Through many centuries, religion has used the wrath or judgment of God to scare people into heaven. As a result, the focus becomes fixated on our sinful imperfection and the need to appease a holy God by proving ourselves through legalistic acts of self-righteousness. Rather than painting a picture of a God who is love, they painted a negative view of a deity that was always judging His people and withholding His blessing from those who did not measure up to the religious standards. Unfortunately, this religious misconception has plagued the hearts of many through the ages preventing them from discovering the goodness and loving grace of God.

At the heart of our security, as followers of Jesus, there is a fundamental truth that we must believe: “God is GOOD!” It is His goodness that continually manifests itself in the fabric of His glory and unfailing nature.

Faithfulness is a fundamental pillar of healthy and strong relationships. It reflects the nature and heart of God who is the epitome of faithfulness. From the moment that man and woman were created, God’s desire was to enter into the greatest intimacy with humanity. Throughout the scriptures, God has always been a covenant maker and a promise keeper. He is the most faithful person that you could ever know.

For many, gentleness is seen as weakness or powerlessness. However, if we unpack the spiritual fruit of gentleness, this is so far from the truth. Gentleness is powerful. It disarms conflict, brings peace, and creates an atmosphere of security and trust.

We often think of fruitfulness in regard to success or multiplication. In part, this is accurate, but in the Kingdom, it’s not just about results. Fruitfulness in the Kingdom is also measured by what is produced in your heart through the journey of life.

So much of today’s world focuses on our image – the way we want to appear to others. The dictionary defines an image as a picture in one’s mind of an idea or a representation of the external form of someone or something. Therefore, the image is only the superficial, external shell, which may have a good outward appearance, yet might also lack inward substance or authenticity.

I’ve never met a person who does not want a life of blessing and favor. However, when our lives are fraught with difficulty and challenge, we often think more about our survival rather than blessing. This mindset might keep us afloat, but it also causes us to focus on the worst that can happen. Our expectations become focused on receiving the minimum, rather than upon the abundant life we have been promised.

Love is an action; it was never designed to be contained, but to be freely given. God desires that you receive the fullness of all that He is and the key is growing in authentic RELATIONSHIP. Unconditional “agape” love requires a relationship to be fully expressed to another. When this unconditional love is experienced and received, it opens the heart to desire a greater depth of relationship called intimacy.

With all the hatred, violence, and terrorism that we see in the world, it seems that many have lost respect for the sanctity of life. The shooting and bombing of the innocent, justified by a deceived sense of righteousness and justice, reveal an absence of our most basic core value: that we were created to live by LOVE. The evil of terrorism seeks to control us through fear, but perfect love drives out all fear (1 John 4:18).

Over the past 20+ years, as one who travels globally, I have learned the importance of racking up those frequent flyer air miles. The more miles you accrue, the more upgrades become possible. Our journey with God is very similar. As you move forward through the different seasons of your life, God continually wants to give you an upgraded life. However, many of you are still traveling economy, not realizing that if you sign up for the right plan you could be traveling in business class or higher.

Throughout my travels around the world, time and time again, I realize that love is not something that you can teach. No matter how much we sing, describe, or even preach about love, the reality is, it can never be defined in informational terms. To truly understand and know love, it has to be encountered.

You were created to live a life full of love. From the moment you were born until the moment you die, and throughout eternity, you were created to love and be loved. To live a life of love is to know the One who is the origin of all love – GOD. Everything that God does stems from this heavenly DNA. Why does God forgive you? Why is He so faithful and compassionate? Why is He merciful and kind? Why did He send Jesus? Simply because He loves you!

The heart of “agape” love is a willingness to lay down one’s life for another. It is sacrificial in nature, always looking to prefer, serve, promote, and empower others. Unconditional love puts the need of others before ourselves. This often sounds heroic, but the foundation of such actions speaks to the very purity of what love looks like. The key is where love is focused.