LOVE THE WAY TO VICTORY 2: Made To Love ANY KIND OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE BELIEVER, IF IT IS TO LAST, HAS TO BEGIN WITH RENEWING THE MIND WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD AND THEREBY CHANGING HOW WE THINK TO ALIGN WITH THE TRUTH. THIS CHANGE IN MINDSET IN TURN BRINGS A CHANGE IN OUR ACTIONS THUS LEADING TO LASTING TRANSFORMATION. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. THERE ARE TWO MAIN TRUTHS THAT WE NEED TO RENEW OUR MINDS WITH… AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLDGOD IS LOVE AND SO WE ARE LOVE AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD 1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 1Cor 5:17-18 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NOW ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 1 John 4:4 NKJV You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. WE ARE NOT ONLY MADE BY GOD, THE NEW CREATION IS MADE OF GOD. THEREFORE WHATEVER GOD IS IN SUBSTANCE WE ARE. WHILE WE DO NOT OCCUPY THE SAME OFFICE, WE ARE MADE OF THE SAME SUBSTANCE. Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them ONE HEART, and I will put a NEW SPIRIT within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: WE HAVE THE SAME HEART, THE SAME SPIRIT WITH JESUS. John 17:22-23 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be ONE, even as we are ONE: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in ONE; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is ONE spirit. GOD IS LOVE, THEREFORE WE ARE LOVE 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. LOVE IS OF GOD AND GOD IS LOVE. THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR FORMATION IS LOVE. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE MADE OF.  IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE BORN OF GOD AND NOT LOVE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT THE PERSON IS NOT BORN OF GOD, BUT RATHER THAT THE PERSON DOES NOT KNOW GOD, THEREFORE HIS MIND IS NOT YET RENEWED TO WHO HE HIMSELF TRULY IS.  1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. GOD ABIDES IN EVERY BELIEVER AND VICE VERSA. GOD’S LOVE IS PERFECTED IN US TO THE DEGREE WE WALK IN LOVE. THIS COMES BY KNOWING GOD. IT COMES BY EMBRACING AND ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE. 1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. OUR REBIRTH HAPPENED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT POURING OUT GOD’S LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS. THAT IS WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO BY ‘HE HAS GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT’. THE HOLY SPIRIT MADE GOD’S NATURE OUR NATURE. 1 John 4:15-17 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, YOU IN GOD AND GOD IS IN YOU - THIS MEANS YOU HAVE HIS NATURE, HIS DNA. TECHNICALLY, THE BELIEVER IS ALWAYS ABIDING IN LOVE BECAUSE IT IS HIS NATURE. HE HAS TO BE CONFUSED TO NOT WALK IN LOVE.  OUR LOVE NEEDS TO BECOME PERFECT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE BOLDNESS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL.  AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD. Conclusion 2Cor 3:17-18 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. START SEEING GOD THROUGH A MIRROR. IN OTHER WORDS START SEEING GOD AS YOU. START SEEING THE GLORY OF GOD AS WHO YOU ARE.

LOVE THE WAY TO VICTORY 1: The necessity of the believers love walk

1. The believer is designed to live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38 KJV
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

2. Faith is how we experience the victory we have in Christ Jesus.
1 John 5:4 NLT
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

3. This faith is rendered useless and ineffective without love as a lifestyle.
Galatians 5:6 WUEST
for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision is of any power nor uncircumcision, but faith coming to effective expression through love.

THIS MEANS THAT ANYTHING WHICH REQUIRES FAITH TO FUNCTION IS SHORT-CIRCUITED AND DEVOID OF ITS POWER WHEN WE DO NOT WALK IN LOVE.

4. What are these things that depend on our faith to work and therefore nonfunctional when we are not working in love because faith comes into effective expression through love.
A. Praying
1 Corinthians 13:1 NASB
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Mark 11:25 NASB
Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

1 Peter 3:7 NASB
You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

B. The Gifts of The Spirit, Divine Direction and Faith
1 Corinthians 13:2 NASB
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
IT TAKES FAITH TO WAGE A WARFARE WITH THE PROPHECY SPOKEN OVER YOU, AND TO TURN WHAT IS A SPIRITUAL REALITY INTO A NATURAL MANIFESTATION.

C. Giving
1 Corinthians 13:3 NASB
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Matt 5:23-24 NASB
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
IT TAKES FAITH TO RECEIVE.

5. He that does not love abides in darkness.
1John 2:9-11 NASB
The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
THE EARTH IS FULL OF DARKNESS. WE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM IT. CHOOSING TO WALK OUT OF LOVE IS CHOOSING TO EMBRACE THE DARKNESS WHICH OTHERWISE HAS NO AUTHORITY OVER YOU EXCEPT THE ONE YOU GIVE IT.

Matthew 18:21-35 NASB
THE MAN WHO FAILED TO FORGIVE HELPS US SEE HOW SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN FORGIVEN COULD FAIL TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF HIS FORGIVENESS EVEN THOUGH HE HAS BEEN FORGIVEN ALREADY.

UNFORGIVENESS KEEPS YOU FROM EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF YOUR COVENANT HERITAGE!

THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE HIS FAITH WAS NOT WORKING. HE COULD NOT LAY HOLD ON THE BENEFITS OF HIS FORGIVENESS. IF HIS FAITH WAS WORKING, HE WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN HIS BROTHER.

1 John 4:19
We love, because He first loved us.

2Pet 1:5-9 NASB
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

James 1:22-24 NASB
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

THE MAN FORGOT WHO HE WAS. HE WAS FORGIVEN OF WORSE!

6. Love is the Law of the anointing. It is the law of christ.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

1 John 4:21
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

CHRIST IS NOT THE LAST NAME OF JESUS. IT MEANS THE ANOINTED ONE WITH REFERENCE TO THE ANOINTING. THIS MEANS THAT LOVE IS THE LAW THE ANOINTING. THAT’S WHY EVERY TIME JESUS WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION, THE ANOINTING WAS MANIFESTED AND MIRACLES FOLLOWED. IT IS HOW THE ANOINTING FUNCTIONS. SINCE FAITH CONNECTS TO THE ANOINTING FOR MANIFESTATION, NO LOVE OR COMPASSION, ANOINTING IS SHORT-CIRCUITED AND FAITH IS USELESS.


CONCLUSION
We have been delivered from the darkness. We have been made victorious. Experiencing that victory requires faith and faith works - does whatever it is meant to do - by love. In our next study, we will look at how to do this. So if you are wondering how you are going to be able to forgive certain people and live this life of love effectively, be at rest, you are already wired for it. Don’t miss the next study.