“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30; KJV).

Did you know that the Greek word for love there is agape? That is the same unconditional love that God loves us with. Impossible, you may be thinking; could I ever love God just as he loves me? However, in Romans 5:5, the apostle Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit pours out the agape love of God in our hearts. Also, when we were born again, we were given a brand-new nature (the nature of God) which is a love nature.

So, we do have the ability to love God as he loves us and with God's help we can do it. Not only that, but the apostle John taught us that: "His love is perfected in us" (agape again) (1 John 4:12). That word "perfected" means to be made complete or mature.

As we spend time abiding in the vine (John 15:1-8) then the love that has been poured into our hearts will mature and grow and it will become easier to "agape" God (and others too). Abiding in the vine or in Jesus, who is the vine, simply means to remain continually in close communion or relationship with him. Sounds good to me.

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“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye will have them."(Mark 11:24; KJV) So, what can we pray for in faith? Well, anything that is according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15) or anything in his word (the Bible).

So, what is faith? Faith is a strong trust, confidence and belief in God or more simply put: knowing that we know that we know that we know! This is not head or mind agreement with God's word but faith is of our spirit; knowing deep in our spirit that God's promises are: "yea, and in him A-men," for us (2 Cor 1:20).

We need the God kind of faith that: "calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Rom 4:17). In other words, when we pray, our faith sees the answer and it is so real in our spirit that nothing can talk us out of it, even though we don't experience the answer to our prayer immediately in the natural, with our senses.

That kind of faith brings results in the natural. We stand patiently in faith (Heb 6:12), not wavering, just like Abraham, who held on for years waiting for God's promised son (Rom 4:20).

How often we want to get the answer by our own efforts, like Abraham and Sarah getting a son Ishmael by Sarah's maid (Gen 16). Paul criticized the Galatians for starting in faith, in the spirit, but trying to succeed in their Christian walk in their own efforts (Gal 3:1-3). There are no short cuts, we build our faith by time in God's word (Rom 10:17). Start using your faith at the level you are at, but work on building faith. Take the limits off God: "but with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26).

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Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to others.

Jesus told us to go everywhere and preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). More than that he told us to make disciples of all people, or teach them, so they can grow to become mature Christians (Matt. 28:19).

We are spirit beings, we live in a body and we have a soul; our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our spirits died and were separated from God due to the sin in our lives (Rom 6:23; Isa 59:2). Jesus said we must be born again (John 3: 3,6). When we are born again, we become new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17). New birth or salvation is to be reborn spiritually (John 3:1-6, Ezek 11:19). To be born again we must first repent of sin (Acts 3:19) and ask God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). He will forgive us. Then, if we believe in Jesus, confess our belief in public and ask Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior, we will be saved (Rom 10:9, 10) and restored in our relationship with God.

Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). He is the only way to salvation.

Paul implies that if we do not share Christ with others, we will be guilty of their blood (Acts 20:26-27); guilty of their being assigned to eternal condemnation (Mark 16:16). Jesus commanded us to go (Mark 16:15) and God’s love compels us (John 3:16). So why don’t we go? I think we are often afraid of what others will say, afraid of rejection, embarrassed; but this is all rather prideful, isn’t it?

Just think of what Christ did for us; no selfishness there. He said he would give us the words to say (Luke 21:15). God will draw people to Jesus (John 6:44), we just need to do our part and be Christ`s witnesses (2 Cor 5:19-20). It is a wonderful experience to share Christ with others and all heaven rejoices when one is saved (Luke 15:7).

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Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to others. 

The Bible makes quite a few references to trees. In Proverbs 3:18 we read that wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. King David taught us that if we meditate in the word we will be like a healthy, fruitful tree firmly planted in well-watered soil (Psalm 1:2-3). Another psalmist wrote that: “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon”. (Psalm 92:12; KJV).

Jesus also talked about trees; he said that trees would be recognized for their fruit (referring to our lives) (Matt 12:33). We learn in Revelation 22:2 that we will see the tree of life in heaven. So, what do we think of when we think of trees? I think of beauty, strength, support, a conduit for nourishment, life giving, a well-developed root system and fruit bearing.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jer 17:7,8). Wow, that sounds good to me. We need to let this verse encourage us today - spend some time reading and meditating God's word and enjoy being blessed.

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Do you try to fight all your battles on your own? Moses and the children of Israel were trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s army. As recorded in Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV), Moses told Israel: "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

God's prophet spoke similar words to King Jehoshaphat when a great army came against the nation of Judah (2 Chron 20:1-24). God directed the king and his people to stand and watch him (God) fight the enemy. The king sent people to sing and praise God ahead of Judah's army and as the people sang God caused the enemy armies to destroy each other and brought a huge victory for Judah.

What is God telling us here? God is teaching us to trust him, trust his word, do things his way and then we will walk in victory every time. God directs us to cast our cares on him (1 Peter 5:7), rest in him (Matt 11:28-30); seek his word in the challenges we face. We need to set our faces (have faith) like flint on his promises (his word) and watch his word work in our lives. It cannot fail. Fighting our own battles without God is hard. Do it God's way.

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