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Back To Basics 1
Lesson 1
One of the first things you learnt as a child is the letters of
the alphabet, it served as foundation for everything you learnt
in school. For us as human beings the first thing we need to learn
is our call to love God with all our hearts, soul and strength.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Deuteronomy
6:5
This is the most important purpose of man, perhaps
everyone should be taught this from childhood. Loving and fellowshipping
with God is your greatest call. It ought to be the greatest call
in your marriage. This is something you need to live for, God doesn't
force us to do this, but He wants people who will come to Him out
of their freewill and in love. He doesn't want robots loving Him
who have no choice of theirs. You see love is a heart thing, for
love to be real and enjoyed it must come from the heart. You see
God loves you from His heart, even in your rebellion and disobedience,
He sent Jesus which was entirely an act of love to die for the sins
of man and also for their freedom from sin, sickness and poverty.
Man would go to hell and even live a defeated and wasted life here
on earth without Jesus. But God because of His great love with which
He loved you and I sent Jesus for our freedom.
Agape
The love God shows to you is unconditional, no matter
what you do or how you respond to His love, His love for you never
changes.
Jeremiah 33:3 says "… Yes I have loved you
with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn
you."
God's love for you knows no end, it is God's greatest
gift to you. There is nothing you can do to make God stop loving
you. He has settled in His heart to love you and absolutely nothing
can change that. You will never live one day on earth without at
least one person loving you. When everyone else turns their backs
on you, guaranteed God will always be by your side loving you.
Loving God Without Struggle
One of the most educated people in the time of Jesus
asked Him what was the greatest, the first and most important commandment,
the one that should take priority over every other commandment.
Jesus answered him in Matthew 22:37 saying " You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with
all your mind."
Loving God with all your heart is the greatest thing
you and your spouse can do on the face of the earth.
God knew there was no way you would be able to love
Him, with all your hearts except He helped you, so He helped by
pouring His love into the heart of everyone who would receive Jesus
as Lord and saviour. If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart
then the love of God, the ability to love God in spirit and truth
is in you. You can really love Him without having to fake it or
struggle to do it.
" … the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans
5:5
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power and love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
God has empowered every one of His children in their
hearts to be able to love Him. So all you need to do is work out
what God has already done on the inside of you. Before Jesus came
into your heart you couldn't love God, even if you tried you just
couldn't but when Jesus came into your life, your heart changed,
the Holy Spirit circumcised your heart taking away the heart of
stone which always loved and wanted to rebel and do every thing
contrary to God, and replaced it with a brand new heart, which can
now hunger for God and truly fellowship with Him.
How To Love God
Jesus told us how to love God.
If you love me keep My commandments. John14:15
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he
who loves Me. And he who loves will be loved by My Father, and I
will love him and manifest Myself to him. John 14:21
Jesus answered and said to him, "if anyone loves
me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make Our home with him.
"He who does not love Me does not keep My words;
and the word which you hear is not Mine but the father's who sent
Me. John 14;23, 24
"But the world may know that I love the Father
and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go
from here. John 14:31
Jesus equates loving God to obeying the word of God.
The word must have high priority in your marriage, for you to take
it seriously. When you do not obey the word of God you break His
heart. God values preciously couples that take His word serious
and obey them.
Your marriage should be growing in the love of God,
the only key to continuous growth in loving God is constant practice,
live a life of fellowshipping and worship to God. Study the Bible
regularly with the help of the Holy Spirit. Desire within your soul
to hunger for His presence. Worship has a supernatural way of drawing
your heart and soul into deeper and more intimate relationship with
God.
Your heart can be rooted and grounded in the love
of God and make you come to the place where you are deeply in love
with God with a passion.
You Have an Enemy
As you hunger and thirst to love God unreservedly
in your marriage, you must not forget you have an enemy, who is
so jealous and full of hate wanting to stop you. The devil will
keep trying all he can to stop you from loving God with your all.
He will try lies, wrong teachings, he would try and work through
the difficult circumstances surrounding you, such as offences, trials,
temptations, financial difficulties, loss of a loved one, the list
goes on and on. Don't ever forget that anytime you have cause to
doubt the faithfulness and love of God towards you, that is the
devil close by, knocking on the door of your heart and mind looking
for the smallest and weakest point to come in through.
He is so persistent he will keep knocking and trying
to see if you will give in and let him in. If and when you allow
the devil in the only thing he comes to do is to contaminate and
weaken your love for God.
Keep Yourself Protected
Do not listen to, read, watch or give your body to
anything that is not consistent with the love of God for you that
is dangerous stuff.
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues
of life Proverbs 4:23
The word is saying the answer to all of life's problem, whether
in your marriage, business or career comes from your heart as your
heart is closely linked to the wisdom of God, so keep it safe do
not allow it to be contaminated. If the devil cannot mess around
with your heart he cannot keep you from walking in victory. God
has given you the great task of keeping the door of your heart secure
from the invasion of the enemy.
The Truth Cleanses You
Even when you come to realise any time at all that
you have allowed wrong things to influence you away from loving
God. Repent, tell God how sorry you are for giving in to the lies
of satan then go on and reinforce the truth in your heart.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John17:17
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, "If
you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John8;31,32
It is time to be free from all the lies of satan
that has robbed you of experiencing the great and matchless joy
of loving God with all your heart.
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