Today we continue our series entitled, “God Loves You”, under the overall theme for the year of, “Supernatural Manifestation.” We have been learning about the love of God from John, the Apostle of love. When John was in his 90s, after having decades to meditate on the love of God, he wrote some of the richest teaching in the Bible on love. We have been looking at what He said. Let’s continue to do so. Today we will learn to believe and trust in God’s love. John said:
“We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because he gave us his Spirit. We have seen that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world, and this is what we tell people now. Anyone who says, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,” is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them.” (1 John 4:13-16 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God gave us His Spirit so we can know Him intimately.
a) The Bible says, “We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because he gave us his Spirit.”
b) One of the roles of the Holy Spirit to assure us of our relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit reveals to us that we are in God and God is in us. He assures us of the Father’s commitment to us and most importantly, He reveals to us how much He loves us.
2. The revelation of the Father is a revelation of love, because God IS love.
a) The more the Holy Spirit reveals the Father to us, the greater the revelation we get of God’s love. God IS love.
b) We need the Holy Spirit to reveal the height, length, breadth and depth of God’s love to us, because His love is so different from this world’s concept of love. We more we know God, the more we get to know true love, and it is the revelation of God’s love that changes us from the inside-out.
3. Once we know the love God has for us, our challenge is to believe and trust in that love.
a) The Bible says, “So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.” Other translations say, “We believe the love.”
b) Once the Holy Spirit reveals to us the height, length, breadth and depth of God’s, it becomes a challenge for many humans to believe the love. Because we live in a fallen world and we are accustomed to dealing with fallen people, it is often hard for us to truly open our heart to believe in a love that is unconditional, unfailing, unending and truly one-sided. God’s love is contingent on Him and Him alone. Our actions do not change His love. Simply put, this is hard for many of us to believe. But if we are ever going to be the men/women God called us to be, we must believe the love of God!
c) Once we believe in God’s love, the next step is to trust it. Trusting in God’s love frees us to believe the invisible, attempt the impossible, and operate in the supernatural.
I will discuss this last point further tomorrow. Let’s stop here for today.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I can say this from a believing heart, because I know You love me. You gave me Your Spirit when I accepted Jesus as Lord. Your Spirit reveals to me Your person. The more I know You, the more I know true love. Your love is unconditional, unfailing and unending. Your love is not like anything I have ever experienced in this world. I open my heart to Your love. I believe Your love. I receive Your love. I trust in Your love. I enter every day ready to change the world by Your power. I don’t do this because I am so good. I do this because I know You love me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
