Today we continue our series entitled, “God Loves You”, under the overall theme for the year of, “Supernatural Manifestation.” For the next few days we will look at the most familiar verse in the entire Bible, John 3:16. The Apostle John said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). For the purposes of today’s message, we will focus in on this thought: God is the initiator.
So what does this mean to you today? Two things.
1. Our love is a response to God’s love.
a) The most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16) is not a reference to anything we have done for God. It is a statement based on the fact that God loves us.
b) God gave us His most prized possession, His own Son. He did not do this because we were so good. He did not do this because we were perfect. He did not do this because we loved Him. No, God sent Jesus to die for us, because HE LOVED US!
c) The Bible teaches us that God demonstrated His great love for us by sending His own Son to die for us, while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8). Notice that God did not do this in response to us. He simply did this because He loves us.
d) God is the great initiator. He chose us. He pursued us. He tracked us down. He showered us with His love. John plainly stated, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19).
e) We could not even love God without His grace. If He did not initiate the relationship, we would not have one. If He did not initiate the love, we could not give any. Our love comes only because He first loved us. You are where you are today in life, because God planned to bless you, and He then pursued you, and loved you, until you opened your heart to receive His love and become His best.
f) If you ever want to experience God’s power in this world, you must open your heart to His love first. If you seek His face, you will see His hand move in your life.
2. Our faith is a response to God’s love.
a) Faith is not about you coming up with something and then trying to get God to put a “yes” on your plans. True faith is a response, by both acknowledgment and acceptance, to the plans God already made for you. Faith is about God trying to get you to put a “yes” on His plans.
b) Faith works by love, because true faith doesn’t happen until you open your heart to believe the amazing things God has called you to… not because you are so good or because you love Him, but because He is so good and because He loves you!
c) Faith that is unfiltered and unmovable, is faith that is rooted in the reality of God’s love for you. You are only able to believe and attempt the supernatural when you know God loves you and He wants to do what He is calling you to do because of His love.
d) When you attempt things in faith that are not rooted and grounded in God’s love, they don’t work, because these things were birthed in your heart, instead of God’s. Faith doesn’t work when you are the initiator. Faith works when you know God was the initiator and you are attempting to do what was birthed in His heart, from the foundations of the world.
e) If you look back at all your faith-failures, you will find that you failed because you initiated and not God. James explained that many ask and don’t receive, because they ask based on their desires and not God’s (James 4:3). God is not your servant. He did not sign up to give you whatever selfish desire you come up with. God is supposed to be your LORD! This means He tells you what to do. This means He is the initiator and you are the responder. When you understand this and you get to the point where your faith is a response to His love, you will live an amazing life of faith.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. Not only have I opened my heart to Your limitless power. Not only have I expanded my capacity to believe to the point where the supernatural can be natural to me. But I am doing this because I know You love me. I am not the initiator. You don’t love me, because I loved You. NO! It’s the other way around. I love You, because You first loved me. I can believe for all the things You have called me to do, because all these things were birthed in Your heart, from the foundations of the world, because You love me. So Father, I offer You faith. My faith is a response to Your love. And I will live the remainder of my days in the earth this way. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
