WE ARE the Body of Christ: WE MUST Love Like God!

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

How can WE, who are naming the name of God, say we love God, but hate our brothers and sisters, in or out the Church (1 John 4:20)?

We cannot love God and hate others (1 John 4:20)!! God is love and if we are in Christ, we are new creatures, old things have passed away, and ALL things are new, not some things, but ALL things (2 Corinthians 5:17)!!

It’s time we kill the old man, the old nature, once and for all; stop straddling the fence (Romans 6:6-23)!! It’s either God or the devil; we cannot serve them both!! The devil wants us to act unseemly; he wants us to behave like we used to behave - how we used to clown and tell people off!! That’s not the way of the Father!! We are to love our enemies, love the ones who despitefully use us!! There is no more eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth!! 

Thank you, Bishop Gary L Greer, my Pastor at the Lisbon Church of God, in Lisbon FL, for that powerful message this morning as usual!! It really stirred me up!! I didn’t realize how much the message penetrated my spirit, until after I finished listening to it! I am not just posting because I don’t have anything to do, I have plenty to do.

I am telling you all, it’s not worth holding unforgiveness against anyone, especially family members!! During this time, we need our families like never before!! I want to share my testimony of what happened, after I listened to the message from my Bishop this morning; God changed me on the inside!!

I will make a long story short: something happened over a year ago, between my brothers, sister, and I, that caused me to not speak with them since; nothing they did, it was all me!! I felt a certain way, told them off, and had not spoken to them since!! This was my fault as I said; I thought the wrong way about them because it “looked” like something was wrong, with our relationship - I thought they didn’t want to be around me. But I perceived the wrong thing; it was not like I thought.

And of course, the enemy fed that thought to me, and I believed it!! But after the message by Bishop Gary this morning, I begin to sing praises to God (I was not thinking about them at all. But God wanted me to be TOTALLY free of conflict with people - where God is taking me, I cannot have ANY unforgiveness in my heart against ANYONE) and God laid on my heart to call my sister. 

I called her, but she didn’t answer. I called my brother and thank God he answered. And I immediately begin to apologize to him for the things I said. He assured me, he had moved passed that and begin asking me how I was.

I could not move on, I began to weep, and weep, because I realized I didn’t want to lose my family, and how much I loved my family!! God’s love in me, broke through the unforgiveness I had carried all this time against my family (for nothing; on a lie from the devil), and broke the power of bitterness out my heart!! 

And I kept telling my brother that I didn’t want to lose him and he once again, assured me, I had not and those were comforting words!! We reconciled, and we told each other we loved each other!! That’s the love of God, flowing in our hearts!! God ALONE is love, and we CANNOT have the love of God in our hearts, without the One who is love, God!! 

Now what if I would have ignored God’s prompting to call my sister? What if I would have chosen to continue to believe the lie of the devil, that they cared nothing for me? I would have missed my deliverance!! Thank You Father for delivering ME from the trap of the devil and reconciling me with my brother!! 

Thank you, Bishop Gary, for allowing God to use you, to give us what we needed this morning, and not just up saying something; to give ME what I NEEDED this morning!! God sent that message to ME; if no one else needed it, I did, and God knew it!!

So, you all see, God is a Deliverer, a Restorer, and sooooooooo much more!! Just like God reconciled me with my brother, who I had not spoken with in over a year, He can do the same for you all!! I have one more brother to call and will he be calling my sister back!! But it was me taking the step to obey God, and call my sister, which led to calling my brother. Why don’t you all take that step today, and reach out to your loved ones you have an alt against, or they have with you and watch God intervene? God’s Blessings to you all and your families!!

Remember, the enemy does not want you to be unified with your family because where there is unity, there is strength!! And the Word says, one can chase a thousand, and two can put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30-43)!!

And Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Father I thank You for giving me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, so that I might be called a tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, so that You can be glorified!! I will NEVER be the same, after today!! I love You Father, I love You Jesus, I love You Holy Spirit!!

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In His Service,

Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

Jesus loves you so why not give Him your life today?