The title of this blog is from the song “Love the way you lie” by Eminem…yeah, I know that’s weird. It is on the radio ALL THE TIME, it’s actually pretty annoying and disturbing. I’m not a fan of the whole setting your girlfriend on fire and beating her up part of the song. But when it is playing on 2 stations at the same time I usually settle and listen to it. Whenever I hear him say, “You ever love someone so much you can barely breathe?” it really starts my wheels going about love.
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
The Lord isn’t done with me yet…as if He would ever be done with me! I am learning about all these different aspects and depths of love that I was never aware of. It is such a simple concept, but it tends to be overlooked because of how simple it is! The Lord is taking me back down this path.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” has been bouncing around in my head the past couple weeks as well. I had always thought I had been following this commandment. I was so wrong! I tried putting into words what I thought I was doing, but it is so embarrassingly wrong that I don’t even want to share it! This commandment is splattered all over the Gospels (Matthew 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:3, Luke 10:27) and is first written in Leviticus 19.
The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14
Obviously this commandment is pretty important. Jesus says it is the 2nd commandment, and its just like the 1st one! But the thought that has been going through my mind is “how do I love other people like I love myself?” I have had a lot of time to try to work through this since being home. My sister asks me so often to go to Wawa for her, to leave where I am to bring her food, to bring her to her friend’s house, to take 2 hours out of my day to drive her somewhere, and other things. The worldly side of me wants to mark the line between what is too much for someone to ask of me and what is acceptable to do for someone else. But then the Holy Spirit in me speaks much louder and says why mark the line?! If I don’t want to stop what I am doing to serve someone, that is loving myself more. That is one of the worst things I can do as a child of God! Luke 6:30 says to “give to everyone who asks.” That isn’t just talking about tunics…it is talking about ANYTHING, especially things you don’t want to give away!
I feel like loving your neighbor as yourself is the hardest commandment because we want to love ourselves so much more. But you can show people Jesus this way!!! If you are doing something that Jesus would do, you are going to shine and they are going to see Him through you! It might sting a little bit, dying to yourself, but it will bring True Life!
P.S. Don’t ever eat dinner at the Sigourney’s house…they are weird 😛
Cait, you continue to amaze me!!! I have gone back and read some of your early blogs and compared the difference. You may not see it but God has taken your hand…no…he has taken your heart and opened it to understand his word. You continue to walk with him and there may be times when you feel not as close…that is when he takes your hand and guides you.
You inspire me so much!!!
Love,
DAD
Cait, Psalm 91 in the Amplified, He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty whose power no one can withstand. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust.
We have been given the mind of Christ.
Remember when Jesus fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish. The next day the multitude came looking for Him. He chastised them for being carnally minded and seeking only to satisfy their bodies desires. He did not continue to feed them fish and bread. Likewise we do not need to satisfy every carnal desire of our neighbors.Jesus wants us to continually feed us and our neighbors the Word of God which is the Bread of Life. He notes that man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
When you were born again your spirit was regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
We have been given the Spirit of Christ.
Our soul ( mind, emotions and our heart) and our bodies are not immediately regenerated. This process takes a lifetime of renewal. We must continually feed our spirit the Word of God (Bread of Life) and by His Word in our spirits He begins transforming us from the inside out. Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore brethren and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies[presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated)and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age) fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove(do) for yourselves what is the good and acceptable perfect will of God. even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you.
The renewing of our minds (souls) happens by continually feeding on the Word (Jesus) of God. God’s Word does not return void when we speak it in faith with no doubt in our hearts. When you declare anything that lines up with God’s Word and invoke His promises with a single minded purpose it will come to pass.
The Joy of the Lord is my strength. Devil you have no part in me. I am a child of the Living God, and a joint heir with Christ. I have His Spirit, I have His Mind. Devil you are a defeated adversary. I rebuke you in Jesus’ name. The Word says that when we resist (actively fight against) the devil he must flee. By the shed blood of Jesus victory is ours. Speak it boldly and often. Build up your Spirit and renew your mind(soul). Reject defeat, accept only the victory and peace of Christ.
God is not the author of fear or worry or of depression. We are specifically instructed not to worry. We are told bring all of our cares to Him. The Joy of the Lord is our strength.
Ps.91v5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow ( the evil plots and slanders of the wicked)that flies by day.
We must guard our minds and bring every thought into captivity. Thoughts become images (imaginations) in our mind and as we dwell on them they become strong holds.
Strong holds are inroads of the wicked ones into our souls and bring stress, depression dis ease and more. By filling our souls with the Word of God we arm ourselves for battle. The devil was defeated by Christ and we being heirs with Christ possess the victory over the devil also. We must however be armed with the Knowledge of the Word of God and use God’s Word wisely to defend our souls from the schemes of the Devil. The bible tells us that My people perish for lack of knowledge. Fill your spirit continually with the Word of God for the weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. Jesus said He is the Word. He said the Word is Spirit. Proverbs tells us that the power of life and death are in the spoken Word. We must be able to speak the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, when the enemy attacks us and tempts us. Look at what Jesus did when he went into the desert after being baptized. Each time Satan tempted Him, Jesus said “It is written” and spoke the Word of God. In this manner he defeated Satan. No impure imaginations or strong holds grew in His soul because He was filled with the Word of God (Bread of Life).
We also must defend our souls(minds) from the devil by rebuking every thought that is contrary to the Word of God. By the intimate knowledge of the Word (Jesus) of God we can remember God’s Word when the battle for peace and Joy in our souls rages. Stop the enemy at the gate, the entry point of our minds. Bring every thought captive. Decide if we will allow it into our mind(soul) or rebuke it(through it out) if it does not line up with the Word of God.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
I love you,
Uncle Herb
Man, I miss not being around you all the time and hearing you tell me about what God’s doing in your life. You are so talented in simplifying His truth and being real! Keep sharing because I know that I needed to read this and some of your other blogs. Love ya!
I love you:) I’m in gym class, woooot for wifi in school! hehehee, anyways. I loved this blog especially about how much you should give. it made me think about stuff. i so wish I had the fire burning inside me for god like you do. illllooooocveeyouuiu
we need people like you around. you took a wordly song and changed it into representing the word. you are truly powerful.