Bible Study
The 3 Essential Elements for Victorious Christian Living considered in this study include; faith, love and hope.
To live victoriously is to always overcome, to always conquer, to always prevail, to always triumph, to win all the time. The only requirement for living victoriously is to be born of God, and the way to live victoriously is through faith
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.“
I John 5:4 NKJV
Faith is central to experiencing Victorious Christian Living and faith is activated through words (Mark 11:24) powered by love (James 2:26 NKJV) and anchored by hope (Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 11:1).
We have been looking at Victory Through Love. Today we continue with ‘How to Develop/Grow Our Love Nature.’
How to Develop/Grow Our Love Nature.
1. Practise love
Ephesians 3:17 speaks of becoming rooted and grounded in love.
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJV
This portion of scripture is part of the Pauline prayers for the early Church, and indeed for every Christian today. If Apostle Paul was praying for maturity in love, then it tells me that no Christian has attained maturity in love. So, just as we grow in faith, we can grow in love. Yes, we received the seed of faith, love, goodness, etc at the newbirth, but to grow and mature in love involves some work. We can grow in love by practicing love…
To practise something is to perform it over and again in order to improve. So there is a deliberate commitment to doing that thing repeatedly and regularly. Steady practise inadvertently leads to improvement and many times mastery.
Look at Romans 12:20-21…
“Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.“
Romans 12:20-21 NKJV
Again see Luke 6:27-32…
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
Luke 6:27-32 NKJV
Both portions of scripture seem to admonish us to act in ways contrary to our natural instincts. Given that we’ve established before that a Christian has only one enemy- the devil. Yet, if we are truthful to ourselves we’d agree that there are individuals who sometimes fit into a fair description of ‘principality’. 🙂 If we are to be truthful to ourselves again, we’d also agree that there has been times when our humanly response to these kind of persons wouldn’t look anything like love. That’s why to love as God loves can start off as work, but believe me, it gets easier and easier, and the best part is that it is absolutely liberating for the person acting in love.
Let’s make a commitment to be deliberate about responding at all times and in every circumstance with the love of God.
2. Say Who You Are
Confess that you are love….. I am love.
By implication, 1 John 4:8 is saying those who are of God do love….they love…..
“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
1 John 4:8 NLT
God is love, and whoever is born of God is love. Halleluyah!
Let’s again remind ourselves of what love really is…..
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
I Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV
I think that we are all ‘work in progress’ when it comes to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. What is important therefore is to be making that progress towards maturity and perfection.
The way to grow spiritually is by the Word. Just as natural food helps the body grow (for a child) and to function well generally, the Word of God is food for the spirit-man…
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God ”
Matthew 4:4 NKJV
“..as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”
I Peter 2:2 NKJV
A daily or regular confession of everything love represents and means according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, creates in us a consciousness of who we are, it helps reinforce our identity to us. And because word-based confessions are not mere recitations (God’s Word is Spirit and life), by our confessions we are claiming exactly who we are and rejecting anything contrary to our love nature.
So, confess the Word of God on love over yourself. You can write up a 1 Corinthians 13 confession for yourself. Just the way you probably have healing confessions, prosperity confessions and these are situating you daily in who you are in these areas, love confessions will also definitely work, because the Word always works. Halleluyah!
3. Listen To The Holy Spirit
“… those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Galatians 5:24 NKJV
Crucify the flesh, listen to the Spirit.
Any Christian harbouring any form of unforgiveness is not listening fully to the Holy Spirit (selah). Any Christian who repeatedly responds in strife, envy, hatred, etc is not fully yielded to the Spirit.
It is impossible to be yielded to the Spirit and yet to be comfortably walking in unforgiveness, hatred, malice, envy, etc. It is impossible.
See 1 Corinthians 3:3…
“for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?“
I Corinthians 3:3 NKJV
The difference between a mere man and a Christian is the indwelling Spirit by whom our human spirits were recreated and made alive (selah).
One way to develop one’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is by praying in tongues. The primary way ofcourse, is to dwell on the Word of God- to study, meditate and do the Word.
Friends, there is a love nature already at work in us, let us commit to tend it, fan it, and to let it grow and blossom.
Without love, our faith and hope is futile.
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.“
Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV
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Please remember that you can access previous parts of this study as follows; Part 1: Study Background. Part 2: The Scope of the Christian Victory. Part 3: How Christians Gained Victory. Part 4: How Faith, Love and Hope Mix Together for Victorious Christian Living. Part 5: Victory Through Love: The Nature of God’s Love. Part 6: Victory Through Love: Characteristics of God Kind of Love. Parts 7 and 8: Victory Through Love: Winning Through Love.
I am looking forward with so much excitement to the next part of this study series…. ‘Giving Is Not Always Love’ ? See you then.
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Blessings & Love Always
