Love ~VS~ Lust Part 2
Stacey Lunsford
My objective in sharing the message of hope, entitled love vs lust is to distinguish the attributes and characteristics of God's love vs lust which is satan's imitation of God's love.
John 10:9-11, I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
This scripture clearly identifies the plans of the enemy, he comes to, steal, kill and destroy you!
The Encarta dictionary defines steal, kill and destroy as follows:
- Steal is to take something unlawfully: to take something that belongs to somebody else, illegally or without the owner's permission
- Kill is to cause something living to die: to cause the death of a person, animal, or other organism
- Kill is to overpower something subtle or less strong: to destroy or severely damage an essential, often delicate quality in something by superimposing something stronger
- Kill is to block a plan: to prevent a proposal such as the passing of a congressional bill from going through
- Destroy is to demolish: to demolish something or reduce something to fragments
- Destroy is to ruin something or make something useless
- Destroy is to abolish, rescind, or end something
- Destroy is defeat to defeat somebody in a crushing way
Let's take a look at John 3:16 (Amplified) For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten unique Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
God loves us so much that He gave up His only begotten Son for us so that we would not be killed, destroyed, come to destruction and be lost. Jesus willfully gave up His life for us that so that we might have life and that more abundantly.
Having said that, let's go back to John 9:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
What or who is preventing you from living an abundant life?
What does it abundant mean?
The encarta dictionary defines abundant as:
- Plentiful: present in great quantities
- Well-supplied: providing a more than plentiful supply of something
The opposite of abundant is scarce.
The Encarta dictionary defines scarce as:
- Insufficient: being in insufficient supply
- Insufficient is inadequate, not enough in amount or quality to satisfy a purpose or standard
Do you believe that God loves you? He does! In our lifetime, we will meet both positive and negative people that will impact or influence our lives in either a positive way or a negative way.
- When it comes to God's love for you, do you allow the positive opinions and words of encouragement to enlighten you and help you to grow in God's love in a positive way?
- When it comes to God's love for you, do you allow the negative opinions or put downs of others cause you to doubt God's love for you in a negative way?
Accepting the positive opinions and edifying words of others will help you to grow, blossom, be fruitful and prosper in God's love.
Accepting the negative opinions and put downs of others is one of the many devices that satan uses (in using the mouths of negative people) to verbally tear you down, in an effort to stifle your growth and prevent you from growing in God's love.
- Do you believe that God loves you?
- Do you love yourself?
- What is hindering you from growing in God's love?
- What or who are your love stealers?
- What or who is feeding you, helping you to grow in satan's imitation of love, which is lust?
Having said that, let's go back to John 9:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
