth process.

Being a part of your own growth process is relationship with God!

Your pastor, priest, mentor, counselor cannot have that relationship on your behalf.

You have to live it.

You need to love it, however, in order to keep wanting to do it!

Look back on your life.

We make mistakes and then we see all the "negative consequences" of our action and we think

"I'm paying for..."

Isn't that, technically, blasphemy, if Christ was supposed to have paid? Aren't we supposed to truly repent,

and know that it's been paid for?

Take a look at one mistake you made

that you can see the trail of "consequences" for. I'd like to invite you, now, to 

look at that same mistake, and see what you've learned from it,

what good things came out of what you learned, what good things you've learned about yourself, and how you can use all of that to empower, encourage, others who perhaps have made the same or similar mistakes.

Can you?

I'll ask the questions from the image in

Part 1

, again:

Source: 

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-trees-in-garden-of-eden-part-1.html

Write me or comment and let me know your thoughts?

I truly believe that as we discover our purpose in Christ, through relationship with Him, our lives will be the examples that empower others to do the same.

The Trees in the Garden of Eden (Part 1)

To those of you who've been following me consistently for some time, I'd like to say thank you for reading. You know that before 2014 the tone of my posts has been to

ask why, to encourage

and, at times, to

admonish us for hurting each other.

2014, however, was

life-changing for me

.

God broke through so much fear, that now I see so much of it where I never saw it before in our Church. I'll get into that in today's post, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on my new direction.

[P.S.

Part 2

actually gets to the trees. ;)]

The Deepest Fear

This fear that God broke in me was

not the surface fears

- fear of man, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of unforgivable sin, fear of not being righteous, fear of not trusting God, fear of unbelief - the list is long.

Those are not the worst fears.

The fear that God dealt with in me is invisible until He shines His light on it.

It is fear of the unknown.

The surface fears above are somewhat knowable, but fear of the unknown is a greater obstacle, as the unknown can lead to ALL others!

Once God broke me free of it, it was all I could see in the Church (the body) around me.

Our sermons are so full of

"no", "the law"

and living within

a very small, but widely approved, box,

that none of us feel safe enough to

find out who we

individually are in Christ,

so that we can be

a stronger community.

The body of Christ is us. If we each have a purpose in Him, we will not all look alike. We cannot. Your stomach, baby toenail and lymph nodes do not, cannot, be the same if you are going to live. Why can't we understand that in the Church? It's time to stop holding hands with the enemy and singing,

"you're right, accuser, we'll just stay under this bushel and never shine, because you're right, accuser, it's vein, prideful, and will lead us astray"

! We're not 'wusses' in Christ!

We're sons and daughters of God in Christ!

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-trees-in-garden-of-eden-part-1.html

Conquering Fear

I kept saying above that God broke me free of it, but the truth is

I broke free of fear in God's strength.

We can do nothing without Christ, but

He does nothing until we take that step in faith.

As soon as I said,

"enough! I don't know what this block is, but I'm over it!"

, He literally said

"Finally"

in a fit of immeasurable joy,

and opened my eyes to a host of amazing wonders!

It's like He could finally hold my hand and run with me!

I can keep up because I'm no longer heavy with fear! Don't you want that? Don't you want to know Your God on every level? Are you willing to take the risk and step out in faith to find out?

Do you trust Him to take care of you wherever you go?

You and I both know there's something holding you back.

If you're not shining, if you can't say the words "I love, love, love myself" and

ooze nothing but joy to overflow,

if you can't walk by different religions without feeling sad, then something IS holding you back and, perhaps, you don't know the power of Your God! Perhaps.

Fear is only conquered when we truly trust God,

when we love ourselves as He loves us,

so much so that we can't help but

share that love with others,

and teach them to do the same.

Darkness cannot exist when light is present. Fullstop.

Fighting darkness and fear is a waste of time and energy. Light! Be light, be love, focus on the good, and that will overflow to cast out the negatives.

Food for thought:

all those people we judge - 'backslidden' brothers and sisters, other religions, cult groups, sociopaths, criminals, other Christians with different perspectives -

can only be changed by personal encounter with God. Not a word you utter means anything without that.

Plus, you don't know enough to know that you're absolutely right about everything you believe, so stop worrying about it and stop fighting it.

Love them instead, but first, love yourself!

If it was not God's will that any should perish, why do we focus so on who will perish? Why don't we become, as individuals, a safe space for all to come and be, and be loved? Why don't we do that, our part in Love, and let God do His work? Let us focus on love and light. The details will be worked out by God. You'd be surprised to see true Serendipity, which is His.

Your Powerful Mind

Let me tell you what I've learned about Love - I'm still learning.

Love, not courage, is the opposite of fear.

That is why it is the gift that is above all others.

Love frees us so we can see more clearly.

We are not anxious, worried, distracted juggling multiple "what if" thoughts. We see clearly what is in front of us, even in some small part the way God sees, when we see in Love.

The battlefield is truly in the mind.

It is why the New Testament is so focused on

renewing your mind!

All the gifts in Corinthians - love, tongues, understanding, faith, knowledge, interpretation of tongues - are there!

It is the battlefield because

it is what we, in God's image, create with!

The

heart, mind

and

tongue

are what we're cautioned about, because they are the most powerful aspects of our being. The heart and mind both feed thoughts and feelings.

Our hearts and minds,

produce emotions (love and fear) and feelings (joy, sorrow, hope, anger).

Our tongues,

the words we speak, form the declarations and contracts we seal (with God or the accuser) to create what we see. We may want to, but we can't avoid the responsibility of being creators if we are made in the image and likeness of God.

If you don't wield your mind and heart, regardless of how much you say you surrender to God, the enemy will.

Surrendering to God is empowering, not oppressing.

The scripture

"I become less that You (God) might become more"

does not mean that you disappear. In the Holy Spirit, you'll learn that

'the old you becomes less, that the new you - in the true image of God in Christ - becomes more'

.

The manifestation of the part of God that only You can carry,

because of what He created You to be. So surrendering to God means freedom for You to wield your mind!

God has empowered you.

Fear or Love?

If you can't hold every thought captive,

use your feelings as an indicator

of whether or not your thoughts are positive. If you've surrendered to God, you have nothing to worry about. Good feelings - joy, peace, calm, contentment - come when we remember that we are righteous (even if not always right) in Christ. When you're angry, afraid, resentful, jealous,

what are your thoughts?

Now, beware that bad feelings were created by God (just as physical pain was)

to let us know when something is wrong. Don't ignore them,

 but put them in their right place, deal with the cause, place your burden at God's feet and then turn your thoughts back to what is good.

Spend most of your time on the good.

Energy invested in negatives is energy positives don't have access to. Let it go, for your sake.

You see, you can't do any of this if you don't love yourself.

This is why I ask you to

choose - fear or love?

What you choose for yourself is what you will choose for, and impart to, others. You can choose. In terms of complexity, thoughts are the most difficult to manage. Feelings are easier, but still fairly complex if you're at work or in the midst of a task. Emotions, which actually chart the direction of our thoughts, love or fear, are easier to detect. If you can detect your feelings, do so. If your heart starts racing, you're not breathing deeply and it's not accompanied by a smile, perhaps your thoughts are infused by fear.

Turn it around. Infuse your thoughts with love.

You can choose to stop, make yourself breath - envision inhaling love and exhaling fear

- and choose to think, and put your energy into, good thoughts. "Nothing is too big for God, who has entrusted me to be right where I am right now, in Him", "things always work for good, for those who love God", "if there is power in my words, I declare that all is well starting now".

Think about the good thoughts that empower you, and think those.

That's why the Word is our sword.

Write your good thoughts for a week, and see what you learn about yourself!

You might empower others!

Try It

I think there's a lot to chew on here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

After you try this, listening to your feelings,

click here to read part 2,

where I finally get to the

Trees in the Garden of Eden.

God Is Pursuing You. Do You See? My Experience

Bless you, LORD, Your Majesty and Your Love. Thank you for always Loving me, and reminding me of that Love when the accuser comes after me and I hold hands in agreement with him, unknowingly. Thank You for never tiring of pursuing me!

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.com/2014/08/god-is-pursuing-you-do-you-see-my.html

Today, LORD, for the first time in a while, I completely surrendered to You, again, and leaving that Church to find alone time with You, You Would Not Let My Spirits Sink! As only You can, LORD:

1. You gave me sunshine, in the midst of a freezing summer.

2. You gave me worship songs during Communion and at the end of service, despite my missing it at the beginning.

3. You gave me Communion and new insight into it's bonding power in You, LORD - into why we say "Grace before meals" - not just to Thank, buy to Invite You to join us! Thank You!

4. You sent me Scott to talk Entrepreneurship, when I thought he'd find me difficult.

5. You sent me www.MellowDeeCanada.com to say Hello and sing "Hallelujah", to remind me of Your omnipotence and unyielding grace.

6. You sent me Smart Set's very cool window display/creative advertising to make me smile and, in the midst of that

7. You sent three (3) 'clowns' who were trying to photo-bomb my Smart Set shot to make me laugh heartily (instead of my usual scowl in response).

8. You showed me the Bible verse (Psalm 34:4 ESV "I sought the LORD and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears") - on the subway.

Items 3-5 happened in the space of maybe 30 minutes! And I know that You simply changed my heart and opened my eyes! You are amazing!

Professional Artiste:

www.MellowDeeCanada.com

God, literally, even my mistakes, You've used for good, and my steps of faith, you have blessed.

Remove the fear that holds me hostage, LORD, and replace it with boldness to walk in the freedom You died to give me; that I might walk in the " flow" that is the Holy Spirit, free of the burden of circumstances, as only You can make possible. Let Your glory be seen in Every aspect of my being, even as You turn my flaws (in Your grace) to healing for others, and draw me into more Conscious Relationship with You.

Smart Set

, Eaton Centre - Jeans-in-a-Tube Display Campaign

I repent, as Your Love overflows in me, of my blindness and my unbelief, and Thank You for the simple yet unimaginably Powerful, gift of Your Presence. I revere You now, and always, LORD Jesus Christ, God My Father, Holy Spirit, and Thank You for being the wind that makes me, Your Eagle, soar for Your glory.

I will be exactly who I am, fully, in each moment, conscious and aware, so that Your work may be done in me, and in those I encounter, in Truth, in Love and in Holiness, so that we will all experience Freedom on You.

Starting Today. Love You, God! Amen.

How has God hugged

You,

today?

Following God & Loving Others

On April 14th, 2014, I wrote

"

Letting Go - Serving God Not Mankind

"

because I'd realized that I'd gotten stuck in making sure everyone is happy. There's a difference, however, between being responsible in your treatment of others and being responsible for the happiness of others.

Source:http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/06/following-god-loving-others.html

Yesterday, I posted something on Facebook (I tend to post only encouragement, so this was rare):

"

I fell for that age-old trick. No more. I will not compromise. My ability to do what is right is not an affront to you. Be where you are, I will celebrate your successes, but don't ask me to be less so you can feel validated.

"

I was having a rough day - a downward spiral in my mind of everything I've done wrong and how my mistakes may have made others' stumble. I sometimes think I'm alone in this, but yesterday, so many people related so strongly to this post, that I started to realize that this is an issue many others probably face. We have to find a way to stop. Happiness is not perfection; it is being in Christ.

Right now, thanks to my Church,

The Well on Bayview in Toronto, Ontario

, I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

developed and delivered in Christ by the

Bethel Church in Redding California

. This month, we're building a

culture of Prophecy

into our lives, built on the foundation of God's Love - and never on condemnation. We meet monthly to share how the culture is showing up in our lives. Yesterday's session, which preceded that Facebook post, was really amazing. The whole meeting was about the myths that hold us back from speaking God's positive truth about people's lives into being, and it made us face a lot of our obstacles.

By the time I'd gotten home, however, I'd started to see how many people in my life I've fallen into "holding myself back" for, so they can feel better. Whether that's a sin they're still struggling with, that I don't struggle with anymore, or my drive and discipline around work and quality, that they either don't care about or haven't achieved yet.

The opposite is also true, though. There are things I still struggle with, that others have probably never struggled with, and they really look down their noses at me for it. Often, the same people I don't come down on for being weak in my strengths.

Yesterday afternoon, I felt like I was drowning. The burden of walking on eggshells:

holding myself back because of other people's need for validation, and

beating myself up because I make mistakes and I'm afraid I've corrupted others by sharing,

is simply too much. Recently, however, I've been repeatedly reminded that that is not my burden to carry. God gets my attention, however He does it (bless Him) and says

"stop! You answer to me. Not everyone's needs/expectations."

It's still hard to move that knowledge from my head to my heart, but I caution those of us who spend all of our time in community and carry this burden, that this is a big part of why we all need some time alone with God. Lately, I've been hearing a lot of teaching about "community in Christ", and that is very important, but the message on "personal time with Christ" has been dangerously silent.

For your sanity and your relationship with Christ, make the time to simply

sit with God and 'BE'.

Share all those those inner thoughts you have never shared with anyone, release all of those emotions you never release because they're "bad/wrong/evil/not self-controlled", in your moments alone with God. Only then, when these things are all brought into the light, that God can heal them in you. Community offers support, yes, but faith comes from your own personal

Love Encounter with God in Christ

.

Make the time.

If you're on Facebook, feel free to follow me on the

"Love covers All . God is Love" Facebook Page

,

for daily or at least weekly, encouragement. Bless you in the Love of Christ! Amen.

Single Christian Women & Marriage

I wasn't going to touch this with a 10-foot pole, because I truly believe in the individual and am saddened by a world - particularly insecure men and women - who take a mega-phone to the streets talking about "why christian girls remain single", without walking half a mile in those girls' shoes.

After a close friend sent me this blog post, "

5 reasons why many christian girls remain single

", my stomach really turned. Some women may be Sarah, but in my experience, that's not most women. I realized that if I don't write this, then perhaps no one will, and too many young girls will wind up further misunderstood and attacked because of this thinking.

Source:

lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/06/single-christian-women-marriage.html

A Day in the Life of a Christian Girl, Woman

Ages ~5-12

My disclaimer: what you're about to read not everyone's story, but it's the story of many women I grew up with, and have spoken to, to-date.

From the time you wake up, to the time you go to bed, you're taught that you must keep improving. You always have to be better, quieter, smarter, stronger, more humble, kinder, cleaner, more lady-like (no clear definition there), the

Proverbs 31 woman

. Without ever saying it, they teach us, essentially, to be a doormat.

You wake up thinking about the mistakes you will not make today, and go to bed ashamed of all you did wrong that day.

Ages ~12-18

Then, out of nowhere, puberty begins, and you have to "learn to say 'No'". No one quite explains the application of this 'learning to say No', when all our upbringing is about 'meeting with everyone's approval' or, essentially, "saying 'Yes'" to everyone. In fact, you've always been disciplined for saying "No". "No" is a word reserved for the rude, impolite, ill-trained among us. Still, that's the expectation.

Yet, we are to continue to be above everyone's reproach, which essentially teaches us that everyone's opinion of us is valid and important, further teaching us to assume that everyone's mind is sound enough to have a valid opinion of us; opinions that we must keep positive at all times. How do we "be" all of this and say "No", again?

Ages ~19 Until We Reprogram Ourselves

The answer? We don't learn to '"be" all of this and say "No"'. Hence, we have a society of women walking around "

addicted to approval

" and willing to do anything to get it - from everyone. Remember, 'doing anything' ranges from isolating ourselves so we never sin, to delivering on the depraved desires of society's most perverse minds, all in the hopes of one day receiving that approval. For the purpose of this blog post, we'll look at those prone to "isolating ourselves so we never sin" - as these tend to want perfect husbands.

Even God says that humans are insatiable. As a result, we cannot ever please everyone. We can't even please one person! Many don't know, and may never learn, this. Even when we know this, it takes time to undo years of programming.

The result: our families must also be 'above reproach' to the world. Our husbands, therefore, must have the same goal. The double-standard we raise our society with, however, means there are few men who were raised with this kind of burden. Men are then encouraged, by older men and women alike, to label their female peers: Frigid, B--tch, Crazy. Do you see where the devil has succeeded in destroying the family? Can you see where it starts?

Worse, with the constant fear driving Christian society to "keep boys and girls apart", Christian adults are learning about each other from media, books, misinformed adults and everything except conversation. We cannot relate to each other.

Are You Getting The Picture?

THAT is the challenge single Christian women face. Many of us will not get out of that loop. Can you imagine constant fear of losing God's love, your salvation, fear of going to hell, all because you 'slip up'? Marriage is also the one thing you can't 'undo'. Try living with that burden on your shoulders before you walk around spitting fire at 'single christian women'!

The Solution

So then you understand even more the soothing waters of the river of life that stems from Christ, for a woman who's lived the life above. "You mean I'm loved regardless?!" We still don't grasp it, but it's a flicker of hope! Jesus Christ means more to us than anything!

Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

We're called to please or answer only to God. In fact, He doesn't even call us to please Him. That's impossible. He calls us to surrender (

Matthew 6:24-34 ESV

), so He can

shower us with His Love

, which is what changes the desires of our hearts.

To Future Husbands

You can wallow in the insecurity of rejection, or you can decide whether or not this girl is worth it. Pursuit is not "aye girl. I like you." Particularly for the girl above, it is hard work. And unlike you, Jesus was willing to do it. You have had the good fortune, some of you, to grow up accepted as you are. Find a way to teach her what that feels like.

Remind her that marriage is not about marrying the man who is better, more intelligent, stronger, more humble, kinder, cleaner, more manly. Help her, through relationship, to see that marriage is about partnering with your provider and protector, who is very much human, and needs her to help him excel. Just as she needs you for the same.

Encouragement & Caution

Pray for each other. Prayer truly is powerful. This is what conquers the enemy and his attacks against our families. Pray, and keep praying in faith.

Young Men

I am not saying to take abuse. If someone is always calling you "no good", and critiquing you, you might have to run.

However, do not run because it's hard. Decide that she is worth it, and commit. You show her that you love and support her regardless of anything, and the person you pursued because of whatever intrinsic qualities you saw, will reciprocate. Place no conditions on your love for her, and she will reciprocate. She truly is worth the fight.

That is how I found my husband-to-be. He is not what I dreamt of, but he's so much more. I was swept off my feet by a man who emulated God in ways of love that I could never fathom. He has loved the unloveable in me, and nothing speaks louder of love.

Young Women

Likewise, do not suddenly drop all of your standards and say "God can fix anything, so I can marry anyone and God will make it work."

However, stop running the course they put you on. Turn of the recording of "I must be perfect", He must be better" and the other nightmares that reel on in our heads. God is not going to punish you for marrying a man with 'more flaws than you have'. God will use your strengths to uplift (not criticize) him in those areas, and (believe it or not) vice versa. Trust me. God really only shows us what we can handle. We have far more flaws that we will ever see all at once. He is just kind to us about it because He loves us.

Please, please, when you turn it off, try to stop seeing all that's wrong and needs fixing - with him and with yourself - and ask: Can I build a life in Christ with this man? Are his values the same, even if we falter? Just as he sticks with you, stick with him. He's worth it.

Your Love Encounter with God (Part 2)

In

Part 1

of this 2-part series “Your Love Encounter with God”, I focused solely on You and God, in God’s Love, highlighting that it is only when we know and understand what a Love Encounter with God looks like, that we can share it with others. That that is what draws people to God – His Love. After reading that, I hope you are in a better position to share God from a place of overflowing Love, in Part 2.

Love First, Not the Word First, Calls People

If you didn't read it yet, I mentioned in

part 1

that I'm doing the

Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)

 developed and delivered in Christ by the 

Bethel Church in Redding California

., and that I was listening to Chris Gore's session, 

"Today is a Great Day

 for a Miracle

"

.

Chris’ message truly brought confirmation, for me, on what God has been saying to me recently. We hear and say all the time that 

"It is God's 

Love

 that draws people into relationship with Him"

,

 yet time and time again we introduce people to 

God's 

Word

 before we share God's Love

. We also forget that 

we

 are the vessels of that 

Love

;

 that people go to the Word of God 

after

 they've encountered God's 

Love

.

 It is only 

then

 that they start wanting to learn more about 

this God

 that 

loves them 

so intently, so completely.

Source: 

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/05/your-love-encounter-with-god-part-2.html

Once God Has Your Heart...

Our God wants us to

go back to basics,

so that we

learn to rest in Him.

It is in the simple rest of Loving God and being Loved by God, that we truly

get food, Love, to share.

Chris shared an experience where he didn't see someone (close to death) whom he'd prayed for get healed – daunting. Later, she did get healed! She told him that she'd never heard of God's Love as a Father – that she'd never had a father's love, when Chris said

"Daddy, please take this thing from her",

it shook her.

That

changed her world!

He couldn't do it without first making time to grow in His own knowledge of God's Love.

God wants first our hearts,

then time and a deep love relationship with us, then complete surrender of every area of our lives – so that we can be further filled with His love, then

when filled to overflow,

we walk out and love others because

we simply can’t help it.

All because we have a simple but deep Love Relationship with God.

Love is our action, our task that yields results.

Love is what we're called to, the Love of God. That love drives action - a free action that flows out of us, from the peace of God and the certainty that God will act (not 'me', but God).

Only God's Love – Not Our Works

Once we start striving, we're on shaky ground.

When we start arguing, taking offence, being afraid for/of anyone or anything, plotting to persuade, then we know that

we have missed it.

When we "drop a word" on someone and walk away with

no regard for how they receive it,

we have missed it. We're not responsible for making sure people feel what we intended, but we are to check our hearts to

ensure that we Loved.

We will not be perfect in this journey

 – no one is – but

we can be transparent and loving when we're secure in God's Love for us.

This is why it's so important for us to

go to God,

not just with our plans, our ministries, our calling/purpose, but

simply with ourselves, for some Love!

We have to have down time with God, just laughing at nonsense, being in His presence and

basking in His Love,

to be able to share that complete Love with others.

Evangelism, the great commission,

our call as Christians – is that – sharing the Love of God. Those we share simple, true love with, will pursue Him after.

My Prayer for You

In the name of our Loving God, our Father, in Christ Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I lift up your hearts – our hearts – and ask for the slate to be cleared, of all woes, responsibilities and fears for a moment. I declare, now, that God will teach us to guard our time with Him jealously, and that we don't use that time for works, but for Love Relationship. I stand in faith on the knowledge that

it is finished,

and that His Love will overflow from us wherever we go, in all that we do. That people will see a "new glow" about us, and want it. I believe that You, God, will use our tongues, hands, our entire beings, to

pour forth Your Love,

so that others will draw near You – not just us – in pursuit of More. Amen!

I hope that this 2-part series has rejuvenated you, in some way! Bless you! (

Click here for

Part 1.

)

The Love and Freedom in the Truth of John 1:1-10

If you grew up

Anglican,

in both the A.C. (Anglican, Anglo-Catholic) and attended R.C.

(Roman Catholic)

schools and, thus, Churches, you have likely heard

1 John 1:8-10

every Sunday before you shared in Communion over the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, by faith.

Before I comment on these verses, and color your opinion,

I want you to read them

and listen to what God says to you, in these verses.

First John, Chapter 1, Verses 1-10

First John, chapter 1, verses 1-10, in the English Standard Version of the Bible (

1 John 1:1-10 ESV

):

The Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our[a] joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

This is the Word of the LORD, our God in Christ Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Source:

http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/ by Crystal-Marie S.

Setting the Stage, My Morning Thus Far

Maybe I woke up high on God. No. I woke up worried, repenting, asking for forgiveness, faith and provision. Then, thanking God for His Love and mercy. I opened the biblegateway.com app. on my phone, and saw

1 John 1:9.

That verse swept over me with such peace, that I decided to read it in context.

I woke up at 7-something this morning, it's now 8:31 AM, and

I'm still high on God.

In fact, I woke up praying, read these verses and got high on Christ in the Holy Spirit and found out that

someone else was surprised to have woken up praying today

(on www.instapray.com). Lol. She was a bit freaked, but then she said "I'm not complaining, God, just saying this is new" and she thanked Him for loving her that much. All I know is that "God is in the air" in a big way, today -

she's in another country

and I don't know her - and great things will happen today.

[

Disclaimer:

the founder of

www.instapray.com

 told me that he is not a Christian and wanted to create a forum where anyone from any religion could pray. Christians dominate the forum, but not everyone is Christian. If you join, you have been notified.]

What I Get from 1 John 1:1-10, Today

Continuing from deciding to read it in context, one of the joys of living alone is that

you can read the Word out loud

without bothering anyone. So, I decided to read out loud - reading as John must have thought it as he wrote it (no, I wasn't there). Suddenly, my eyes were opened to the experience of

hearing about this Messiah from childhood, then being able to know Him,

clear in your very being that this is the Messiah they spoke of!

Can you imagine being clear in the knowledge that God sent His only Son to save us, and that

you get to be chosen to walk alongside Him?

Even now my heart swells! You wouldn't be able to contain all of that JOY - you too would automatically

walk out the Great Commission

(

Matthew 28:16-20 ESV

) - you would run and tell everyone! Anyone who would listen! And you'd be bubbling over. Yours actions would be

driven by nothing but awe and Love.

Wouldn't they? Not by judgement, fear and foreboding.

And that was just in verses 1-4! Reading verses 5-10 out loud, after that, I'd already been consumed by the Love of Christ, so to me these verses sounded like

"come to me, pour out all that you're hiding within and hiding from, so that I may forgive you and set you free"

(much like

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

). It truly was like living water refreshing every cell of my body. Have you ever felt that reading God's Word? I pray you do, because He is the ONLY reason we can have Joy and Peace regardless of circumstances.

I knew God was up to something, though. :) LOL (literally). God has taken hold of me, but this year, I have opened my eyes to see it. I know He's up to something because ALL my life I've heard that verse, 1 John 1:9, I only ever heard

"woe to you, bad child and sinner - you hurt Jesus with every bad thought"

, but Today, even before reading the entire context, I saw it differently. I saw it as

"stop worrying about your sin and give it to me. I need you whole, confident in my Love for you, so that you will want to pursue relationship with Me (God in Christ) instead of feeling shame whenever you come."

My Understanding of God's Heart

I know this is long, but I hope you were inspired to read this far.

God does not want

our only conversation with Him to be

"Sorry, God, I'm bad, horrible, wretched, unworthy, please forgive me."

When He calls us into

relationship, He calls us to know His Love!

We repent, we leave our sin at His feet, in exchange for healing and deliverance from the things that make us sin - wrong beliefs, desires that stem from hurt, fear, doubt, shame, guilt -

things not of God!

God wants to see His children Joy-filled, and He knows that we can only do that in

Freedom!

The freedom His son died and then conquered the grave to give us!

God wants a joyful, peaceful and adventurous relationship with us, and He is pursuing us to give it to us.

Stop running and let Him.

Suffering in Christ is not Suffering for the Sake of Suffering

I wrote this on 24th July, 2010, as an e-mail to my beloved brother and close friends, but thought someone else might benefit from it.  Bless you.

This has been my challenge for many years, as a Christian - knowing that suffering is an understood part of our journey can often lead us to believe that all suffering is something we have to "stay under".  We are all taught to overlook this, but

suffering is not something Christ calls us to do blindly.

  If you're in a bad situation - being abused at home/work, under an oppressive political leader - He never said the 'rule of thumb' is to take it!  The only rules are love, faith and obedience of Christ!

Sources (left to right):

 http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1415/5169438714_903a0ef9f7_z.jpg | http://www.pinterest.com/pin/258394097345108483/

It is through prayerful consideration, guidance from the Holy Spirit and confirmation through sound Christian counsel, that you make that decision.  If He says stay, that your 'work or learning is not finished here yet', then you're called to endure it by Him; you're backed by His strength.  If He's telling you leave, and others 'in Christ' or anywhere tell you stay, He is to be honoured above all men.  If you don't know, but you're dying, I'd say it's safe to leave.  Don't sit there, however, and tell everyone (leading them astray) that you are suffering for God's glory, if you are being disobedient in the very act of suffering; it will only harm you and those you advise to do the same.

If He says love others as you love yourself, then you must first love yourself!  You only learn how to do that when He fills you with His love.

Suffering for the sake of it, apart God's purpose in Christ and Holy Spirit for you, is neither love nor obedience.  1 Peter seems to be the word on this, but in reading I'm sure you will find the other sources.

1 Peter 2:18-19, ESV "18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly." - not 'mindful of suffering before men'.

1 Peter 2:23, ESV "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." - not entrusting himself to man.

1 Peter 3:17, ESV "For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." - suffer if it is God's will.

He is only glorified in your suffering

if your suffering is His will,

because it is actually testing you if you suffer in obeying Him (

1 Peter 4

:12-13, ESV).  Suffering otherwise just erodes your Spirit's strength, because you aren't leaning on God anymore if you're out of His will.

Food for thought (FFT), right?  Hope this helps you to learn to hear God's voice more, daily, trusting Him, living for Him, rather than following traditions blindly.

[

Note:

Timelines got messed up. This post was created in 2013, and the image added on March 25th, 2014.]