Day 7 - 40 Day Prayer Journal & Empowerment Challenge

Love is always being tested.  Don’t ever discount love, because you don’t feel the emotion.  Love is mostly action.  Emotions come and go much without our permission or acknowledgement; but, our actions are always our choice.  I’ve found that when we are intentional about holding love in our hearts for someone or people in general, that the lost feeling can easily be found again.  Frankly, it’s usually not lost at all, but perhaps covered with busyness, selfishness, fear, un-forgiveness, hard-heartedness, and many other things.  These effects are simply tests of our love.

My husband and I had a heated argument once; and, I was so angry, I could remember thinking, “I hate you!!!” and, instantly, I thought “Where ‘in hell’ did that come from?” I did not utter it, because I knew it was not true; but, if I had allowed myself to be controlled by my feeling of anger in that moment, I could have blurted it out and never been able to take it back.  Knowing my husband, he would have forgiven me but that would have been forever sketched in his mind.  Our love was being tested by and from the pits of hell. Fortunately for us, we passed the test and I am so thankful!

It is imperative that we know what love is and what it is not.  It is just as important that when we find love that we never allow how we feel in a moment control what we say and how we treat each other.  When we find love, it can never be lost; even if you decide that being apart is better than being together, separating for the sake of each other’s wellbeing is still an act of love.  So, again, love isn’t lost.  Love is everywhere, it’s all knowing, and it’s the most powerful emotion.  Therefore, never give the forces of evil permission to gain entry to your heart and mind and tell you that it doesn’t exist.  Love is in you, all around you and all over you.  If you make your bed in hell, love is there, because God is Love and he is there with you.  He’s everywhere.  Just embrace that overwhelming Love, hold it in your arms and just imagine that you cannot escape it.  Then, be intentional about your feelings and actions and stand guard against any thief that seeks to rob you of it.

Our Father, please guard our hearts! We know that the line between of love and hate has been crossed by many.  We asked that you guide us so that we will never go there ourselves and that we don’t fall prey to the enemy of our souls, believe the lies he whispers to us, nor be a conduit for him to hurt our loved ones through our words and deeds.  Help us remember that Jesus sweat drops of blood and prayed earnestly to you before he was captured by the soldiers who were to later take his life.  We are more than sure Jesus did not “feel” like dying, but His love purposed Him to endure an excruciating death for us.  “There’s no greater love than for a man to lay down His life for friends.” Just like Jesus, show us how to love more perfectly, to hold love in our hearts for others even when they don’t love themselves or know how to love us back.  We are willing vessels for you right now. Use us as you will, Father, we pray! Amen!

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