USING YOUR LOVE SOFTWARE

While I was writing the last post, I began to sense in my heart that the anointing on this word is such that it will stretch over a series (albeit short), and not in the usual 2-weekly fashion  but rather in rapid succession. I must admit I have been disobedient about the "rapid succession" part but I have repented, bless God!

I have a young friend, let's call her Conqueror. She loves to say "I hate him" or "I hate her", referring to people around her. Conqueror is born again, the love of God is shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Ghost, yet that's the way she talks and acts. What's the problem here? Simple. She's got the love software but she ain't using it as she ought to. Actually, I'm like her when it comes to my laptop, I've got so many softwares I either don't know I have or haven't learnt to use.

Using your love software starts with a little thing called your WILL. It is God that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phillipians 2:13). It is His good pleasure that you use your love software, or He would not have given you in the first place. Now, does this verse mean you have no part to play, since it is God that works it in me? A thousand times NO! What Phillipians 2:12-13 actually says is that YOU are to WORK OUT your salvation with fear and trembling, for (or because) it is GOD that WORKS IN you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. God is working IN, you are working OUT, it's an unbeatable partnership!

This truth is so simple, it's very easy to miss. To use your love software, you must first set your will, BE WILLING to walk in love. Folks have lots of reasons they don't want to walk in love, or at least not "a hundred percent". They want to have the privilege of holding on to a grudge, they don't want to be taken for granted, they're afraid of being cheated. Some want to retain the right to retaliate, they want to be free to uphold the "inverse golden rule" (do unto others what they have done unto you), because if they don't, the universe will be "out of balance". Others are wary or just plain afraid of being hurt.

All these things stem from a root of fear, but praise God, we have an assurance in God's Word "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear" (1John 4:18a). Halleluyah, there's NO FEAR in love! Perfect love casts out fear! God has NOT given us the spirit of FEAR, but He HAS GIVEN us the Spirit of power and of LOVE and of a sound mind! Fear not, but be bold to walk in God's love! Be willing to be offended by people, be willing to be misunderstood, be willing to be called a weakling, be willing to be misused and taken for granted! But also be willing and ready to win, because love ALWAYS wins, love never fails! (2Timothy 1:7, 1Corinthians 13:8)

When agape is seeking expression through you to another, let it flow, let HIM flow. Don't hold back and switch to your Lagos mentality, your Nigerian mentality, your human mentality, NO! Let love win! Fear not, love much, give much, live much! If you've been unwilling to love, struggling with agape, suppressing your love software, you can repent (change your mind) today, you can reset your will with words....I WILL LOVE, I CHOOSE TO LOVE, I WALK IN LOVE, I AM LOVE, I CANNOT BUT LOVE, I LOVE, I LOVE AND I LOVE SOME MORE.....AND I DON'T STOP LOVING!!!

THE LOVE SOFTWARE

It's been quite a while, friends! I sincerely apologize for the "break in transmission". I had my phones stolen, and it was oh so painful! To my utter amazement, even after getting a new phone, it seemed like a struggle to write a post. But bless God, on Monday morning, after yielding to a nudging in my spirit (as simple as washing a few extra plates stacked on the kitchen sink), a dam broke loose! These words from Romans 5:5 resonated afresh in my heart....the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit.....I've got divine capacity to love even as my Father loves!

To hear some folks talk, you would think that God gave us the command to love and left us to figure out how to do it with our limited or non-existent ability! Oh but no, He did not! Rather, God, Himself being Love (1John 4:8), gave us the capacity to love, He gave us the agape software! Love has poured out the Holy Spirit, and now the Holy Spirit pours out love in our hearts.

The Holy Spirit, through Paul in Ephesians 4:32 & 5:2, commands us to love as God loves. If not for the indwelling Holy Spirit, this would be a tall order, better still, an impossible task, but praise God, He dwells in us and pours out His love in our hearts! For you, the new creation man in Christ, loving is no longer a burden but a responsibility, your responsibility. Loving has become as simple as a choice.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).....according to the law of life, like begets like, by extension therefore, that which is born of Love must, of necessity, be love. We are born of Love, we are love, our very nature is love. That is why He says, be ye followers of God, as dear children (Ephesians 5:1). He is our love-model, we can follow Him, we can love as He loves.

All that we need to love as He loves, to love with His quality and kind of love, to forgive as He forgives, to forgive the unforgivable, love the undeserving, to be kind when we don't FEEL like being kind, to walk in love when everything in us and around us screams out against it, all that we need to love God-class, He has given unto us..........His nature (love), His Spirit (the Spirit of love) (2Timothy 1:7), and His Word (the love-map to show us how He loves).....all that is needed for God-class living and loving, He has given unto us, and abundantly too (2Peter 1:3).

Beloved, I beseech you by the mercies of God, never say or think to yourself, only God can love that way. Never say, I can't possibly forgive, I can't possibly love that way, he's hurt me so much, she's such a terrible creature, they don't deserve love, they don't deserve my forgiveness. Rather, when the Spirit tugs at your heart, when He prompts you in your spirit to act in love, to be kind, to forgive, to demonstrate agape, let your response be a strong and yielded YES LORD! Say yes, be willing, say yes, because He's not asking you to do it by yourself. Say yes, He's only asking you to do what Himself has done and has enabled you to do.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Like, who does that?! Well, God does that! Bless God, WE do that! I tell you, there is absolutely no limit to your love because there is no limit to God's love. You can love as He loves. Your love bears ALL things, believes ALL things, hopes ALL things, endures ALL things. Your love does not fail, does not fade out, does not become obsolete, does not come to an end (1Corinthians 13:7-8). There's no end, NO LIMIT, no breaking point to your love!

Walk in this love, walk in this light, you will never stumble! SHALOM SHALOM!