Love can be described as a triangular model, consisting of three parts. love from God the initiator to Man, love from Man to a fellow Man and Love from Man back to God. It’s a recurring event that continues from generation to generation.It is also good to say this relationship is the oldest expression of love in existence, flowing endlessly from the Creator into the hearts of humanity.
In modern culture, love is often reduced to a feeling, emotion or an affection. However, the love being referred to here challenges us to be intentional and practical in our actions towards one another.
The following highlights God’s expectations of how we are to act and walk in love towards others.
1) True love doesn’t participate in the destruction of another human beings character. That is, refusing to spread gossips, slander or malicious rumors about someone instead, stay silent and defend them when the crowd is tearing them down.
2) Love towards your fellow Man is not reserved only for those who love you but it extends also to those who oppose you. When an adversary is in crisis, love suppresses the ego, ignores the grudge, and steps in to relieve their burden. It prioritizes human dignity over personal conflict.
3) Love is treating foreigners well. It is treating the vulnerable, poor or isolated with fairness and not exploiting their disadvantage for personal gain.
4) Finally, loving your fellow man means intentionally creating margins in your life, your business, or your resources so that the less fortunate can find relief, food, and rest alongside with you. It ensures that your success or your work doesn’t come at the expense of someone else’s burnout.
In a nutshell, treating a fellow man should not be based on how they treat you, but instead on the divine standard of love you have received from the top of the triangle.
Reference Scriptures
Exodus 23, Psalm 15 vs 3, Proverbs 25 vs 21, Malachi 3 vs 5.
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
LOVE – PART 2
God’s Word is love as God himself is love and no human logic can fully grasp this love, for it requires supernatural help.Hence, asking the Holy Spirit to open our spiritual eyes daily, so we can genuinely feel and understand how much we are loved will help.
Letting go of bitterness, unforgiveness, anxiety, and self-reliance to make room for the fullness of God in our hearts, is also another way to experience the love of God. As we spend quiet moments in prayer by simply receiving His presence and allowing His peace to crowd out our worries, we will also be filling ourselves up with overflowing kindness towards others.
God’s love draws a veil over every insult and finds a way to make sin disappear. Love’s jealousy over you as a child of God is stronger than the chains of death and the grave, for this jealous love is all consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God.
God’s love also embraces anyone who keeps and walks in His Word. As mentioned earlier, God’s love is sacrificial, it is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit through joy, peace, patience, kindness, faith, strength, gentleness and a life full of virtues. While others may fail in loving you, God’s love never fails, His love is the beautiful prize for which we run in life, for it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion, holds us tightly and sustains us through storms and pain.
Love is praying for those who have hurt you, it forgives. Despite Jesus’ innocence, he still asked God for forgiveness on behalf of the people who persecuted him. God’s love has been speaking from inception of the world and it’s still speaking over thousands of generation. His love beckons on us to draw near to Him and He’ll not only give rest but he’ll draw near to us also.
Make a decision to answer the call to God’s love today, embrace it and enjoy the greatest gift of all.
Remember the Starting Point to Being a Partaker of God’s Love if you are not yet born again is to believe and declare the 👉 (SALVATION PRAYER):
If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
LOVE
God speaks to us in diverse ways every single time. Ironically, the Israelites were so terrified that they weren’t ready to experience God speak directly to them. (Exo 20)
How often do we experience God speak to us? Do you know that His love speaks to us every day, either as believers or non-believers, everyone is a partaker of His love. We see and experience His love in the sun that shines, the rain that falls, the trees that forms the ecosystem which enhances our life’s just to mention a few, but ultimately, His greatest love of all is the giving of His only begotten son as a ransom for our sins.
Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension is God’s ultimate way of showing His unconditional love to mankind that death has been defeated, sins penalty has been fully paid for and that humanity is permanently reconciled unto Him (God )
In order to experience a few dimension of Christ’s love from scriptures (Eph 3 vs 17-19), we must constantly use our faith by actively choosing to believe God loves us, even when we feel lonely, guilty, or overwhelmed. Additionally, our identity must not be rooted in our status, career, relationships, or achievements but on the fact that we are loved by God. Furthermore, His love breaks through every mental limitations, no matter how far we’ve fallen or where we are in life, His love is wide enough to reach us. Fourthly, God’s love is long enough to reach and last through our past, present and future experiences.
Finally, His love is deep enough to reach our hidden hurts, failures and shame. And of course, it is high enough to lift us into heavenly purposes.
Why not allow God speak through His love to you today? With the help of the Holy Spirit and a determined heart, you’ll experience His love in a greater dimension.
The Starting Point to Being a Partaker of God’s Love 👉 (SALVATION PRAYER):
If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
N.B: We would love to hear your thoughts on this, kindly drop your comments and let’s chat.
SPECIAL TREASURE
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people for all the earth is mine. Exodus 19 vs 5.
”To be a special treasure to God above all people” is to be adorned with towers/houses of rubies, gates of sparkling jewels, and walls of precious, delightful stones ( Isa 54 vs 12) (paraphrased). That is living a life that is packed with beauty, value and divine favour. Glory to God!!!!……. Alleluia!. Who on earth won’t want a blessed life like that?
But unlocking this status requires commitment. It means setting oneself apart for a higher purpose. A lot of people ghost God when they feel a pull toward faith because they think a spiritual life is boring or kills all the fun. But they are missing out. The pure joy you get from the Holy Spirit completely outclasses any temporary high this world can offer. Just like every kid secretly wants to be the favorite or stay on their parents’ good side, we all have a built-in desire to be chosen and valued by God.
I recall some years back when my parents got an invitation through my dad’s best friend to have dinner with him and the President of the country. Planning commenced immediately the invitation got to our knowledge. And we all stuck to the TV to watch the glimpse of the event. I remember my mum made new clothes with matching shoes and bag. I stayed up late to ask what type of food they had and how the whole event went; the conversation lasted for weeks and some months within the family. What amused me the most was the energy and preparation that went into meeting an earthly leader.
Yet, the God of all nations is constantly inviting us to be a special treasure unto Him. While some of us miss out His various signals, some ignore His nudge to come closer. To show up for God, we need that same level of intentional preparation so we don’t miss the moment.
Here is how you prepare
1) Cleanliness. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and have them wash their clothes (paraphrased). Are you clean in and out? Coming clean before God as a believer/unbeliever is tp drop the baggage, confess any hidden wrongs or grudges, and let Christ renew your heart.
2) Set Boundaries: Take time to fast from distractions, including pausing “for a while” intimacy for married couples or practicing total abstinence for singles, to focus fully on God.
3) Stay Coachable: Obedience to every instruction given and follow through on them.
4) Intercession for others: as believers, we are meant to intercede for others, share God’s love and live a life of service.
Make the choice to be a special treasure today!
The Starting Point (SALVATION PRAYER):
If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
N.B: We would love to hear your thoughts on this, kindly drop your comments and let’s chat.
COMPLAIN
Complaining against a system be it a corrupt government, a strict boss or a toxic family dynamics is ultimately complaining against God. Think about the Israelites, who constantly targeted Moses with their grievances essentially saying go tell your boss we need water or that you should have left us where you met us. How ironical, to kick against the one who’s trying to save you, many are times, we fall into this mindset more often than we admit.
God’s absolute supremacy means He’s actively involved in the leadership of every country, as no President or King is appointed by error. Every leader is appointed to either build up God’s people or to test them. The minute the Israelites allowed their doubts to turn into constant complaints, God drew the line and declared they won’t enter the promise land – and that generation missed out.
As believers, complaining is a bad thing or act. It sends a message to God that He made a mistake appointing those specific people in authority/power. Instead of adding to the noise online and offline, we need to pause and ask what God is actually doing in the event of play.
Here are some rhetorical questions we need to ponder on. Are we deserving of these leaders? Is God using them to make or mar us? Are we walking in Faith or Doubt like the Israelites? Is God still with us or has He moved to the next generation to fulfill His promises?
When you allow the Holy Spirit answer these questions, your perspective shifts from earthly frustration to divine strategy.
Action Point:
1) Heavenly Father, I repent of all complaints and chose to view things from your perspective in Jesus name.
2) Instead of complaining, I will honor God’s perfect plan with gratitude, serve as light and salt in other to inspire and uplift those around me.
Reference Scriptures:
Exodus 17 vs 3,
Exodus 22 vs 28,
1 Corinthians 10 vs 10 and Philippians 2 vs 14.
SALVATION PRAYER: If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
N.B: We would love to hear from you, kindly drop your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you.
OBEDIENCE
What instructions have you stopped yielding to from the LORD?
Exodus 15:26 and 16:4 MSG both portrayed God testing the children of Israel……… “I am going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my teaching or not”.
Our journey with God will come with sincerity, when our faith is tested, revealing the true nature of our devotion and total obedience to His instructions, which flows from genuine love rather than mere duty.That is, our relationship with God gets real when our faith is tested.
A simple instruction was handed out to the Israelites not to live any part of the manna until the following day and not to gather anything on the seventh day, but still, some of them didn’t yield to these instructions. A partial obedience is no obedience, as total obedience strengthens intimacy with God. However, God values an obedient heart over outward, empty religious rituals.
True sincerity means passing the test of motives and moving from performing for people to living for God. As we grow and mature, various tests will be thrown at us and we are expected to overcome them all through Christ our Saviour.
Victory is embedded in our obedience to God, which serves as the ultimate proof of our love for Him. We obey God in order to please Him and not to earn any human applause, for obedience is not a mindless compliance, instead it’s aligning our desires with God’s will. Our obedience is also through Christ and not in our strength and lastly, true obedience shines brightest when no one is watching except God.
In conclusion, every obedience evaluates our sincerity whether we will follow God’s commands or our own. When we choose His path, our faith deepens and our character matures. This daily surrender transforms obedience from a heavy duty into a joyful relationship.
Action Point:
PRAYER:
1) Heavenly Father, help me to lean on Christ in order to fulfill every instruction you give me, in Jesus name.
2) Father, I pray that you enable me walk in absolute obedience and not in partial obedience in Jesus name.
if you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life, please say this salvation prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
N.B: We would love to hear from you please, kindly drop your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you
FAITH TO MATCH UP THE ASSIGNMENT
Janet had a dream where she needed water, unfortunately she had no container to store the water. By her right hand was a woman with a small kettle, she beckoned on the woman to borrow her the kettle and the woman obliged. Janet collected the small kettle happily and went ahead to get the water she needed. On getting to the point of collection, she realized that she was getting the water from a tap that had the capacity to service a drum. She managed to control the flow of the water into the small kettle to avoid wastage/spillage. And upon leaving the spot, she knew she had to get a container of her own and increase the capacity as well.
Our journeys as believers, can be likened to Janet’s dream, where there are certain qualities we ought to acquire, (such as Faith, Love, Patience, Endurance, Wisdom or Word Knowledge) and we don’t have the spiritual container and capacity to store up these qualities at the level the Holy Spirit wants to fill us up with.
Taking up on Faith in this context, there are times when we start out on a zero level of faith, where God Himself performs the miracles for us irrespective of the level where we are (Exodus 14 vs 31). But as we grow, it is expected that our faith level increases also from zero to medium and then to large. As a fully grown individual, feeding on milk alone can’t sustain one’s appetite and this eventually will distort our growth and stature. The level of our faith really determines how far we’ll go in life.
Taking a mental note, we need to ask ourself where our faith level is? Like Moses, is our faith level at per with our assignment? Meaning is our spiritual container big enough to contain what the LORD has for us? We need to work at preparing ourself as that vessel/container and go BIG at it!!! For, no one can find a whale in a pond. Dare to believe God on your assignment and you’ll be filled to an overflow.
Whatever size of your God-given assignment is, remember that Roms 8 vs 32 says – if God didn’t withhold His son but gave him up for your sake, He will provide all you need to fulfill his purpose in your life(paraphrased). Don’t sit back on your purpose or allow fear stop you from launching out.
Action Point:
1) Audit your container: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what quality you need to fill up on right now (Faith, Love, Patience, etc.).
2) Expand your capacity: Put in the work by consistently studying the Word in that specific area.
3) Pray for the overflow: Ask the Holy Spirit to completely flood your life with abundance in that area.
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
PROTECTING YOUR FAITH IN THE WAITING ROOM
Warfare is part of the lifestyle of a believer, and the earlier we face it the better for us as the enemy is stubborn and not ready to release that which God has promised and ordained for us. Moses in this case had to visit Pharaoh 10 times before he conceded to release them or the case of Elijah, who had to pray 7 times before a glimpse of cloudy rain.
Have you had to knock on a door, seek an approval for a project, pray for a baby, a spouse or a particular child that’s not behaving well or pray for the salvation of a soul? And you’ve had to keep on knocking? To be in any of these circumstances can be draining and frustrating. However, you shouldn’t let these circumstances overcome you in any way. Having walked this path before, I realized if care is not taken, one’s faith could be wrecked if we permit either a glimpse of or open the door to doubt and unbelief.
I recall the story of my admission into university some years back. I had written the entry exams with my contemporaries and failed the first time, by the time I took it the second time, I passed with admissions in one Polytechnic and two universities all at the same time. I had to attend all 3 higher institutions before settling for the best. The scenario thought me delay is not denial.
In the midst of these warfare, Persistence, Focus and Intensity to the Word/Promise of God and His instructions are some of the instruments we wage this war with.
When the enemy also sees you have a calling on your life, like the Israelites, he’ll wage war against you the hardest, be it in marriage, finances, health or any other area and he’ll also rise to negotiate with you, once he sees you’re a hard nut to crack, by offering other alternatives or other quick ways to escape that condition (remember he did it with Jesus at mount of temptation). No matter how long the delay/stagnation is, when God shows up, He comes in Big. His entry is grand and leaves no doubt that He is involved.
Ultimately, as we all desire to see the long awaited promise of God for our life’s manifest and we wait on Him, remember that God takes care of all the pain we’ve ever experienced and adequately rewards us.
Wage this war strategically with the Word of God and His instructions and wait for His GRAND ENTRY!!! and the enemy shall ultimately submit.
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
VISION
To run without a vision is to set out for destruction. Moses was careful to relay every detail from God to the Israelites before their departure from Egypt. You can imagine if he had no clue on what to do, leading over 2 million people in the wilderness would have been a disaster.
Ability to effectively communicate a set vision to your team shows how effective you are as a leader. Every organization runs with a vision and it is very important to inculcate and decode these visions into daily, weekly monthly and yearly task of your team members. What vision have you received from God to run with? Are you running with it?
God’s main purpose for the release of the Israelites was to serve him and not to be living a care free life or just wonder aimlessly. Ultimately, every organization is meant to glorify God, either with their skills or gifts. It is when we carry out God’s purpose that money will be introduced eventually into the assignment. These days, a lot of organizations have forgotten the essence of their existence, “the God factor” in the whole scheme of things. They now run on “money factor”, throwing caution into the wind not minding the havoc it will bring to the team members both internally or externally.
Some tend to have their goal post shifted in the middle of the game not sticking to the initial agreement laid down, while some will short pay you for your services, others have no adequate benefits for their team and the list goes on and on.
As an organization, are you aligned with God’s vision? Visions are essentially meant to give direction and PURPOSE. Are you aligned with your organizational purpose? They are meant to identify the challenges ahead and proffer the necessary solutions. Visions also act as a check on any organizational misalignment. It’s never too late to make adjustments and realign or reroute accordingly, if you’re misaligned.
Without a clear vision, it is difficult for team members or employees to see the result coming. Where there’s vision, there’s Power 💪.
Action Point:
1) As an Organization, engage in internal and external trainings for staff as often as possible.
2) As a team-member, continuous learning in line with the vision of the organization you function in, which ultimately aligns with your personal vision.
3) As an individual functioning outside an organization, ask God for a yearly, monthly and weekly vision; run with them and you’ll see progress in your life.
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal
A SIGN – PART 3
In today’s world, relationships vary from shepard and sheep in terms of ministry, government and citizenry with regards to a nation, team-lead and team-player in an organization or a family. We all interchangeably play in at least 2 or more of these roles. And in our roles, we all must have no doubt experienced the move of God or as the Egyptian magicians called it the ‘Finger of God ‘ one way or the other.
You see when God moves, it is explicit. His move nullifies doubt, establishes deep security and brings absolute peace. His move is the ultimate differentiator as seen in Exodus 8 vs 23 which says, I will make a difference between my people and your people….wow glory to God!!!!. God’s sign didn’t just occur once, but at several times displaying His power. Rather than asking for a sign before you believe, allow God Himself be the initiator of the sign by announcing your family, organization, nation or ministry as His own.
When God decides to show up with a sign, you don’t need any advertisement, He’ll publicly announce you and it’ll be clear to everyone that He is at work. His sign ALWAYS comes in grand style, it can’t be controlled, contended with, stolen or covered up. It is beyond any human understanding or reasoning.
Ultimately, our faith cannot be conditional. Sometimes we receive immediate confirmation, sometimes we experience seasons of silence, and sometimes counterfeits try to mimic the real thing. But the presence or absence of a sign never changes who God is. He remains the author and finisher of every season.Instead of trying to force the outcome, step back and let Him take the stage on His timeline. Trust the process—His arrivals are always worth the wait.
Action Point : Do not let a season of silence stall your vision. Keep serving, leading, learning and building with excellence right where you are. Trust that whether a sign is visible today or not, the Author of your season is still in complete control.
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal