Tithing

[heb13-13]

(07-29-2009 12:37 PM)Vic Wrote:  Now I love Him because He first loved me, and because of Christ. And I love Him because He has given me the peace, joy, and hope in Him. And I know it's not because of me, but because of Him. And when I serve Him, it's because of Him living through me.

I love the verses in Romans, because to me they say how great His love is for us.[/b] [/color]

Romans 8:15-18 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Vic,

I was just thinking about that verse in 1 John, myself. We love because He first loved us.

This Christian walk that we are on has been called the "Love Walk" by many people and indeed it is. And the fuel for our walk is the love of God.

We do not have true faith if our faith is not fueled by His Love.
Gal 5:6, crystallizes this very well. Faith worketh by love. We cannot live in relationship with God through any kind of LAW or LEGALISM and flourish in our relationship with Him or others. Conversely, it is not His nature to live in relationship with us through LAW or LEGALISM.

God worketh by Love and He desires that we worketh by love.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

If Faith is NOT WORKING by LOVE, then we are on the LAW WALK, and deceiving ourselves that we are walking in right relationship with God. God will not relate to us based on the LAW. He will only relate to us based on Love and that LOVE is spelled JESUS and He fulfilled the LAW.

Additionally, when you are filled with the Spirit of God, the LOVE OF GOD is SHED ABROAD in YOUR HEART. You cannot stop this!

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Oh, there will be areas still where you need deliverance, and the Holy Spirit will shine His light in His time, and He will deliver by His Word, but the Spirit of God brings life and peace in the meantime as we exercise the childlike trust and dependence on Him (which He enables us to do).

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

His perfect love that He shed abroad in us when He indwelt us with His Holy Spirit casts out all fear. His love is PERFECT LOVE.

1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Condemnation, Fear, Insecurity, Rejection all come from the Enemy.

We need discernment to know if we are listening to the Spirit of God or not. The Word brings discernment, but if we do not have the Word, then we end up relying on something else. "Familiar" spirits masquerade as our "friends" but they never can give that life and peace that only the Holy Spirit can give.

A lot of "voices" that Christians in Charismatic and other circles hear today, is not of God. They don't lead to Christ. These demonic, familiar spirits are subtle and are always leading away from the Prince of Peace not to Him.

The Holy Spirit always leads us to Jesus (beside still waters).

We don't have any confidence in ourselves.

Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Our confidence is in His Love and His Word and if we believe His Word to us, then we know that He will not lie to us and that He loves us.

Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

All the promises of God are yea and amen.

2Co 1:18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
2Co 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Psa 119:111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.