Pastor David Ibiyeomie on “Understanding God’s Kind of Love” at August Week of Spiritual Empowerment SMHOS
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
*Love endures with patience. It is not only endurance, you must be patient.
*God is not prayer, He answers prayers. God is not miracles, He is a miracle-working God. He is not word of knowledge, He is not signs and wonders. God is love.
*If you are always taking account of evil done to you, then you have not understood God’s kind of love.
Give the King of glory praise for He is mighty God. Lord let your word come out with power. Let it bless your people. You may be seated.
Love is the greatest spiritual virtue and asset of every believer. 1 Corinthians 13:13. Love is your connectivity to divinity. It also defines your worth in life.
Listen carefully, God is not prayer, He answers prayers. God is not miracles, He is a miracle-working God. He is not word of knowledge, He is not signs and wonders. God is love. Can two work together except they agree? If God is love, if I don’t understand love, God can’t work with me. Love establishes our companionship with God.
Those who walk in love, no devil can kill them. 1 Corinthians 2:9. When you are a lover of God, you become a wonder on earth. I pray from this moment, you will understand what love is in your life.
Hear me well, God’s love is already in us. Romans 5:5. Every child of God has love inside of him/her. People will not know we are Christians until God’s love is demonstrated through us. If God’s love is not demonstrated through us, nobody will value your Christianity.
They will not know by your carrying a big Bible but through the demonstration of the love of God.
God’s kind of love is different from human love. Human love can turn to hatred overnight. But not God’s kind of love. God’s love is summarised in 1 Corinthians 13.
Preaching love does not mean you understand love. Love is too deep. God’s love is greater than prophecies, greater than tongues, greater than knowledge. Love is the only thing that we last because God is Love. Everything will pass away except love.
THE VIRTUES OF LOVE
I want to take my time to teach because what I am teaching is what I live.
The greatest secret of my life is love. I was talking to a young man last night and I asked him if he actually read a book I recommended because it should show if he has read it. That you preach something does not mean you understand it.
I was preaching prosperity when I didn’t understand it.
When we came out of Bible School, I didn’t understand prosperity. Bishop Oyedepo taught us prosperity but I didn’t understand. I was paying tithe but I didn’t understand. When we were to start this ministry, I was under pressure.
There was a man I prayed for and I went to him that I was going to Port Harcourt. He gave me different excuses. Within me, I knew I was trying to solicit.
So I told myself, boy you don’t understand prosperity because you are trying to get this money through lobbying. I told myself the truth that since I am still trying to beg money from someone, it shows I don’t understand it yet.
So I sat with Copeland’s book and got revelation of prosperity.
Till Jesus comes, no economy can make me poor. I got the light of Kingdom wealth. If you don’t know it you don’t know it. It is not by age. You could have been in church for years and still not know it.
- God’s love endures long and it is patient and kind. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-5.
Many can endure for a while but not patient and kind while enduring. I have endured you o but I am running out of patience. It means you don’t understand love.
Think about how God is putting up with all the nonsense we have been doing. It is not something impossible. God would not have asked us to love one another if it was not possible. Many are impatient with one another. I have been there before so I know what I am talking about. I want to do it my own way is still the flesh speaking.
Many people who are working with me would have been sacked before they got to where they are if I never understood the meaning of love because they have made terrible mistakes. Most of them have made corrections and have grown now. However, a lot of them cannot tolerate their junior ones because they don’t have the revelation that I have. There is no perfect person.
One of the pastors in this ministry was praying for a sick man and he was praying without confidence. I told him if this man does not get well, you won’t eat. I told them to carry all the sick persons to him, I didn’t sack him but I challenged him.
Today, he is one of the people God is using in healing here. I am patient with all the people working with me.
Listen, if you want to understand love, you must be patient with people. You don’t just endure, you must also be kind to the same people.
This is the virtue marriages are missing. Love endures with patience. It is not only endurance, you must be patient. You are no longer kind, that is not love. Love makes you patient and kind. Has God been patient with you?
- God’s love does not insist on its own right. If you always want to have your way, that is not God’s love. God’s love is not selfish; it is sacrificial. Sometimes you put others above yourself. If you always seek your own interests first, you can’t manifest God’s kind of love. When I am with my workers, I don’t eat until they eat.
I can’t travel with my workers and eat without them eating.
I went to Abuja for a programme in Abuja. I was given a presidential suite. I came out and asked for the room for those who came with me. I refused to settle down until I saw they were all comfortably taken care of.
I am not preaching theory; I am teaching what I do. If you are always taking account of evil done to you, then you have not understood God’s kind of love. Are you picky? touchy? resentful? then watch it. You need to check your “Lovethometer”
A man of God who I should be angry with. I have been the one that has helped him more. I went to see him with two other Bishops. I had a painful experience this year and he didn’t check up on me at all. In the midst of that painful experience, his mother passed on.
I went to him. I gave him an offering and to crown it all, he still invited me to be the speaker at the mother’s funeral. I drove the long distance of the very bad road. I understood love that I don’t have to be counting his wrongs.
Let me ask you a question.
if you are in the shoes of Joseph, what will you do?
Everyman at the top has this secret. Many of you will deal with your siblings and not act like Joseph.
May God give you understanding. You don’t look at the offense people commit against you. I didn’t pay back because I understand it. I am not preaching love, I live love.
When God’s love dominates you, you will not pay attention to what wrong people have done to you.
People preach love, pastors preach love but don’t walk in love. If you want to know a man of God walks in love, try to praise another man of God in his presence, if he doesn’t make a negative remark, he is walking in love.
Behave like Joseph. Love brings promotion without struggles. Joseph was promoted because God knows that he is a man with a large heart.
- God’s love does not fail. 1 Corinthians 13:8.
God’s kind of love is failure-proof. It can transform any marriage. If you don want to fail in life, walk in love. I can’t fail because I walk in love. I have seen men of God who preach love and you will know they don’t understand what they are preaching. There is a way a man of God talks about other pastors that we make his members resentful to them.
- God’s love forgives. 1 Corinthians 13:5b.
Forgiveness becomes easy when you have a revelation of the love of God. If you don’t walk in love, you will die early. Bitterness makes your destiny embittered. Ephesians 4:32. Refuse to be ruled by flesh. Be ruled by the word of God.
Some people will give conditional forgiveness.
You are yet to understand love. I have offended my wife very many times but love keeps us going.
You know you can offend people without you even knowing.
Lack of patience and forgiveness is making divorce rate increase on a daily basis.
Love is not static; it is dynamic.
Love grows.
It is a fruit of the Spirit.
You must keep growing in love. The way I love now is higher than before.
There is a thing I am planning to do for four of my Pastors whom have been with me for years that I have not done for myself. I am not preaching love; I live love.
There is nothing you will do in love that will reduce you.
BENEFITS OF GOD’S KIND OF LOVE.
- God’s kind of love never fails. If I want to succeed, what do I do? all I need to do is to walk in love. If love does not fail, it means once you walk in love, you will be successful. You can be so spiritual but if love is missing, you can’t be successful.
- Love guarantees instant answers to prayers. God answers your prayers once you walk in love. 1 John 3:22-23. When we live in love, he answers your prayers without delay.
Solomon got instant answer because he loved God. 1 Kings 3:3, 13. If you want God to answer you, walk in love.
You want speedy response from God, don’t sing love; walk in love.
PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS
-As you walk in love, may the proofs of love show in your life.
- Where others are struggling and crawling, you will be succeeding.
- From today, you will get results without stress in the name of Jesus.
- You will enjoy the companionship of God wherever you are found in Jesus mighty name.