In The Last Days...

When I think about the last days – this is usually my first thought. “Due to the increase of lawlessness – the love of the many will wax cold.” This is why many never see victory in their life. 

They never really come to know the love of God in a full sense. Love is stronger than death and its power is more unyielding than the grave. Even of the three things that will remain when tongues are stilled, and prophecies have ceased – the greatest of the three is love. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, - love NEVER fails.

When we consider our life – the areas where we have yielded to sin are the very indications where we have not been perfected in the love of Christ. 

The love of Christ turns the things we once thought gain into garbage. I have never seen anyone playing with sewage.  Does anyone like to get all slimmed and smeared with what drips from the bottom of a trash sack? 

The love of Christ is what causes temptation to sin to look this way. A dog may like what drips from the bottom of a trash sack – but those with understanding do not even want it to drip on their shoes. When the love of Christ begins to compel us, we will never look at sin the same way again. 

The fire of the Spirit's love is what purifies our heart from everything that displeases God. When a person loves the world or the things of the world – this is simply indication that this dynamic love of Christ is not being shed abroad in the heart.

WE must seek to lay hold of this love by a work of the Spirit of God who will shed abroad this love into our hearts. AS this love for the Father begins to grow – it will cause us to despise our former master.  The spiritual revelation of true love will cause us to see that sin has only enslaved and abused us. Don't be deceived into thinking “touch not or taste not” is the answer – because as we probably already know- these regulations are powerless to restrain sin.

The answer is our being strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man which will enable us to grasp the love of Christ.  

Once this love is constraining us, we will begin to live in the powerful love of a bride desiring to be pleasing our bridegroom 

– yes fully betrothed to HIM. 

Once we have fully given our self to love Him – we will discover the secret devotion that effectually works to keep our self pure for Him – no longer out of obligation or fear of punishment – but out of the pure desire to please Him that flows out of true love.

(The above was taken from a letter that Alan wrote to a brother)

Guard the Gateway

“The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat. Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

You've got to admit, some of our hearts are trashed out. Let any riffraff knock on the door, and we throw it open. Anger shows up, and we let him in. Revenge needs a place to stay, so we have him pull up a chair. Pity wants to have a party; so we show him the kitchen. Lust rings the bell, and we change the sheets on the bed. Don't we know how to say no?

Many don't. For most of us, though management is, well, unthought of. We think much about time management, weight management, personal management, even scalp management. But what about thought management? Shouldn't we be as concerned about managing our thoughts as we are managing anything else? Jesus was. Like a trained soldier at the gate of a city, he stood watch over his mind. He stubbornly guarded the gate way of his heart....

If he did, shouldn't we...”

Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado (Just Like Jesus)