9. GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE
We have never done anything that has changed God’s love for us. Rejecting God’s love is one of the most binding strongholds that exist in the life of the believer.
“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
We cannot even begin to love Him in return; to have a quality love for other people, unless we do receive how much He loves us.
How important is our ability to love God, then others? (Mark 12:28-30).
They were asking Jesus “What is priority in all of life?” We are constantly faced with listing our priorities.
The Greek word protos means priority (Mark 12:29-31).
God wants us to love Him with everything we’ve got!
Why God Wants Our Love
1. Love motivates obedience.
God knows that if we love Him, we are twice as likely to do what He asks us to do. Obedience is tied to love.
2. Love motivates perseverance (James. 1:12).
Those who persevere are those who love Christ.
3. Love motivates safety (Mark 12:30-31).
Your only safe way to love others is to have a heart that is totally caught up in the heart of God.
Goals for today’s lesson:
1. Identify a common stronghold that inhibits love for God.
2. Identify the kind of love God commands.
3. Understand how to love God.
Common Strongholds:
1. We sometimes believe a lie.
Deception is the glue that holds the stronghold together. If there is a stronghold in your life, there is a lie behind it holding it together. When we begin to expose the lie, it loosens its grip, and we are on our way to freedom.
Satan’s scheme is to convince us:
• God doesn’t love us.
Satan tries his hardest to make us doubt the love of God.
• Sometimes we love God when we don’t.
Sometimes what we are doing isn’t really love for God. If you love God, you will enjoy loving God.
Two kinds of love: “agapao” and “phileo.”
The Greek word “agapao” means:
“To esteem” – highly esteem and respect.
“To love indicating a direction of the will” – to love God takes on choosing and being determined to. We have made the choice and we want to have a heart for God.
“To find one’s joy in something or someone” – part of loving God is finding our joy in Him.
“To love with best interest” – if you love someone with “agapao love,” you love them in their best interest. God loves us in our best interest.
The Greek word “phileo” means:
“Brotherly love, to love with common interests.” “Phileo love” is a buddy-type love.
John 21:15-25.
Christ is talking about one kind of love, and Peter, the Apostle, is talking about another kind of love.
John 21:15: Christ – Agapao love / Peter – Phileo love.
We are told to agapao one another, and on top of that, we may have brotherly love for someone.
John 21:16: Agapao love / Peter – Phileo love.
John 21:17: Christ – Phileo love / Phileo love.
Jesus is saying to Peter “You can feed my sheep on “phileo love,” but you cannot walk the crucified life on “phileo love.” Friendships go by the wayside when it comes to walking the crucified life with Christ. There is only one kind of love that carries you through the crucified life, and that is “agapao love.” You can serve that way, but you cannot walk to the cross that way. It will not last. Breaking free is taking up the cross daily and following Christ.
Identifying “agapao” love:
1. Does He regularly circulate into my thoughts (Psalm 63:6)?
Often? Sometimes? Rarely?
Because you have come to know that God’s love is better than life, He circulates in and out of your thoughts all day long.
2. Am I often drawn to spend time with Him?
Drawn – we can be plenty disciplined and not have a love for God that is totally saturating our whole life. Love is something that grows with time. The more you spend time with Him, the more you want to spend time with Him.
3. Does my life demonstrate a love for God? (Romans 5:8)
One of the natures of “agapao” is that it is always demonstrative. If there is really “agapao love,” it shows. God showed us by a demonstration of His love.
4. Do I often enjoy God (Psalm 16:11)?
There is joy in loving God. Do you really enjoy loving Him? The Word says “to boast in the LORD.” He is fun!
5. Do I find relief or satisfaction in the obedient life (Psalm 51:8; John 14:21)?
God will drag you to the circle of your will. If you love Him, there is a relief in obedience. Nothing is worth being put out of the will of God. It is home for us. There is a relationship between obedience and love.
Understanding How to Freely Love God
1. “Agapao” always originates with God (1 John 4:7).
“Agapao love” is God’s love. It is only something that He can give you.
2. God gives any believer what she asks in His will; therefore ask God diligently and daily for the supernatural ability to love Him.
Start asking God every day of your life “ God want you want more than anything else of me is to love you completely, with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength; and I am asking you God, to give me that. I am asking you Father for the great exchange.” Ask God to give you a heart that loves Him above all other things in life.
3. Offer God an undivided heart (John 21:19).
God does not fill half a heart with “agape.” Agape can only be loved with a whole heart. God wants the whole thing, and when we give Him our whole heart, he is going to fill our whole hearts with “agapao love.” That is where life begins.
God wants us to walk the crucified life, and He meets us, and says “Do you really love me with your whole heart? Because that is going to be the fullness of joy.”
1 Peter 1:8 – the second time Peter followed Christ, He followed Him with love, and what we find is; the second time He followed Him, he followed Him with “agapao love,” and that is where power came into his life that was undescribable.
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