God's Unfailing Love

God's Unfailing Love

I've shared with you about a place in the spirit - prison, and mentioned that it is a place where the Lord allows us to be in this tight place, without the ability to be where you really are called to be. (see Bound in Prison). The Lord trains you and prepares your heart to love the prisoners, the messed up ones who are bound just like you. At the right time He will raise you up (if you allow Him) to set them free.

I said if you allow Him, because we tend to run away from places that bind us. Who wants to be bound and locked in a place that takes you away from where you really want to be? However, it is necessary for our maturity and will lead many to their freedom as you will be set free.

I wanted to focus on the love the Lord wants to bring us to, and His unfailing love to the world.

I believe the main reason for any situation in our life is to help fix something in our relationship with the Lord. It always leads to the heart and how much we want to grow in love. Every situation is always relational.
Yes, the Lord wants to perfect and train us in righteousness so we can live in any circumstance, any situation, any place and with any one, and still be satisfied. As Paul said....

Philippians 4:12-14 NIV 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.


Notice that Paul also said that they have done well to share with him in his present difficulty. The Lord gets His body together and in love and unity we are built up together. Love is the glue. Paul went through many afflictions and time in prison and the Holy Spirit shared his testimony with us so we would hear and see how to overcome and endure. As the Bible says "we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony". It doesn't say "I overcome", the Lord says "we". This means that we overcome by our testimonies.


What testimony do you have that might encourage and help others as they're in a certain place that you had already been through?


Our testimony is not how we were saved 40 years ago. Our testimony is always "this is who God is for me in my walk". This is why I believe it is very important to share our own personal testimonies (I call them sometimes "experiences") with one another. We want to help one another overcome.


I remember when the Lord first spoke to me about the meaning of leadership and leading His flock. I told Him I have never lead, and was not good at leading. I don't have leadership skills, or much experience beside teaching in a high school for nine years and I never liked dealing with teenage discipline problems. In my personality, I am not one of these teachers who can use their special tone of voice and in one word the entire class is quiet. I always admired such people, but it's not me. The Lord told me one day "Elana, leaders are the ones who go through it first, and then they show others how to find Me (the way) and lead them to a place of safety" (to Himself).


We are one body, walking and being built together and each of us leads others in our homes, work places, schools, church or ministry. When one gets to a certain place and feels lost we can encourage and share as the Lord leads what we've been through or what the Lord showed us in our time with Him. The Bible, after all, is a book filled with other people's testimonies to share.


You see, we are here to be and show the world the true image of our Father and He is love.


God wants to train us to love like He does. He wants His bride in His image.
Our good news to the world is "the price for sin has already been paid. The door to God's kingdom is open to all and God is love. He died for the sins of the entire world and this means He loves the world and in His love for a sin filled world He is patient, kind and not jealous; is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. His love for the world never fails.(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Why?

Because if God could speak the truth, but would not love and would keep an account of people’s sin, He would sound like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If He could move mountains but had no love for the sinners, He would be nothing. If He gave everything He had and sacrificed His own body, but didn't love others and still be provoked and count wrong, He would have gained nothing.


When God decides it is time for you to grow in His love, this is when you feel as if the rag was pulled from under your feet. You find yourself in a pit, prison, dry place, a situation and you have no idea what suddenly happened.


Now you learn to forgive people for wounding you with a more painful wound. Now you need to be gracious to people who will tear you flesh apart with their sharp tongue. Now you need to give 2/3 of your income when you are in the midst of poverty. Now you need to let go of the beautiful project you have prepared and hear others say "look at the project I have made" and you remain silent, and give them your next project too because God said so. It's not about you, or who you are, what you can do or what you know. Wow, I always wonder, how deep does it get?


Does God want you there? Not really.
Is there something He wants to speak to you? Yes.
Does He give you a chance to have His heart? Yes.


It's time for more intimacy. To be more attentive and follow Him in this new place to have wounds healed, roots removed, fences down, strongholds fallen and in that process be in His arms and enjoy His presence as much as you know how. It's time to be showered in His love and be intimate with the Lord.


Love does not seek to hurt someone, but to reconcile with the one who holds something against us.

Matthew 5:23-26 NLT "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 "When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.


Please notice, the Lord did not say "if you think you hurt someone" but "if someone has something against you". This means you might feel "I didn't do anything wrong to him, so I don't need to ask for forgiveness and make amends", but there is someone in the world whom you probably wounded. It could be with a facial expression, an attitude, being cynical, speaking the truth but not in love, being selfish, controlling, manipulating, pushing yourself first, taking without asking, not trusting or believing, gossiping, judging, blaming, complaining or avoiding, being prejudice and rejecting.


Whatever it is, it's not about you thinking "Everything is fine and I haven't hurt anyone". It is not what we think or feel, but notice it says "you suddenly remember". Meaning the Holy Spirit in His kindness brought to your remembrance what Jesus said, and tells you that you need to make amends. Even if you feel you are right, but someone was hurt, it means your love was not there. It means you need to go if the Lord reminds you.

What happens if I can't hear God?

We're all in different stages of our growth in the Lord and this is why He said...

Proverbs 24:12 MKJV If you say, Behold, we did not know; does not He who searches the heart consider it? And the Keeper of your soul, does He know? And He repays to a man according to his works.


Will God find ways to speak to you and help you open doors that you shut, and close the ones that you opened? I believe if you search Him with all your heart you will find Him. He will make a way for you to grow in His love, one step at a time.

I remember when the Lord spoke to me in two different occasions:
"Elana, you are using the Word like a hammer on people's head"
"Elana, do not put stumbling blocks before the blind"


You see, the Bible says that the letter (Law) kills. This means when I point to someone's sin and bring the Law to his face it is like a hammer that shatters and breaks. It means I kill and I am not really concerned about helping someone to get up. All I care is the truth, to be right, or even maybe to defend God. Does He really need me to defend Him and His truth and put the Law above love and grace?


I was about hammering people and pointing to what they should not have done - instead of helping them get up and point to the Lord's love and strength. People mess up because they need more of His love, grace and healing.


Remember what the Lord said... it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Then..., why shouldn't His same kindness lead others to His way? Why shouldn't His same kindness be shown to the world? Do we need to put ourselves as Law keepers and guard the Law instead of doing the same thing God has done for us - show His rich kindness and patience to others.

Romans 2:3-6 NASB But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things (sin) and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.


One such person who I believe used the Law as a hammer and found himself in prison because he was trained in the old school and under the law was John the Baptist.

John the Baptist who was a prophet and the last of the Old Testament prophets prepared the way for the Lord. He knew that he much decrease so Jesus might increase. He knew his ministry was fading away. He knew God is doing new things and he was prepared for it.

John belonged to the school of prophets that under the Law pointed to sin in order to lead people to repentance. However, in Jesus ministry as a prophet, He did not come to point to sin but to point to His Father in heaven and His kingdom. This is why He kept talking about His Father and speaking about the Kingdom.This is why Jesus released the adulterous woman who was caught in sin and did not let the religious guys judge her. This is why He said a man was born sick for the glory of God. This is why Paul taught that God reconciled the world to Himself and no longer points to sin (2 Cor 5). We were given a ministry of reconciliation.


John the Baptist was put in jail because he pointed to Herod's sin and expected him to repent. Herod took his brother's wife Herodias for himself. However, both Herod and Herodias hated John for pointing to their sin and he ended up in jail, and later on his head was satisfied Herodias' revenge.

Matthew 14:3-11 NLT For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod's brother Philip). (Why? Because) 4 John had been telling Herod (meaning over and over), "It is against God's law for you to marry her." 5 (As a result...) Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. 6 But (a chance to remove him came) at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias's daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother's urging,(meaning she sought and waited for a moment to kill John) the girl said, "I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!" 9 Then the king regretted what he had said (he knew it was wrong and in his heart did not want to do it); but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests (his reputation) , he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.


We see that John not only was bound in prison, but he was also beheaded in prison. As we see he "had been telling Herod" meaning it was not once but more than once, that he had told Herod about his sin. John found himself in prison, even though he spoke truth, and he also lost his head and his life in prison.


I believe it was not a coincidence that his head was removed. The body needed a new Head. The head has the mind, eyes, mouth, ears. The mind needed to be renewed and thoughts changed. The eyes needed to be replaced with the new sight and vision the Messiah has brought. The mouth needed to speak the truth in love and bring grace. The ears needed to hear the new things of God that no ear has ever heard....


1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NASB 9 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.


Imagine when you're in sin and you don't know it and someone tells you "Hey, your in sin and you need to repent because this is the right thing to do". We need to notice that it is not God's harshness that leads us to repentance, but His kindness and His love.


Paul said that he preaches the gospel of the GRACE of God, not the gospel of the judgment and anger of God.

Acts 20:24 NASB "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. God is love and love does not keep an account of sin or points to sin.


You might find yourself in a spiritual prison like John when you deliver a message, speak a truth, but it is not in love. Love is not only related to the tone of our voice and the words we use. It has to do with the motive in our heart, with what drives us to correct others, why we do it and what for. Is it for a selfish ambition? Is it out of fear? Is it because you compare yourself to others and someone's weakness boasts your strength? Is it because if you don't do that, then others shouldn't either? Are we looking to fix others? Change them? Whatever it is, if we keep pointing to weaknesses, sin, mess, lack, the accuser is still working through us.Ask the Lord to reveal to you what is in your heart.

Romans 14:12-21 NASB So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.... For if because of food (thought, idea, doctrine, belief) your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore .... the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food (thought, idea, doctrine, belief).


Yes, I've been there and still stumble here and there, especially with my children. Just last weak the Lord spoke to me that I am "looking at their weaknesses and how you can fix them, but I want you to see their strength and how I am working in their lives".


This is who God is for me. He points to His love for me, not my mess.Whenever they say a wrong word, argue, or hurt one another, I look at what they do wrong and it upsets me. I need to learn to help them and not get upset and point to their mess. But say something like... "yes, I know you've messed up, let me help you". No, I am not there yet, but the Lord will finish what He started in me.


God bless you,



Elana