By Keiko Chibana-Shinn | Rediscovering Prayer
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Cor. 13: 4-8
The love found in Christ takes us on an unexpected journey. It’s a path that could not be calculated, determined, or designed by human initiative. It’s a journey of ultimate self-discovery made evident through the wonder-working hands of the Maker of our souls. God wants us to live an abundant life, therefore anything less than an adventure filled with challenges and triumphs, epic twists and turns just won’t do.
It is for freedom that Jesus came. He came to expose the authenticity of God’s great love for His creation. Value for life, it’s meaning, and purpose is expressed through the reality of an unbreakable love found in the midst of hardships- in all it’s variations, shapes, and forms, we cannot escape the problems in life. We are called to face them head on.
Thankfully, we were designed to live this life together, to walk shoulder to shoulder in love and unity by the bond of peace and through a supernatural love that comes straight from our Father, into our hearts. Freedom that Christ offers is the freedom to love from a pure heart, cleansed by the One who has made a way for us to partake of a living faith. It’s the kind of faith that allows us to stand firm and love in ways that demonstrate the weight and power of a forgiven heart.
Through all of my mishaps, failures, and excuses, God still pursues me and believes in me. He believes in you too. He sees in you something that is worth fighting for. Jesus fought the greatest battle of all and He confronted it head on for us and for the sake of mankind. Jesus fought the ugliest war and sustained its wounds, the intense bloodshed, and the massive blows as it all fell on His shoulders so we would be spared from it and receive a peace that transcends our human understanding and a love that covers a multitude of sins.
Jesus call us to our knees, not to uphold an unhealthy burden but to lay it down at His feet once and for all. What would our families look like if mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers would continuously call upon the One who is able to do exceedingly beyond all we can think or imagine? I am assured our lives would be filled with adventures worth having, renewed faith, and grace for a fresh start. We would truly be the builders of His Kingdom.
The Word of God says that a house divided cannot stand. Lord, we need you like never before. Your Church, your bride, is in great need of you. It’s time for us to pray and lift up a wall of Holy Spirit fire to cover the hearts of His children. May we pray for a revelation of the protection His love brings to free us from the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy.
May Jesus relieve us by His Spirit and give us a fresh perspective as we do a heart check before Him. The plea of my heart is for God to tear down everything in my heart that brings toxic division, hatred, and criticism against His creation. May He pluck out the planks in my own eyes and may I see Jesus raise up His forever family to be the viable solution for this broken world. May the love that has been invested in our hearts run its full course in our lives. Let us not hamper His love, may we receive it in full. Each day, may we ask: Lord, flood our hearts with your love, a love that never fails.
Prayer: Lord, You have come to set the captives free and have given us a new spirit that we may not fall back into fear but follow in your footsteps without any reservation. May we yearn to love you, Father, in a new way that we may love one another from a place of health and wholeness. Let the language we use to bless your name and pray through your Spirit be the same language we use in our daily interactions, from our family and friends, to our enemies. May you inspire us to speak a language of faith immersed in love just as if we were speaking directly to you, Father.
Every conversation, every interaction with your creation is an opportunity to see You move and an opportunity to experience supernatural encounters with you as we build bridges of healing, unity, and restoration for those you are calling back to yourself.
May we take our rightful place in your kingdom by representing it with fervor, passion, and authority from on High. Elevate our faith in you that we may see your grace
operating in our marriages, our families, and through your Church.
For you give us your wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to attain truth that sets us free from divisive powers of the evil one and our own carnal desires. May we be brave
enough to want your honest truth so we may gain self-awareness and a discerning eye that delivers us toward clarity to know what is of you and what isn’t.
Bombard us with your love that leads us to repentance, your truth that breaks the yoke of injustice, and your Spirit that empowers us to rest our minds on you. You are forever good and there is none like you Lord. In your name, Jesus, I pray.