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•A Prayer to See Love the Way God Does•By Anthony Valente👉 “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.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) • Love makes the world go round. • All you need is love. Make love, not war. • Love is love. All these quotes have something in common. They were used when people desperately needed peace, unity, and love. Grabbing at a sense of belonging and ultimately craving love. But these sayings are “man” made. They were created to define love, but they all miss a crucial element. There is no mention of God in any of them! Not saying that God cannot be in them, but He is not the main focus. Ok, my friend, this is where things get a little messy. Bear with me for a moment. On the surface, speaking these simply sweet “love phrases” sounds nice enough, but what’s not discussed much is that something is lurking underneath (as with anything created by man). It’s called the tainting of our flesh. In essence, these quotes, sayings, and phrases are all very misleading. While they long to embrace love, they look at the worldly view of love, not the perspective of love that God designed.Let’s take the current trend of “love is love.” This basically says that we define love. We get to say what love is and how we want to honor and celebrate it. Not God, but us! Unfortunately, this is leading us into very dangerous territory, especially as the views of love vary from person to person. When we remove God (Who is love) from the context of love and let our own fleshly desires in, love is no longer patient or kind. It begins to envy and boast. It dishonors others and becomes self-seeking. It is easily angered and keeps records of “right” and wrongs, all while delighting in evil. There is no need for protection as it deems untrustworthy and hopeless. Manmade love will always fail. This is happening in our society, and we are seeing an uptick in accepting and celebrating types of love that go against God’s will and way for our lives. Sadly, the most vulnerable and innocent, our children, are caught in this sinful and lustful love trap. Friend, we are living in disheartening times. So, what do we do? We choose God’s love, and we love as Jesus did. We love with patience, kindness, and humility. However, we do not tolerate or delight in evil but rejoice in the truth and share it with our children. We strive to protect them and speak up for righteousness while holding fast to the fact that God has them and us. We need to spread the truth that our God is the God of love. He created it. He designed it, and He gets to define it. The pure nature of the love God created is meant to bring us closer together as humans, but more importantly, to bring us into a deeper relationship with Him.Let’s pray.✝️ Gracious God,You are such a good God. A faithful Father that loves us without end. Thank You for Your unfailing and unwavering love. Please help us share that love with others. While it is disheartening to see the many ways our world embraces love, as believers, help us be a light and share the beautiful and unconditional love You offer. Lord, please protect our children and build a barrier of protection around their hearts. Help them see and feel Your love so that they will be encouraged to share Your love with others as they grow up in a lost world. We ask that You speak into the lives of the lost. Change hearts and transform minds. We are all searching for love, so lead and guide us on how to share our hearts and love others as You would have us do. Please bless our relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters, our families, our spouses, and those desperately searching for Your love. We ask all these things in Your Precious Name,AMEN 🙏 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8)“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"(1 John 3:1)“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."(Jeremiah 31:3)I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.(Galatians 2:20)“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."(Zephaniah 3:17)For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(John 3:16)And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.(1 John 4:16)You shall not sleep with a male as one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination.(Leviticus 18:22)Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.(James 5:20)“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?(Luke 15:4)If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(Mark 16:16)The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?(Psalm 118:6)Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.(Romans 12:2)Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.(Proverbs 22:6)No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:37-38)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”(Luke 18:17)(pic verse)Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.(Matthew 9:20-22)Artist 👨‍🎨 I Am With You Always - David Delfeld