Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
(1Jn 5:3 NLT)
Do we love God by the words of our mouth alone? If our love for him does not move us to action then we do not love Him but if our hands and feet are busy doing the work He has purposed for us then we know our love for Him is real. Because He first loved us and we in turn have come to know Him by His Word we can be confident when asking for His help. We only need our eyes opened by His Holy Spirit to know we cannot make it on our own.
And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.
(1Jn 5:14 NLT)
The closer you get to the light the more cracks and crevices are revealed but that’s okay because if God has revealed these things then He has already started working on them so that your faith might be perfected in Him. We all know what sin looks like when it comes to outward actions but did you know to hear God’s Holy Spirit tell you to do something and choosing not to do it is not pleasing to God either? If God moves on your heart to minister to someone and you remain quiet that is direct disobedience, as much so as Jonah had refused the Lord when he was told to minister to the people of Nineveh (Jonah 1) but God had a plan for Jonah and He has a plan for us. So we are to pray for each other so that we might have the courage to do what the Lord asks of us.
We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
(1Jn 5:18 NLT)
If Jonah would have been allowed to get away with disobeying what do you think that would have done to his relationship with God? Eventually, his selfish desires would have taken the place of God and he would have found himself in a place much worse than the belly of that big fish. It may not have been as dramatic but to truly face life without God is no place I want to be and I know this because each time I willingly sin I turn from Him and God allows me to see where my plans lead but He is faithful to hold me not because I always want to be held but because He knows what is best for me and I love Him because of it.
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.
(1Jn 5:21 NLT)
