I KNOW YOU LOVE ME

 

2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)

For this reason, I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I KNOW whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

 

2 Timothy 1:12 (TPT)

The confidence of my calling enables me to overcome every difficulty without shame, for I have an intimate revelation of this God. And my faith in him convinces me that he is more than able to keep all that I've placed in his hands safe and secure until the fullness of his appearing.

 

 

I have yet to meet an older sibling who has never wished to be the last born. It must be because of the task of caring for younger siblings or the inability to tolerate their annoying characters. Although I have tried my best to act like I do not care about my younger siblings, I have failed to clarify that to one of my younger brothers. For reasons only known to him, he can confidently say anywhere that I love him no matter how strict I try to be or look. Whenever my little brother says that, he seems too serious for me to think he is playing. He is the only younger sibling who can boldly ask me for money or a favour, believing that I will never be able to say "No!" after repeatedly asking him to have me as a last option in the 'Older Sibling Duty'. It is always the audacity he gets to return, even when I have made it a lifelong duty to be a disappointment. Sometimes, when it becomes annoying, I have no other way than to give in.  

 

So, there was a day he had gone to make a bad deal and was being threatened spiritually. Although I have on several occasions advised him to build a personal relationship with the Lord and stop depending on the spirituality of those around him, he will always brush it off with this statement: "You are my covering." While he confidently says this, I wonder if this young man wants me to join our dad before my time. Anyway, he called me and narrated the story when the issue came up. After the briefing session, I asked him if he was expecting my sympathy or advice because I had none for him. Again, with that audacity, this gentleman tells me that he had already told the person that if the person tried him, he would have to deal with his big brother spiritually. At that juncture, I had to ask him to repeat himself. Again, with the same audacity, he repeated himself. After my silence for a minute, all he said before hanging up was, "I was only informing you so you can pray about it." I didn't know whether to call him and let him have a piece of my mind or trick him into meeting up with me, so I gave him a good beating.

 

As I sat there contemplating, all I could ask myself was, "How can one go and look for a boxing match and then have the audacity to write another person's name instead of theirs? Like, How! Is this boy God's lesson on patience for me? Why can't I disown him and live in peace since I can't bring myself to use him for blood money?"

At that moment, the Lord explained a kingdom truth most of us have failed to walk with — we live by faith, not sight. In other words, our walk with God cannot be predicated on how we feel but strictly on what God has said to us through His infallible Word. If we can't accept whatever He has already said concerning us in His Word, how can we believe the prophecies He shares with us through fellow believers, dreams and visions? My brother hasn't based my love for him on my mood or his; he always knows because he may have seen or heard something that may never change in his opinion. Based on that, he can boldly say anywhere that his brother has always gotten his back. I may not say it, but he still believes it. I may not seem like it, but he still believes it.

 

Fellow Christian brothers and sisters, your mood swings should never be a measuring tool in your walk with God. Who God is to us, what He has already done for us, what He wants from us, and many others have nothing to do with our feelings. When the Word says that our Heavenly Father loves us (Romans 5:8-11), it is and will never change, even when we don't feel it. When the Word says God is our protection (Psalm 46:1), it will never change, even when we think we are in the darkest situations. When the Word says that you are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3), it will never change, even when we think of a poor background or a generational lineage of poverty. With you in Christ, you are the exception to that generational order. When the Word says that you have been bought and washed by the blood of Jesus (Galatians 3:13-15), it is so and wouldn't change because you think your sin is the worst of all. When the Word says that you have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13), know for a fact that there is a massive gulf because these kingdoms and your feelings aren't enough reason to lose your Sonship title in the kingdom of light.

 

All I want you to do is hold on to whatever the Lord has already said about you in His Word. Speak what He has said, act on what He has said, and Live based on what He has said, and I can assure you that you will always be a terror to the kingdom of darkness. Get your Bible and find your rights in His kingdom. We live by His Word, not our feelings.

 

You are blessed because you are in Christ, not because you are good at being a Christian.

MD.