I spent several years overseas in a variety of places. Single-minded to His call to the nations. To follow Him, lovesick, willing to do anything for Him. In the process and by the tutorship of the Holy Spirit and other gifted ministers of His Grace, I learnt on the job. Preaching the gospel, healing the sick working miracles and seeing people freed from darkness really is the least of what Jesus did.
In some places I went, it was illegal to do so and on more than one occasion, I received threats against my life.
This was not His end purpose in my being there. He could, if He wanted to, just have sent angels to deliver help or even divinely administer dreams or visitations of heaven. But what He was also doing, is that
He was helping me to learn His ways of love, by trusting me with His most treasured possessions. The vulnerable ones that were yet to meet Him in fullness.
Could I continue to love even to the point of death? Was I willing to stay? To stand, to trust Him. Love endures all things, so would I love those that persecuted me, because He has a plan and a purpose for them just as He does me. What a privilege – learning to love, the most precious and summation of His laws.
We seem to have a multitude of books and conferences dedicated to training us in healing the sick, miracles and salvation’s (which are great!) But sometimes we get lured into thinking that if we just achieve these then we have arrived at the destination.
I love the works, but it is not all of what He is. It is a portion and I don’t think that His Kingdom is limited to this.
I believe that these are the treats in the party bag, the demonstrations of His love that we encounter as we learn His ways and grow in the knowledge of Him.
We enter His kingdom by coming as a child. There is a simplicity of believing and entering. His disciples as unqualified uneducated as they were, were empowered by Him to do the works. By believing in the One who sent them.
Healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out demons, multiplying food and raising the dead were the entrées. These were all signs pointing to the main course, the wholeness and abundance of heaven. To our Abba, the Source and substance of Love!
So, as great as these miracles and healings are, they are the glorious goodies found on the treasure hunt of relationship with the Divine Lover of our souls!
The cross – the death and resurrection of our dear Lord, is the gateway to knowing Him, but the Truth and reason behind this was that of Love.
The adventure in love continues.
How do we know it is His love, until it is tested? How do we know it is gold, until it is tested in the licking flames of adversity.
These flames come to burn at the soulish unrefined places of our being.
These flames are often launched from those closest to us. Family members. Both natural and spiritual.
Family is a huge lesson in perfecting love. Their wounds cut the deepest because they come from the closest range, carrying the longest memories and the highest expectations.
However these give us the greatest opportunities to identify with the purity of Jesus’ love.
One occasion a long time ago, that I will use as an example is when a spiritual family member who I respected greatly made accusations to me through believing the lies of another fellow family member. This was made all the more painful because others were in the vicinity and could clearly hear every accusation that was being made.
In utter shock, the seeds of love He had planted in my heart, sprung into roots and desperately they went deep to hear His still small voice say to my spirit “Do you love____(this person)?”
At that moment the only words I could say in response to this person was “I love you ___, I love you ____, I love you ____. I did not defend myself against the accusations. I love you ____ was all I was able to say. The Lord also later, lead me to say the same to the person from whom the lies and accusations had originated from.
It was a humbling, broken journey…but So Glorious. For in that He showed me what it means to love. It was entirely supernatural and not something I could take credit for, for it was His love that enabled me to love. Even in hindsight I am amazed at His glorious love and how He so generously flowed into my heart and through it. What a hero He is and what an honor to be a conduit of His love and forgiveness!
Later He did vindicate me because He is faithful. He honored me and an honor from heaven is far better than any carnal affirmations of man!
A journey of becoming love is a journey of learning not to hold onto anything but the Person of Love.
In that time of a Boot Camp of becoming love! I can testify of amazing miracles and remarkable acts of God. An amputated finger grew as I held it giggling with joy in my hand. The elderly lady who I was praying for was also instantly covered in gold dust. We saw deaf ears open, backs healed, metal rods in peoples bodies – melt in the healing fire of His love, cancers disappeared and broken hearts and minds were restored.
These wonderful goodies were not the destination, but the refreshing on the journey. Healing really is the children’s bread!!
These were the celebratory by-products of His love revealed from the overflow of heaven.
For the heavens cannot contain Him and the substance of His love.
Becoming love is allowing our hearts to come into agreement with Who He is.
It is the laying down of our identity on the altar of worship. For Him and for others. Offering our lives, our desires our hopes to Him as a vehicle a Royal Carriage to usher in His Presence to the world around us. United with Him, in Love. Joined eternally, revealing His Power which is Love! To destroy the works of darkness.
These remarkable acts of God carried out through the hands of the saints, continue, and multiply through the willing hands of more children that believe.
I long for more; more of His love to be perfected in and through His Body. For believers to welcome the testing flames of adversity. To endure and indeed embrace persecution for the future perfection of His love and glory within.
As what I have seen and the testimonies that I have heard both recently and from past revivals, are still the entrée!
I have by no means arrived at my destination I am joining you as a fellow apprentice in sonship.
Starting to learn what it means to live from His reality. To see and do what I see my Father doing.
To love as He loves. To venture deeper in humility, offering up everything for complete transformation.
A conduit of heaven.
Becoming Love.