RELY UPON THE LOVE OF GOD

Rely upon the Love of God

I have sent you a letter from my heart, and some scripture to encourage you. I know the Lord will deliver you in His way. Stand fast, and by faith consider this thing, and things to come, done! Faith and trust are the keys to bringing peace, and rest.

The first part of I John 4:16, has become one of my favorite scriptures: "And so we know and rely upon, the love God has for us....."

It is the "rely upon" part, that has taken me 27 years to try and get a grip on. If I only 'rely upon his Love.' It is one thing to know he loves us, and another to say," well this is good." But to truly live in every situation, "relying upon" His love, is altogether different, and brings the reward of peace and grace, and mercy, and the confidence that He will deliver us, and we live in "HOPE." Hope in the word meaning, "An eager expectation, that all God has promised He "will" bring to pass."

In the midst of calamity, and in the midst of adversity, and suffering, and sorrow, we can "RELY UPON" the Love of God. "Knowing," that Love will never let us fall, that love will never let us be destroyed, that love will never let us be defeated by the circumstance/s, and that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Our strictest obedience, is obviously a factor in faith. Not that we get good then God will hear, but rather we "Know that He with holds no good thing," to those who fear Him/love Him/obey Him.

Jesus said..."In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, (have faith), I have overcome the world. Most people think, and even preach that really bad things cannot happen to Christians, Jesus just said here, that they can. But to be courageous, knowing that He has overcome the world the flesh and the devil, and greater is He that is in me, that he that is in the world.

I John 4: 2, is a very incredible verse, and very mis-quoted, and over looked. it says..."This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God. Every spirit, that (acknowledges), that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is from God.

OK...What does this mean? How does this benefit us?

The word here "acknowledges" does not just mean, 'accept as savior', and be born again, (as many would have us believe). Nor does it 'only mean', that I believe Jesus is Lord/God, and has come in the flesh. It does mean this...But it's meaning is deeper than this. I could pay some gang member $100.00 to repeat those words, and he would be no more saved than anything, if the following "evidence" was not in his walk and life.

To "acknowledge" here, means to "Speak the same thing as." "To agree with." "To confess the same thing" "To give thanks." and strangely, when consulting a number of Greek dictionaries, it also means "Promise."

Let's look at all this a moment:

In the verse preceding vs. 2, it says, 1. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. "

And the verse 'following' vs. 2, says... 3.. "but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

Now, Most ALL those false prophets that were in the world then, and those in the world now, had a mission, it was not to convince you 'there is no God," it was to try and cause you to walk in the law, and not by faith. Those 'false ones,' that did and do, proclaim a message of faith, perverted it, for self gain, and their prayers, and teaching, were to call upon God for something to always benefit themselves, and their little kingdoms. They "did not" say the same things God says, they "did not" walk in agreement with the truth of covenant, and freedom from the grip of sin, they "did not" confess" what God 's word says to confess, and if they did, it was for selfish motives, as James tells us in James 4:3 3.."When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

But look what is opposite this in I John 5:14-15.... 14..This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15..And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Praise God forever More!

If we are a people who say the same thing God says, and speak what God speaks, and confess what God confesses, and give thanks in that, believing His promises, and our 'motives' be 'right'... Then, We get to walk in I John 5: 14-15. This bears out all over scripture. A few examples:

John 15:7

7..If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Mark 11: 22-25

22.."Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23..."I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24...Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25..And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Luke 11: 9-10

9.."So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10...For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

5.. Trust, (rely upon His love), in the Lord with all your heart (pure motive)
and lean not on your own understanding; (confess, and speak, and rest in his promises)

6. in all your ways acknowledge him, (speak the same thing, agree with Him, confess, give thanks, walk in his promises), and he will make your paths straight. (you will know the will of God).

Romans 12: 1-

1..Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritualact of worship. 2..Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

All This means, as we go back to the 'beginning of this letter.' "Rely upon the love of God." "Acknowledge God."

As we seek Him, with pure motives, and the desire to hear whatever He is saying to us, pushing way, and putting to death all preconceived notions of our own doing, and thinking, no matter how painful to the flesh that may be. We can take confidence that God will "do what is best for us," as we "rely upon His love," and "acknowledge " Him. Even if what is best for us, is NOT what we think is best for us.

Brother, this is where prayer, gets answered....When we are so very empty of self, that we are able to receive what the Lord says is His path, and His way, and His desire, and His working "in us," although My flesh, the world, and the devil, are acting as the "False Prophets," trying to lead me away from what God wants to manifest in me, and how He wants to do it.

If we "truly Rely Upon His Love," Then it doesn't really matter what He tells us, or where He leads us, or how, "because we "know," He will not harm us, and has our best interest in heart, and will give us the grace to do it.

Joshua 1: 9

9. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 3:13-14

13.. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

14.. So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

I will share this experience with you:

I laid in the bottom of a deep canyon, "alone," recently, after collapsing, while hunting. I laid in that canyon baking in the almost 100 degree heat, rattlers all over the place, and no water, no way to get help, no way for anyone to know where in this world I could be. I had no use of my legs, or hips, and then I finally got a 1st degree sun stroke, then I experienced heat cramps in the belly, then the legs, and became mildly delirious.

I trusted in the love of God, and said to the buzzards circling above me, You cannot have me yet! I will live to proclaim the goodness of God! I ask the Holy Spirit for Help to get up, (step one), then for help to move one leg, (step two), then the other leg, (step three). I would go perhaps a few yards, then collapse once again. I had to get way up and out of Blanco Canyon, and through and over tremendous ruff country, and then walk through 1/2 mile of woods, to even get to the truck, parked in the canyon run off. I took "one step at a time," little by little, resting here and there, and at times, collapsing here and there. Literally having to "swing each leg" to get one in front of the other, to move a few feet here and there.

I "stepped out" into the Jordan, one step at a time, and God made a way, where there seemed to be no way !

"Sometimes," this is how we must approach our walk by "Faith"...One step at a time. Sometimes, we need to just obey all at once and "jump in," Because we know the answer already, and we must do it !

I lay hands on the sick....They do recover! I preach to those in prison, they do get saved! I council the broken hearted, and when received, they find freedom, and deliverance. When I am weak, (in any way), my body, my understanding of things, my ability to "fix a thing." Then Jesus is strong. When death, (to self), works in me, then life, (of Christ power), will work in others I minister to.

When I give up my own rights, and Rely upon God's love for me, I fear not! When I consider myself dead, and Christ alive in me, I am renewed! When it no longer matters, what or where I am, and I have settled it in my heart, that I am His servant, I am finally free, and have more peace, and rest in Him, than ever before!

I do not know what will become of alot of things. I do not have all the answers to everything. But I have found that Jesus, is far deeper than we ever thought He was, and is after far more in us than we ever thought he was, and that the devil is not always the one that is doing a thing to me/with me, sometimes it is God. Oh, God may allow some 'Job type situations' to come into my life by the hand of the evil one, but it is only to make me stronger and to have the outcome Job had.....

Job 42: 5

5. My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.

God seemed to have placed Job into an experience of "dereliction." Not understanding really what or why, all these things had come upon him.

It was a time for Job to place all his faith in God's wisdom for his life, no matter what that might be, and place his faith in the complete sovereignty of God and rely upon His love, and learn to love God, for Himself "alone," and no other reason.

You see, Job had NO other reason to love God, going through all this pain. For example, he had no blessings, no health, no joy, no family, no more material things, and no dignity, nor good name.

And although God "never" revealed the full story to Job concerning all his calamities. Job never says in the end, "I see it all clearly now.." No, Instead, he says, ...."Now I see God." ! Now I have come close to God, beheld His glory, and learned of His ways, and seen His loving kindness.

It wasn't the prosperity and wealth in verse 10-11, as most quote and preach, that was the pinnacle of Jobs journey of pain and loss, it was that Job "woke up," and finally saw how Eternal God really is, and how insignificant he was in comparison. It was that Job finally saw the heart of God and saw that he could forever more, "RELY UPON HIS LOVE." Trust him, as Abram did, going a way he had never been before. To a land he knew not.

I pray that as you read this, it will encourage you, and bring light upon the areas light is needed.

I leave you with some scriptures:

Psalms 34:17

17. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

18. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19. A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;

20. he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Psalms 18:19

19. He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalms 107: 20

20. He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

Philippians 4:19

19. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 27:5

5. For in the day of trouble
       he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
       he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
       and set me high upon a rock.

Ps 54: 7

7. For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Psalm 116:6

6. The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

Psalm 56:3-4

3. When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.

4. In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

Psalms 55:22

22. Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Isaiah 58:6-14

6. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?

7. Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8. Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       "If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10. and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.

11. The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

12. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13. "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
       and from doing as you please on my holy day,
       if you call the Sabbath a delight
       and the LORD's holy day honorable,
       and if you honor it by not going your own way
       and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14. then you will find your joy in the LORD,
       and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
       and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
       The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

RELY UPON HIS LOVE !

"RELY UPON THE LOVE OF GOD !"