Are You Loving or Selfish?
As a Christian, you are commanded to love everyone—the good, the bad and the ugly (John 13:34). It is not an option; you can't pick and choose whom to love. The only choice you have in the matter is whether or not you will obey the commandment. Unfortunately, many believers are in a state of disobedience because their decision to love is based on feelings or on whether their love is returned. That is conditional, human love—it profits nothing. Others fail to walk in love because they believe that it is impossible for them to love as Goes does. They fail to realize that God would never ask anyone to do something that isn't within their capacity to accomplish. Every born–again believer has the ability to walk in love.
When you became born again, you received an "injection of love" from the Holy Spirit, Who came to live inside of you. As a result, you have an anointing, or God—given ability that makes it possible for you to love in a supernatural way. You can show affection toward others despite their actions. In addition, you are more than capable of retaliating the right way, which is according to the Word of God.
Nothing in your life—finances, family, healing and so on—will work to its fullest potential until you let go of selfishness and perfect your love walk. To be selfish is to "regard one's own interest;" selfishness is "a devotion to one's own interest." Selfishness and love are the two most powerful forces in existence. When you operate in one of these forces, you short–circuit the other. When you choose to love, you turn your back on selfishness. When you choose to be selfish, you turn your back on the opportunity to express love. There is no middle ground. You cannot love unconditionally and be unconditionally selfish as well.
Selfishness is the root to all sin. Satan knows this. His goal is to get you to take your focus off of God and place it on yourself. This is what he did in the Garden of Eden. After the deception, Adam and Eve were no longer God–conscious; instead they became self–conscious (Genesis 3:1–5). Another important point to remember is that the root of selfishness is fear. Fear is what motivates you to protect yourself. That is why a selfish person is constantly in self–preservation mode.
I know it's not easy to respond the way Christians are supposed to, especially when someone is in your face saying hurtful things; however, Proverbs 15:1 encourages believers to respond with a soft answer to curb someone's wrath. When you speak kind words to someone who may be mean as "hell," you are creating an opportunity to love the hell out of them. Additionally, don't rehearse negative thoughts; disperse them instead. Make a conscious effort to think thoughts toward others that are honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Something powerful happens when you are willing to lose sight of yourself to put somebody else in focus.
The way to get rid of selfishness is to get rid of fear. First John 4:18 says that perfected love casts out fear. Fear is dangerous. It opens the door for the Enemy to come in and wreak havoc in your life. It also produces negative forces like offense, strife and unforgiveness. However, love empowers you to the point that you will be slow to take offense and quick to forgive.
Keep in mind that when you fail to develop in love, you fail to develop in character, which means you perpetuate a lifestyle of selfishness. God is looking for people of character. That is what being a Christian is all about—developing the character of God. Make a quality decision today to develop the character of love, because that, more than anything else, is crucial to your experiencing the fullness of God.
TAME YOUR THINKING
Satan is strategic in his attacks against the mind, which is why we must learn to tame our thinking. He seeks to devour people who believe his lies. He devises schemes against us to spoil God’s plan for our lives. However, we have the victory through the finished works of Jesus Christ. We operate in that victory by aligning our thoughts with God’s Word. The enemy simply cannot devour a Believer who is fixed on the Word of God.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”
Our part in spiritual warfare is to maintain the victory Jesus has already given us.
Our enemy wants to stop us from discovering God’s will for our lives. He seeks people to devour.
He attacks the minds of those who do not believe; they live in spiritual blindness (or darkness) (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4).
We are not equipped to carry our cares, but Jesus is. Therefore, we should cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
Our thinking should be sober, which means our thoughts are aligned with the Word (1 Peter 5:8).
We are what we think; our thoughts make us who we are (Proverbs 23:7).
We should fix our minds on those things that are “worthy of reverence and honorable and seemly, and whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and loveable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,” we should focus on these things (Philippians 4:8, ).
It is our responsibility to keep our thoughts on the things that agree with the Word
When we trust God’s way, we can keep our minds on Him. As a result, He gives us perfect peace (Philippians 4:9, ).
Satan tries to make us think in line with the world. He wants to get us distracted, worried, and overly concerned.
The enemy’s plan is to get us to focus on problems and negative circumstances
However, when he tries to bombard us with his suggestions, we can use the Word as a weapon to cast down these thoughts
YES THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT JESUS SPOKE IN TONGUES AND SO SHOULD YOU!
Mark 5:41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
PAIN IS A REMINDER THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG DON'T IGNORE IT OR THEM THAT ARE CAUSING IT, ATTEND TO IT NOW BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF HAND
GOD’S GRACE IS FREE AND AVAILABLE TO YOU
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Matthew 6:26-28
Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call Psalm 20:6-9
God’s grace has made available to us everything we will ever need in this life. However, it’s going to take faith in order to access grace; we cannot be passive about it. We received salvation by grace through faith. Our salvation includes our soundness, wholeness, deliverance, healing, and prosperity. It is by faith that we take possession of those finished works. It is already done.
We received our salvation by grace through faith. God has given us everything we need to have an extraordinary life (Ephesians 2:8-10, AMP).
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).
Salvation has been made available to everyone on the planet.
It takes faith to receive the grace that’s been made available (Romans 5:2).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
There are two realms in existence, running concurrently—the spiritual and the physical realms.
The spirit realm is the parent of the physical realm.
The physical things we see came from spiritual things we cannot see.
For instance, angels exist even though we cannot see them with our physical eyes.
“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).
The spiritual eyes of the servant were opened, giving him the ability to see the spiritual realm (2 Kings 6:15-17).
When we became born again, God placed many good things on the inside of us (our born-again spirits).
When we are facing troubling challenges in life, we can acknowledge those good things within us (Philemon 1:6).
Our salvation encompasses our soundness, wholeness, deliverance, healing, and prosperity.
By faith, we take ownership of what God has already done.
The Bible says Joseph was successful and prosperous even though he was a slave (Genesis 39:2, AMP).
Notice that his occupation or position in life did not determine whether he would ultimately succeed in life.
Joseph succeeded in everything he did. He eventually became the prime minister of Egypt.
The key to Joseph’s success was the presence of God in his life.
From society’s standpoint, success is determined by a person’s occupation, associations, popularity, and the amount of money and material things he or she has accumulated.
However, the biblical definition of success is determined by God’s presence.
As Christians, we are successful because God is with us. Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us.
We cannot serve two masters; we will either love one or hate the other. We cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
Mammon is a wicked spirit that grips and enslaves people through the medium of money.
A person’s attitude toward money will reveal his or her attitude toward God.
Mammon fights to be priority in our lives. However, we should obey God’s Word instead of the wicked spirit of mammon (Proverbs 3:9, 10, AMP).
God says to us, “If you choose me, don’t worry about your life. I’ll take care of you” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Our heavenly Father knows that we need certain things to live.
When we make Him and His kingdom agenda a priority, He will take care of our needs.
Covetousness, which is idolatry, involves removing God out of first place and replacing Him with something or someone else (Colossians 3:5; Deuteronomy 5:7).
We can develop affection for seeking money, and this is a wrong attachment to it.
A wrong relationship with money is the root of all evil (1Timothy 6:9, 10, AMP).
Those who crave to be rich will fall into many temptations and traps.
Instead of craving to be rich, we should crave Jesus.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:11).
Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Titus 2:11
Romans 5:2
Ephesians 1:3
2 Kings 6:15-17
Philemon 1:
As a Christian, you are commanded to love everyone—the good, the bad and the ugly (John 13:34). It is not an option; you can't pick and choose whom to love. The only choice you have in the matter is whether or not you will obey the commandment. Unfortunately, many believers are in a state of disobedience because their decision to love is based on feelings or on whether their love is returned. That is conditional, human love—it profits nothing. Others fail to walk in love because they believe that it is impossible for them to love as Goes does. They fail to realize that God would never ask anyone to do something that isn't within their capacity to accomplish. Every born–again believer has the ability to walk in love.
When you became born again, you received an "injection of love" from the Holy Spirit, Who came to live inside of you. As a result, you have an anointing, or God—given ability that makes it possible for you to love in a supernatural way. You can show affection toward others despite their actions. In addition, you are more than capable of retaliating the right way, which is according to the Word of God.
Nothing in your life—finances, family, healing and so on—will work to its fullest potential until you let go of selfishness and perfect your love walk. To be selfish is to "regard one's own interest;" selfishness is "a devotion to one's own interest." Selfishness and love are the two most powerful forces in existence. When you operate in one of these forces, you short–circuit the other. When you choose to love, you turn your back on selfishness. When you choose to be selfish, you turn your back on the opportunity to express love. There is no middle ground. You cannot love unconditionally and be unconditionally selfish as well.
Selfishness is the root to all sin. Satan knows this. His goal is to get you to take your focus off of God and place it on yourself. This is what he did in the Garden of Eden. After the deception, Adam and Eve were no longer God–conscious; instead they became self–conscious (Genesis 3:1–5). Another important point to remember is that the root of selfishness is fear. Fear is what motivates you to protect yourself. That is why a selfish person is constantly in self–preservation mode.
I know it's not easy to respond the way Christians are supposed to, especially when someone is in your face saying hurtful things; however, Proverbs 15:1 encourages believers to respond with a soft answer to curb someone's wrath. When you speak kind words to someone who may be mean as "hell," you are creating an opportunity to love the hell out of them. Additionally, don't rehearse negative thoughts; disperse them instead. Make a conscious effort to think thoughts toward others that are honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Something powerful happens when you are willing to lose sight of yourself to put somebody else in focus.
The way to get rid of selfishness is to get rid of fear. First John 4:18 says that perfected love casts out fear. Fear is dangerous. It opens the door for the Enemy to come in and wreak havoc in your life. It also produces negative forces like offense, strife and unforgiveness. However, love empowers you to the point that you will be slow to take offense and quick to forgive.
Keep in mind that when you fail to develop in love, you fail to develop in character, which means you perpetuate a lifestyle of selfishness. God is looking for people of character. That is what being a Christian is all about—developing the character of God. Make a quality decision today to develop the character of love, because that, more than anything else, is crucial to your experiencing the fullness of God.
TAME YOUR THINKING
Satan is strategic in his attacks against the mind, which is why we must learn to tame our thinking. He seeks to devour people who believe his lies. He devises schemes against us to spoil God’s plan for our lives. However, we have the victory through the finished works of Jesus Christ. We operate in that victory by aligning our thoughts with God’s Word. The enemy simply cannot devour a Believer who is fixed on the Word of God.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”
Our part in spiritual warfare is to maintain the victory Jesus has already given us.
Our enemy wants to stop us from discovering God’s will for our lives. He seeks people to devour.
He attacks the minds of those who do not believe; they live in spiritual blindness (or darkness) (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4).
We are not equipped to carry our cares, but Jesus is. Therefore, we should cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
Our thinking should be sober, which means our thoughts are aligned with the Word (1 Peter 5:8).
We are what we think; our thoughts make us who we are (Proverbs 23:7).
We should fix our minds on those things that are “worthy of reverence and honorable and seemly, and whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and loveable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,” we should focus on these things (Philippians 4:8, ).
It is our responsibility to keep our thoughts on the things that agree with the Word
When we trust God’s way, we can keep our minds on Him. As a result, He gives us perfect peace (Philippians 4:9, ).
Satan tries to make us think in line with the world. He wants to get us distracted, worried, and overly concerned.
The enemy’s plan is to get us to focus on problems and negative circumstances
However, when he tries to bombard us with his suggestions, we can use the Word as a weapon to cast down these thoughts
YES THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT JESUS SPOKE IN TONGUES AND SO SHOULD YOU!
Mark 5:41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
PAIN IS A REMINDER THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG DON'T IGNORE IT OR THEM THAT ARE CAUSING IT, ATTEND TO IT NOW BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF HAND
GOD’S GRACE IS FREE AND AVAILABLE TO YOU
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Matthew 6:26-28
Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call Psalm 20:6-9
God’s grace has made available to us everything we will ever need in this life. However, it’s going to take faith in order to access grace; we cannot be passive about it. We received salvation by grace through faith. Our salvation includes our soundness, wholeness, deliverance, healing, and prosperity. It is by faith that we take possession of those finished works. It is already done.
We received our salvation by grace through faith. God has given us everything we need to have an extraordinary life (Ephesians 2:8-10, AMP).
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).
Salvation has been made available to everyone on the planet.
It takes faith to receive the grace that’s been made available (Romans 5:2).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
There are two realms in existence, running concurrently—the spiritual and the physical realms.
The spirit realm is the parent of the physical realm.
The physical things we see came from spiritual things we cannot see.
For instance, angels exist even though we cannot see them with our physical eyes.
“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).
The spiritual eyes of the servant were opened, giving him the ability to see the spiritual realm (2 Kings 6:15-17).
When we became born again, God placed many good things on the inside of us (our born-again spirits).
When we are facing troubling challenges in life, we can acknowledge those good things within us (Philemon 1:6).
Our salvation encompasses our soundness, wholeness, deliverance, healing, and prosperity.
By faith, we take ownership of what God has already done.
The Bible says Joseph was successful and prosperous even though he was a slave (Genesis 39:2, AMP).
Notice that his occupation or position in life did not determine whether he would ultimately succeed in life.
Joseph succeeded in everything he did. He eventually became the prime minister of Egypt.
The key to Joseph’s success was the presence of God in his life.
From society’s standpoint, success is determined by a person’s occupation, associations, popularity, and the amount of money and material things he or she has accumulated.
However, the biblical definition of success is determined by God’s presence.
As Christians, we are successful because God is with us. Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us.
We cannot serve two masters; we will either love one or hate the other. We cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
Mammon is a wicked spirit that grips and enslaves people through the medium of money.
A person’s attitude toward money will reveal his or her attitude toward God.
Mammon fights to be priority in our lives. However, we should obey God’s Word instead of the wicked spirit of mammon (Proverbs 3:9, 10, AMP).
God says to us, “If you choose me, don’t worry about your life. I’ll take care of you” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Our heavenly Father knows that we need certain things to live.
When we make Him and His kingdom agenda a priority, He will take care of our needs.
Covetousness, which is idolatry, involves removing God out of first place and replacing Him with something or someone else (Colossians 3:5; Deuteronomy 5:7).
We can develop affection for seeking money, and this is a wrong attachment to it.
A wrong relationship with money is the root of all evil (1Timothy 6:9, 10, AMP).
Those who crave to be rich will fall into many temptations and traps.
Instead of craving to be rich, we should crave Jesus.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:11).
Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Titus 2:11
Romans 5:2
Ephesians 1:3
2 Kings 6:15-17
Philemon 1:
WALTER KAMBULOW
VICTORY MINISTRIES
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