February 2024 Partner Letter
Believe The Love 1 John 4:16 (NASB) We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. God Bless You Partners! ! I am so excited about all the Lord is doing in our midst. As most people know, the month of February is often viewed through lenses of love. February 14th is what the world calls Valentine’s Day and typically people take this day as an opportunity to express their love to those they are in close relationship with. Albeit sometimes this is a day of “misuse of affection” when some people use it to become sinful and engage in wrong sexual acts with people they are not married to, none the less, it is still a day where even Believers find time to give a card and perhaps have a meal with their spouse, family members and friends. Yet, there is more to this concept of love that is more than just how we feel about another human. The Bible declares that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). This means that love is the very nature and character of God. God loves His children so very much and wants us to both know and believe the love that He has for us. For so many people, this is a tough attribute of God to adapt. We have so often been taught the wrath of God and very seldom are we taught the love of God in its proper context. John had the right revelation of the love of God. I like the NASB version of 1 John 4:16 because it gives us a clear picture of how we really come to a place of not only knowing the love of God, but also “believing” the love that God has for everyone. Notice the verse starts off by saying, “we have come to know”; this is a relationship statement. We did not just know the love of God in totality when we first met Him, we had to “come to know” or “get to know and believe the love.” So many Christians are deprived of the love of God because they do not spend enough time with Him. Just like everyone else, God is someone that you and I need to “come to know.” Once we come to know Him, believing His love is going to come so much easier. Now, when you start to believe the love of God, your faith will start working because you will know that God loves you and desires that you have what you are believing for. Believing the love of God will transcend any problem or issue that you are dealing with. Once I know that God loves me, I can trust Him for provision
and protection. Once you are born again, the keys to believing the love of God are as follows: 1. Spend time with God daily. 2. Stay out of intentional sin. 3. Say God loves me “often.” Sin is a “confidence stripper.” Satan will do his best to get you on the outs with God by convincing you to rebel against God. Hear what John had to say about sin and how it seeks to strip us of confidence towards God: 1 John 3:20-22 – For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Intentional sin is the biggest confidence blocker for a believer. When a person purposely sins knowing what God said about it, they walk in condemnation and tend to not believe the love God has for them. We tend to not expect blessings when we have lived a compromising life. As a Christian, once you see the light of God’s truth, you are to walk in it and it will give you great confidence towards God. My faith works best when I know that God is pleased with me. Finally, “keep saying” how God feels about you. Say, “God loves me”, often. Faith comes by hearing so you need to hear yourself talk about the love that God has for you and as you do, you will begin to grow in faith in this area. If I were deficit in this area, I would quote John frequently by saying “I come to know and believe the love that God has for me.” You will soon discover that God is so driven to love you affectionately. The Word of God through the prophet Jeremiah sums it all up: Jeremiah 31:3 – The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Let God love you. Work on this revelation and your life will begin to improve greatly. Let me end this partner letter by saying thank you to all of you who so willing participated in our annual Super Seed Sunday; it was a huge success! The resources will help us to continue to forge ahead in vision. We are so excited about the multiple projects and outreaches that we have underway today. Thank you so very much, partners for your support and please know that I am praying for you constantly. God loves you and so do I. Please remember, “Jesus is coming back real soon!” With Love, Pastor Gabe