[Faith-talk] FW: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] URCTC Prayer Group 2 Devotional: The Power of Love by Victoria Boyson

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "BeeJay" <beejayokla at cox.net>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] URCTC Prayer Group 2 Devotional: The Power
of Love by Victoria Boyson
Date: 
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:25:14 -0600


  
The Power of Love
by Victoria Boyson 
www.speakinglife.net 

Recently, as many of you know, my laptop was destroyed - run over by a
semi. People have been curious about how it happened, but the question in
my head wasn't how, but why? Why did it happen? The Lord warned me months
before that there was going to be an attack against my laptop. I know, it
sounds odd, but that is the truth. So, I was very careful to backup and
copy everything of any importance. 

However, the question "why" still harassed me for weeks after it happened
and heavy sadness settled on me. I sought the Lord about it and I thought
about what was on the computer that would have been lost due to the
incident; what wasn't copied elsewhere? I have several books I'm writing on
there and work I've done for others, but all of that was copied on to other
computers. Then it dawned on me - the only the only thing that was not
backed up was what I'd recently written about the power of love.

It was about the power love possess to destroy the works of darkness.
Wow! It was about God's heart working through people to bring the lost to
Him and liberate them from spiritual darkness bringing them into a
relationship with Jesus Christ. It was about the generations loving and
appreciating one another. 

The Enemy's After Our Love
The Lord impressed my spirit then that the enemy was after our love! I
began to weep at the thought of it. By the enemy's pursuit of it, it showed
how terrified he is of it. The Lord reminded me of the last few years in my
own life and the enemy's constant pursuit to destroy my ability to love.

"And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many
false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be
rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-12
NLT). 

The attack on our love has increased and our ability to love has been
assaulted. With many in the body of Christ, it's been a vicious battle,
wrestling with issues of forgiveness and justice. But His Word says, "We
are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers
and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers in this dark
world, and against the evil spirits in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12
NLT). The enemy uses people to fight against us so it's not always easy to
remember who our real enemy is. 

Honestly, I can't say that I see an end to this battle for our love
coming anytime soon - the enemy's not going to quit - he's got too much to
lose to give up. But we can become wise to his plans and schemes against us
and learn from every battle we encounter. And most of all, we need to
reminds ourselves daily of the power of God's love.

Unconditional Love
God's love is limitless - hotter than fire and stronger than anything.
Look at the power in these words: "I am convinced that nothing will ever
separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or
demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not
even the powers of hell can separate us from the God's love. No power in
the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will
ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ
Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NLT). 

How deep is the Father's love for us? His unfailing love is as high as
the heavens and reaches to the sky (see Psalm 57:10). His love is
unconditional, meaning it has no conditions. God does not put stipulations
on His love. His love is real, limitless, and changeless. It is the only
love we do not have to earn in some way. 

His love is limitless, but ours isn't - His love is unconditional, but
our earthly love is full of conditions. We cannot love like this apart from
God. And when we (fallen yet, redeemed) allow His love to flow through us,
then hell trembles. His Word in Luke 6:28 NLT says, "Bless those who curse
you. Pray for those who hurt you." But our love debates this concept, it's
only by His love can we truly love. 

Relentless Pursuit
Years ago, I had an encounter that revealed the relentless power of God's
love, which showed me God's love physically in action. 

I was ministering at a women's conference in the south and we were
nearing the end of a weekend of meetings. The message had been delivered,
the alter call had been given and many women had been ministered to. God
had done a great work in everyone that had come forward. There were a few
women remaining at the altars still, but I was ready to end the meeting. I
stood ready to bring it to a close when God stopped me. "We're not done
yet," He said.  

Knowing He didn't want the meeting to end, I continued to call people to
come forward. I knew there was someone else the Lord wanted to minister to,
but no one came forward. I then felt the Lord tug at my heart. He wanted me
to sing the song Jesus Loves Me. So, I asked the pianist to play and I sang
to them. And the power of God's love coated the place - it was beautiful. I
would've been satisfied with that, but God knew what He was after.

Unbeknownst to me, God had been working on the heart of a woman in the
back of the church all during the meeting. I didn't know it, but she'd left
and come back several times. Still, she did not respond to my invitation to
come for prayer. That is, not until I sang that simple song. As I finished
singing, she literally RAN to the altar. Before I knew what was happening,
she flew into my arms; I barely had time to catch her.

She no sooner got to me than the power of God hit her and she collapsed
into my arms. We somehow got her to the floor and continued to pray for
her. But here's where it gets good. As she lay in my lap, a demon spirit
began to manifest in her. It was pretty up close and personal for me, so I
kinda freaked a little. My first thought was, "Somebody should do
something!" Then I realized, I was the "somebody." Still fairly new in this
type of ministry, I realized they were all expecting me to handle the
situation. All eyes were on me - they were all watching what I would do
next.gulp. 

My eyes turned toward this dear woman laying unconscious in my lap and
the love the Lord had for her burned in my heart. That love turned into
intense anger toward the demonic spirit that tormented her. Without even
realizing it, I started speaking to that demon in a voice so full of power
and authority it didn't even seem like my own voice. I commanded that demon
to let her go and it did. She was free!

We all began to pray for her rejoicing in everything we saw God do for
her, and God filled her that day with His spirit, restoring her soul with
His love. She was exhausted but delivered and we rejoiced with her.

She'd been sought out by God's love, captivated by His love, freed by His
love and restored by His love.

I want you to understand something; I did not even see her in the back of
the church. I didn't pursue her for Christ's sake. It was God's intense
love for His daughter that kept pursuing her again and again, not wanting
to close the meeting because of His love for her - His pursuit of her. It
makes me cry to think of His love for her and how passionately He pursued
her. She wanted so badly to leave that place, but HE kept bringing her back
again and again.

I went back to that congregation a year later and met up with her again.
I honestly didn't even recognize her - she was so changed by the power of
God's love. She was a different person. The woman who hugged me now was not
the same person I'd met a year earlier. 

Her whole family had been changed by what they'd seen God do for her, all
by the power of His love. 

So, why are we surprised that our love is under attack? It's the most
powerful weapon we possess, and we need to fight to protect it at all cost.


When Christ told us to bless those who curse us, it was for our sake, it
was to protect our hearts from cold love. 

The stronger our ability to forgive and even bless those who've been a
curse to us, the stronger our love will be - the greater the impact God
will have through us.

When you want to hate, but love instead through God's power, you unlock
the richness of heaven. You unleash God's power on yourself and those
around you!

If you want revival,

if you want revolution, 

if you want God..then love!

PS. For those of you who were curious about my laptop? God is good and
He's provided me with a new one through the love and generosity of a
wonderful couple. May the Lord richly bless them.

Scriptures taken from the NLT.

http://www.newlivingtranslation.com