Hi Ladies!
There is so much on my heart that I want to pour into you throughout this series that I can hardly type this out fast enough! Rip and I felt this series needed to be more “targeted” to men and women, and that is why we now have a page just for the men in your life – “Pulling the Rip Cord.” Get your guys on this page! Rip only has 2 videos on his page now primarily because … it’s BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW!! And because we really want to do this thing right…by posting videos that can be helpful, showing men “how to” do things, “how to” be a man who walks with God, “how to” get things done right and well…and mostly, just Rip wanting to encourage and be encouraged man-to-man!
But for us, as women, I can’t think of a better verse to really launch us into this new series of “Falling In Love…Again” than these verses in Galatians 5:
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.(v 13)
When I think of how we, as women who love the Lord, can experience a life where we literally can say, “My cup overflows” I really can’t think of any other way than to live a life of faith that shows in … serving one another in love!
Jesus Himself said that He came to serve, not be served. He is the Servant Leader of our life. And when I look at His life, I desperately want to serve as He served …selflessly, humbly, and in love.
We are living in a day when biting and devouring each other, when critical spirits and negativity are at an all time high. We are living in a day when gratitude is put on the shelf because “our own rights and interpretations” are what determine our thoughts and actions.
We wonder why we see so many easily angered people and profaning people, lovers of money, abusive, ungrateful, unkind, slanderous, without self-control, not basing decisions on Christian principles, harsh, conceited, lovers of what they want instead of what God wants, unforgiving with jaws clenched in pride, and with a love that’s growing cold within them. And the result? Destruction of relationships. That is the goal of satan – to destroy.
So, why is this happening? I believe we find the answers in Scripture:
- loss of genuine love for others
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Galatians 5:14-15
2. loss of genuine godliness
“There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:4-5
Have nothing to do with such people sounds “un-Christian” to some folks. But such people are enemies to Christ.
Friend, here is my heart’s desire in this series, of Falling In Love…Again. It’s to encourage the faith of women in ALL areas of their life. To encourage us all to live day after day with such an intimacy with Jesus that our life FLOWS with the love of the Father. When something flows, it has movement that touches and affects others. It’s never stagnate. When David said, “my cup overflows,” he was pointing out that his own life is full, filled to overflowing, with the favor of His God.
Psalm 23:5 says,
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
In the presence of such enemies, our CUP CAN STILL OVERFLOW!! God fills our cup with faith. That is a gift from God to every believer! God fills our cup with His Word and promises, and the result is always gratitude and the outward expressions of LOVE.
So, in introducing this series,…here’s a little video. I literally want us to learn the power of this one phrase – “FLIP THE SWITCH!” When I flip the switch in my house, the light comes on and the entire atmosphere changes. Goes from DARK to LIGHT. We, as obedient servants and friends with the Lord, we “get to” flip the switch in our minds (which is where obedience begins) and turn ON the light of truth for us to think, for us to obey, for us to walk out in this world.
We have a choice. We can keep our minds filled with the dark thoughts that we see in 2 Timothy. OR we can flip the switch to TRUTH…and ask the Spirit of God to enable us to walk in that truth in this world. Lord knows, the world needs us to!
