29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-34 (NIV)
Promise Keeper
In July 2017, I had the opportunity to attend the Return of the Helper (ROTH) conference in Lagos, Nigeria hosted by Lady Bidemi Mark-Mordi. This was a monumental opportunity for me, because 29 years earlier, May 8, 1988 to be exact, the Holy Spirit spoke to me audibly “The Continent of Africa”. At the time, I was a college student in my last semester of school before returning home. I lived in an intimate apartment space, one bedroom, one bath; this apartment was my womb, the place where God and I became acquainted. My greatest joy was to come home from school and read my Bible until night fell. No friends, no T.V., only Jesus and me. I remember that day, just like any other, I had gotten up to have my “quiet time” with God and then prepared to leave for classes. Growing up, I learned that dishwashing liquid also made great bubble-bath, so as I prepared my bath, I was interrupted by a voice. When I heard the voice, I turned my head in the direction of the sound – “The Continent of Africa”, I then felt an impression to look around. In so doing I looked into the bathtub where the bubbles made a perfectly formed shape of the Continent of Africa. I was amazed by what I saw, I stared down into the water until the suds were nearly dissipated.
My 29 Year Journey
For 29 years I have held this in my heart, through a failed marriage, miscarried child, health challenges, countless character failures and relational hurt with rejection. From the passage of scripture above, it says that you shall “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Through the years I have retained one heartsong, the song of Love. Through it all I have never stopped loving Jesus; though I didn’t sometimes understand His ways, I held on to love. Nor did I once use my mouth to publicly or privately vandalize the names of those who hurt me.
The Bible declare that the lifestyle of a Believer is a life of faith.
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him”.
- Hebrews 10:38
Well, I would like to say that I have been a pillar of faith these past twenty nine years; I would like to say that I have never doubted, trembled, cried, feared or questioned – but that would not be true. When I was at my lowest point one thing held true, I loved God and I loved people.
Faith Works by Love
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- Romans 5:5
Looking back, I realize that the time I spent with Jesus in that one bed room apartment was preparation for the years to come. He was storing Himself in me for the journey ahead. Where there was faith failures love sustained me.
If you find yourself in a dark place and you feel as though your faith has faltered, look inside of your heart for a song of love that is greater than your own. Because God is love, His love never fails and is resident in your heart. Often times we strive to be faith giants when actually we need only focus on loving. The Bible says that “faith works by love” (Galatians 5:6). The word works mean to become operational, active or energized. Your faith is activated by love. Set your focus on loving God and loving people, you will find that His love in your heart will sustain you and make your faith operative.
My translation of Galatians 5:6 is:
Our lifestyles of faith are made effectual by our heartsongs of love.