Abounding Love Podcast with Former ”Tex” Watson

Did you know that you have the love of God within you? We are not only born again due to the love of God, but our spirit is created in love at salvation. And due to free will, we must let the love of God be activated, to operate [abound or overflow] from our lives. The apostle Paul prays, " . . . that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9-11, NKJV). He is praying these five (5) things for the Philippian people. We won't cover them all, but #1 is, ". . . that their love may abound," #2 ". . . that they may approve the things that are excellent," #3, ". . . that they may be sincere," #4, that they may be ". . . without offense," and #5, that they may be ". . . filled with the fruits of righteousness." 

The first was that their love would abound or overflow. The Amplified Bible says in verse 9, that Paul is saying, ". . . that your love may abound yet more and more, and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and keen insight." The Amplified Bible puts a deeper emphasis [exaggerating] each verse for a deeper meaning and understanding. It's saying that your love needs to display itself and have a greater acquaintance. In other words, know each other more deeply.

Again, the word "abound" means "to overflow." But the implication is that we're to overflow, not just in quantity, but in quality. God expects the quality of our love to be as His love. Usually the quantity and quality of our love doesn't even approach the quantity and quality of God's love, even though He lives in us. It's like our finances. God expects we'll have enough so we can give as He directs. So it is with God's love. He has given His love to us in abundance so that we can give it away to everyone else. This is the work of the Body of Christ. In this message I present additional insights from God's Word about why and how we are able to let God's love abound from our lives. Selah!

Let me hear from you - Charles

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In this episode, I start with the founding verse of this ministry, which is based on the love of God and loving one another, but there are other aspects involving purity as follows: "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, NKJV). In these verses, the apostle Paul is praying for us to increase in love. Chapter 4 of First Thessalonians continues: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2, NKJV). The word "abound," used in these verses means "to increase to overflowing." It pleases God when we show love to one another. Jesus gave us a new commandment that we love one another [John 13:34-35].

First Thessalonians 4:3-4 continues: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor . . ." What is the will of God? That we be sanctified, (set apart from the world) for Him, for pure and holy living. To abstain from fortification means to shun and detest sexual vices, interactions outside the bounds of marriage (between a man and a woman). The word "vessel" here refers to your body. First Thessalonians 4:5 continues: ". . . not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God . . ." The term, "passion of lust" implies our thoughts and dreams should not be about sexual desires. When you control these desires you're showing sanctification and your love for God and one another.

Let's go on to verse 6: ". . . that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4:6-7, NKJV). Holiness is separation from how the world [gentiles] think and act, and dedicate ourselves to purity. The truths spoken of in these verses have become much more difficult to preach on since the sexual revolution of the 1960's, but we need to know the truth of God's Word. Join me as we delve into this difficult subject. Selah!

Let me hear from you - Charles

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On the day of Pentecost in Acts, chapter 2, God poured out the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. He wants His power to be apparent in our lives, but Satan's powers tries to stop God from operating in us. Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NKJV). Though we have been given the power of God, for some reason the Holy Spirit is not moving through us as saints.

Luke, chapter 9, begins: "Then He [Jesus] called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases" (v. 1, NKJV). It is important to understand that the disciples were not born again, and the power given to them is not the same as we have after Pentecost. The resurrection had not occurred and the church had not been established. They were given authority to use the power Jesus had to work miracles in keeping with His ministry among the Jews. "He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, 'Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece'" (Luke 9:2-3, NKJV). Jesus explained that if they are not accepted among the Children of God [Israel, the Jews], they are to leave in no uncertain terms; ". . . shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them" (Luke 9:5b, NKJV).

After the resurrection, Jesus commanded these same disciples, and us as well, to preach the gospel with His authority, His power [Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18]. This "Great Commission" is still given to us today and the power to do it, including the power to heal and cast out demons. "And these signs will follow those who believe. In My name they will cast out demons; . . . they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:17-18, NKJV). This commission and power is for believers. "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen" (Mark 16:20, NKJV). And they believed, so it was done; and still is done. But we find there's doubt, fear and pride causing us to imagine we don't have such power and authority. These "spirits"-- doubt, fear and pride -- make our ministry ineffective and without power. The apostle Paul exhorts: "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5, KJV). Our ministry becomes effective when we cast these "spirits" out of our minds. In this message, I explore our commission and how we can have a more effective ministry as a believer. Join me!

Let me hear from you - Charles

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"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7, NKJV). In my prior life, I didn't resist the devil at all. But now I resist the devil in everything. In James 4:7, we are told there is something we have to do before we gain the power to resist the devil. And that is very simple: "Submit yourselves therefore to God" (KJV). If you are submitting yourselves to God, that means that you are submitting yourselves to God's Word and to what it says. It's the Word of God that gives you the power to resist the devil, then he will flee from you. When you submit to God's Word, you submit to Jesus, Who is the Word made flesh [John 1:14]. You also submit to love, because "God is love" (1 John 4:8). This gives us the power to resist the devil, because "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

Submit means "to commit to the decisions of another." Another definition is "to surrender." Therefore, submitting to God means we are to commit or surrender ourselves to God's Word, to His decisions. The Scriptures are what God has chosen to reveal about Himself, and they make up a guidebook for our lives. When cars are manufactured, the company puts out an owner's manuel. It's a guide to care, maintenance and operation of that particular vehicle. The Bible is the guidebook for us and our lives. Follow it and thrive. Ignore it and perish. 

Then we are to "resist." Resist means to oppose, to stand firm against, and to fend off. This takes place in our words and actions. We are to work against the devil and oppose him by agreeing with God and speaking His Word. We resist the devil when we overcome temptation through faith in God's grace.  Which leads us to the armor of God as the apostle Paul outlines in Ephesians 6:10-19. In this message, I go over the armor of God and many other things He gives us so we can resist the devil. A really big one is the power in the Name of Jesus. When you wrap yourselves in these truths, the devil won't come around you much. He'll look for easier prey. Join me as we find out these things.

Let me hear from you - Charles

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In this message we're looking into all the various weapons we, as Christians, have. Like all my messages, this is based upon what the Word of God says. And the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, NKJV). These verses confirm we are involved in a war against the works of Satan. And we have weapons that are not of this physical world like steel swords and guns. Our  weapons are spiritual and powerful in "pulling down" the strongholds of Satan. 

What strongholds? These are things that Satan uses to make us powerless. These attacks of the world try to dig strongholds into us; sickness, guilt, fear, feelings of inferiority, for example. [I am battling with pneumonia as I write this blurb which is ministering to me.] Those things that try to draw us out of the battle. But we have weapons for destroying these "strongholds." Verse 5 says we are "to cast down arguments." The King James Version translates this as we are "to cast down imaginations." This gives us the key to understanding these "strongholds." They come from our minds [thoughts]. Listen, 99% of the things we worry about never happen. We imagine they will happen, and we spend a lot of time thinking about them. But they aren't true and will take you down if you let them. 

How do we combat this? By bringing into remembrance the Scriptures that tell how God delivered us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Satan was defeated at Calvary and our remembrance of this brings victory. [You may recall seeing "In Remembrance of Me" written on a Communion table cloth.] In this message I bring out the Truth of God's Word to show that Satan is a defeated foe, but the battle continues until his final reckoning. Join me as we examine God's Truth, for the knowledge of the truth sets us free [John 8:32-36]. Selah!

Let me hear from you - Charles

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In this message, we look at ten (10) reasons for praising God. We'll only look at #1 in this introduction, but I encourage you to listen to all ten for the full impact. Point #1: "But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV). When we pray according to God's will, our prayers get answered. This verse demonstrates that prayer and praise go together. The word "wait" in the verse isn't about time and patience. "Wait" here means to serve, like a waiter serves. When we do the service of the Lord, we receive power and strength to accomplish what is needed. We need to know God's Word, and act on what it says. Things happen when we act on His Word! Chains get broken in Christ for example, when we are freed from the habits of our former life.

Meditate this verse [Isaiah 40:31]:  ". . . they [you and I] shall mount up with wings like eagles." Wings; there's two of them, and they are prayer and praise. When we pray according to God's will [His Word] in faith, we need to praise God for the answer. Praise is our language of faith. It takes both wings; prayer and praise to ". . . renew [our] strength", to ". . .mount up with wings", to ". . . run and not be weary", and to ". . . walk and not faint." 

The apostle John wrote: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15, NKJV). This verse confirms point #1. The Word represents God's covenant with us. We need to go to God's Word and find out what it says about any given situation, then pray according to that Word. Make your prayers specific based upon the solution found in the Scriptures. If we have a problem with doubt, or finances, or relationships; go to God's Word. Find out what God says, then pray specifically, and praise Him for the answer. There are nine other points in this message. Join me as we look at all of them. [This is my last message in the praise series.]

Let me hear from you - Charles

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It's a supernatural miracle that we can have fellowship with Jesus. That God becomes a man, born as a infant to destroy the works of Satan. It's a miracle of love and life and freedom. "And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord . . ." (Luke 2:10-11, KJV). The angel said, "Fear not." Have no fear, Jesus is here! The angel said, "I bring tidings of great joy." Joy comes from God. When salvation comes, deliverance, redemption and eternal life comes with it and this brings supernatural joy! It's miraculous and can only be from God. He comes into us in a supernatural way, because a natural way won't work. Our salvation is a miracle from God. He shines light where there was darkness and drives the darkness away. 

This "joy" comes to "all people." Salvation is available for everyone. The angel goes on to say: "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12, KJV). A baby, God has become a man; the most powerless form of a man; a newborn baby. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men'" (Luke 2:13-14, KJV). Salvation has come to all people of the world to deliver them from the works of Satan and to bring them into an intimate relationship with God the Father and with His Son, lying in that manger: Jesus Christ. Have you joined in the miracle? It's as real today as it was when the angel made the announcement to those shepherds. It remains a miracle for today as much as it was 2000 years ago. This short message explains the Truth of the miracle of Christmas. Selah!

Let me hear from you - Charles

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In Psalm 149, the Psalmist praises God for His salvation and judgment, singing: "Praise the LORD! [Hallelujah!] Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance. Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp" (vs. 1-3, NKJV). It is a good thing to praise God; to praise Him in songs and even in dance; and to praise Him with musical instruments. Why? "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation" (v. 4, NKJV). We experience beautification through our humble praises of the Lord, our God. The Lord takes pleasure in praise. 

The Psalmist continues: "Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds" (v. 5, NKJV). There is no time when we can't praise God, even while in bed. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth . . ." (v. 6a, NKJV). Notice the text says to let the "high praises of God" be spoken by the believer, but then the Psalmist goes in a different direction. "And a two-edged sword in their hand" (v. 6b, NKJV). "To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the people; To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment -- This honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!" (vs. 7-9, NKJV).

What is this two-edged sword? It's the Word of God: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intent of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, NKJV). The word, "discerner" in this verse means "judge" and we, as believers are to judge the intents of the heart, but be careful, for this sword is two-edged -- it cuts two ways. This is a form of the high praises of God. Join me as we explore how judgment based on God's Word can be the highest form of praise to God. For "this honor have all His saints" (Psalm 149:9:b, NKJV).

Let me hear from you - Charles

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Thanksgiving is an American holiday that began in 1621, when the Pilgrims came over to flee religious persecution in Europe. They worked with the native people to survive the harsh weather and the conditions they found. They had a celebration together to give God thanks for the abundance of food they had been able to store for the coming winter. Likewise, we need to get back to thanking God, back to His Word and back to a strong relationship with Him, recognizing that He provides all our blessings. How is your relationship with God this Thanksgiving? How much do you depend on Him, recognizing that God supplies all?

Thanksgiving didn't begin with the Pilgrims. It starts in the beginning of the Scriptures. All great people of the Bible gave thanks to God for what He had done for them, especially delivering them from trouble. They encouraged us to remember all God's wondrous works. That is, to be mindful of the covenants He established with us. To remember and be thankful for the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary, freeing us from sin. Remember, Jesus ". . . took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you'" (Luke 22:19-20, NKJV).

We were heading for eternal damnation like a run-away train with the brakes off, but God rescued us. That is something to be thankful for today, which is often expressed in tearful worship. "Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name" (2 Samuel 22:50, NKJV). Declare his glory and give praise to Him. Listen to David praise the LORD for His love and faithfulness. "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on a harp, with harmonious sounds" (Psalm 92:1-3, NKJV). The hope of this message is for you to acknowledge the need for thanksgiving in your Spiritual walk, not only as a holiday. The need for us to thank God and to sing His praise at all times, not just at Thanksgiving. Selah!

Let me hear from you - Charles

https://www.aboundinglove.org/

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