CHRIST’S LOVE IN A WORLD OF COUNTERFEITS

And above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.Colossians 3:14

To stand against the forces that seek to extinguish Christ’s love in a world awash with counterfeits, we must first recognize their flawed definitions. There’s a selfish “love” that’s more accurately called pride, fueling the world’s obsession with “bodily autonomy.” People chant, “My body, my choice,” or “love is love,” elevating themselves as their own gods. Meanwhile, those who uphold the sanctity of life or the biblical design for marriage (much less the biblical and biological definition of male and female) are branded as bigoted haters.

We live in a culture that claims to value truth but worships subjectivity — the very antithesis of truth. If everything is subjective, truth ceases to exist, for truth is unchanging and absolute. Yet Scripture proclaims a different reality: Psalm 119:160 declares, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Connecting the dots: God is love, and His word declares that He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever(Hebrews 13:8). True love is consistent — unwavering in nature and aligned with God’s word.

Consider John 14:15, where Jesus declares, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Here, love moves beyond being defined by God’s character to being demonstrated through obedience to His commands. So, what does it look like to show this love? It looks like pursuing righteousness, sharing the gospel, and standing unyieldingly for biblical truth in every sphere of life. To put on love is to live boldly for Christ, reflecting His heart in a world desperate for the real thing.

To put on love is to be willing to take slander for the sake of Christ, “having good conscience” because “those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:16). To put on love means to accept that we will be hated for His namesake,but he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22-24). To put on love is to know that persecution is inevitable for “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:12). But “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

Do you see the pattern? For every bit of slander, hatred, persecution, or threat we receive for being clothed in Christ, we are rewarded by, in, and for His goodness. This world, dear reader, is not our home. We’re in the world, but we’re not of it (John 17:16). No, this is the land of the prince of darkness (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2). Though Christ reigns supreme, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We have no guarantee of comfort here, nor should we desire it.

Consider John 14:15, where Jesus declares, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Here, love moves beyond being defined by God’s character to being demonstrated through obedience to His commands. So, what does it look like to show this love? It looks like pursuing righteousness, sharing the gospel, and standing unyieldingly for biblical truth in every sphere of life. To put on love is to live boldly for Christ, reflecting His heart in a world desperate for the real thing.

To put on love is to be willing to take slander for the sake of Christ, “having good conscience” because “those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:16). To put on love means to accept that we will be hated for His namesake, “but he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22-24). To put on love is to know that persecution is inevitable for “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:12). But “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

Do you see the pattern? For every bit of slander, hatred, persecution, or threat we receive for being clothed in Christ, we are rewarded by, in, and for His goodness. This world, dear reader, is not our home. We’re in the world, but we’re not of it (John 17:16). No, this is the land of the prince of darkness (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2). Though Christ reigns supreme, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We have no guarantee of comfort here, nor should we desire it.

Putting on Christ boldly means we long for the day when we are with Him face-to-face. And when that day comes, do you know what it means? No more pain, suffering, slander, persecution — you name it. Do you know what else it means? We will be surrounded not by counterfeit loves that entice us toward destruction, but perfect, complete, holy, heavenly love — not just with Christ, but with all of His people. There’s perfect love found in our Saviour, and in eternity, we’ll finally see it in full — without blemish. It’s a love so pure and complete that it’s hard to fathom this side of heaven.

Yet, while we are still dwelling on this side of heaven, let us clothe ourselves in Christ. Let us put on love — His love — boldly, faithfully, and unapologetically, trusting that every step we take in obedience brings us closer to the day when we will see Him in all His glory, surrounded by the perfect harmony of His eternal love. Let us put on His love, knowing, right now, we’re the closest to hell we’ll ever be, and the farthest from heaven we’ll ever be. Put on His love, even in a world that mocks you for it, because it is the only true love there is.

In one final thought, I want to encourage you not to grow weary in doing good — in loving your neighbour. This world has always been drenched in darkness, but it appears especially bleak right now. Death, hostility, hate, and more are right on our doorsteps, threatening to break in. But we dwell in God’s house, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and God has promised never to abandon those whom He loves.

Stand firm. Pray fervently. Trust God. Love boldly.

GREAT TEACHING ON GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU

Lecrae sits down with bestselling author and speaker Francis Chan to unpack what it really looks like to live loved—and fearful—in a culture of hype and insecurity. In this emotionally honest conversation, Francis shares how early loss shaped his urgency for eternity, why he walked away from megachurch fame to pursue authentic community, and how a breakthrough in understanding God’s perfect love radically altered his ministry and personal identity.

This video challenged my understanding of God’s love for me, and I believe it will for you, too. Do you feel as if you have to earn God’s love? Most do, but do you know God’s love for you is beyond understanding? This video has so much profound and necessary teaching, you must watch it..

Read some of the comments on the video:

@jonathanvijongarth

I don’t think people will realise how important what Francis Chan is saying here. It sounds simple, but a lot of the issues we have are because we don’t fully believe that God loves us. We know the Scriptures, but believing them is another thing.

@Sethinthecity_

Not going to lie, this conversation gave me a whole new appreciation for Francis Chan and his ministry. Lecrae may be one of the best interviewers working right now.

SPIRITUAL PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS: AMERICA IS AT WAR

A great article by S.A. McCarthy. He serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

Every doctrine that Christianity preaches, leftism preaches its own perversion of it. The love advocated by Christianity is rooted in absolute truth, in “Love Himself,” as C.S. Lewis once put it. Leftism advocates “love” unmoored, anchored by nothing more absolute than the weight of fickle feelings and emotions — though, when those emotions are felt, they do reign supreme.

Christianity upholds sacrifice as virtuous — the giving of oneself for the sake of love is the zenith of the virtue of charity. Christ Himself tells His followers, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Leftism also values sacrifice, but never sacrifice of the self, only the sacrificing of others. Abortion is the ultimate example of this warped anti-virtue: sacrificing one’s own child for… financial comfort, a career, no responsibility, or even just consequence-free sex.

Christianity mandates submission to the will of God, accepting His design no matter how painful or difficult. Again, Christ Himself prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Leftism demands obeisance to the only god it recognizes: the self-centered self. Transgenderism is demonstrative of this: just as Christian martyrs have willingly suffered torture for the sake of their faith, so the confused, self-centered, and self-loathing suffer mutilation and torture for the sake of their own wounded and twisted egos.

Like the dominant Christianity of the Middle Ages, leftism even has its own office of the Inquisition. Those who do not toe the leftist line, who dare to question the new religion’s dogmas, are hounded out of the anti-church. The famed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is indicative of this. A multi-millionaire and self-declared feminist, Rowling was once a darling of leftist media and political activists. She supported the Labour Party in the U.K. and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Yet as soon as she voiced her concerns over transgenderism, she became a “heretic” to the church of leftism, targeted for disbarment from all the institutions controlled by leftism.

Although leftism is a uniquely 21st century phenomenon, its fundamental principles are nothing new. In fact, God has been dealing with the motivating mindset behind leftism since before the world began. The chief and unifying tenet of the leftist religion — indeed, that of all its precursors and predecessors, also — is naturalism. When first Lucifer said, in the words of the poet John Milton, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven,” naturalism was born. Naturalism is the belief, the assertion that the creature can replace the Creator, that the peasant may, if he slays the King, rule in His stead. It is the hubristic declaration that “God is dead, I am god.”

Satan was the first to declare thus, in his immense pride, galled by the humility of God’s plan to become a man, to take on the form of a mere creature — “these disgusting little human vermin,” as Lewis called them in the character of Screwtape, a hateful demon. He has declared it ever since, leading countless souls astray. In the Garden of Eden, that was the temptation offered by the Serpent: “You shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5). Throughout Scripture and, certainly, throughout human history, that has been the great temptation, the great sin: to be as gods. When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, after God led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, that temptation reared its head and the Hebrews made for themselves an idol (Exodus 32). Even then, the Hebrews fell to worshipping the demon Baal, until the prophet Elijiah proved the supremacy of God and slayed the Baalite priests (1 Kings 18).

Whether in the twilight years of the Roman Empire, throughout the Middle Ages, into the age of discovery, or even now in the modern day, men are tempted to declare themselves God, to worship their own selves over the crucified and resurrected person of Christ, to adhere to their own principles or preachings as supreme. Leftism is simply the culmination of this evil, this unbridled, unrestrained pride, brought to the fore via political prowess and instituted in American culture via institutions long ago captured by the prophets of leftism: Marxists, communists, perverts, abortionists, eugenicists, atheists, relativists, and countless other little ideologues subservient to the Luciferian sin of naturalism.

The current division in America is not ultimately a matter of Left versus Right, of Democrat versus Republican, of communist versus capitalist, but of good versus evil, of naturalism (in the form of leftism) versus Christianity, of the fallen angel Lucifer and his minions versus the crucified and resurrected Christ and the forces of Heaven. The war being waged over America at present is not a matter of differing political opinions but of diametrically opposed religions.

One side says that unborn babies, the most innocent of all persons, may be executed at will, torn apart and unceremoniously vacuumed out of the wombs of their mothers; that children may, on a whim, decide to ingest hormones foreign and unnatural to their bodies before subjecting themselves to irreversible surgeries so horrific that not even the most warped and depraved authors of the 19th and 20th centuries could have imagined them; that procreation is wholly unrelated to the conjugal act, that two men might sodomize one another and call it “love”; that sex-trafficking and child sexual exploitation are just the price to be paid for virtual images of increasingly perverted sex acts, readily available to young and old at the mere click of a button; that a nation has no sovereignty and must be subjected to millions of unvetted, unrestricted immigrants.

The other side says that innocence is worth preserving, that unborn children and their mothers must be cherished and protected from the evils of the abortion mill; that children must be raised to think and think critically, think well, think deeply; that the family is the basic and fundamental unit of society, that the very fabric of civilization would unravel without the family as its basis; that love necessitates self-sacrifice, not self-gratification; that nations have a God-given right to defend their borders and preserve the safety and security of their own people; that Christ is indeed King.

This present war is not between two ideological factions but between powers and principalities, between leftism and Christianity, between good and evil, and between God and Satan. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve… As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

ONLY GOD DEFINES WHAT IS GOOD AND EVIL

God gave us His commandments to define what is lawful. God’s law is Holy. His commandments are Holy, righteous, and good. God defines what is sinful. Moreover, God gave each of us a conscience, an inner sense of right and wrong. One reason is because He loves us, and He doesn’t want us to destroy our lives and the lives of others through our evil deeds. But He also gave it to us to show us our need for Christ. He alone can forgive our sins, change our hearts, and then help us live the way we should.

The conscience is defined as that part of the human psyche that induces mental anguish and feelings of guilt when we violate it and feelings of pleasure and well-being when our actions, thoughts, and words are in conformity with our value systems. The Greek word translated “conscience” in all New Testament references is suneidēsis, meaning “moral awareness” or “moral consciousness.” The conscience reacts when one’s actions, thoughts, and words conform to or are contrary to God’s standard of right and wrong.

When King Solomon rebuked someone who had wronged his father, he said, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did” 1 Kings 2:44

Tragically, our conscience—this inner moral compass that ought to point us to right and wrong—can become dulled and suppressed, and we may not even be able to hear its warnings. Instead, we deliberately choose to do wrong—and the more we do this, the more calloused or hardened our conscience becomes. Some people, the Bible says, “suppress the truth by their wickedness” Romans 1:18

The world is increasingly suppressing God’s truth and is now openly opposed to it. It has embraced evolution and naturalism so that Man can make up His own rules. Christians who hold to God’s values are being treated as bigots and haters. Jesus said that in the last days before He returns this would be the case and we need to prepare for it.

“”Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.Matthew 24:9-12

As Christians, we are to keep our consciences clear by obeying God and keeping our relationship with Him in good standing. We do this by the application of His Word and submitting to the indwelling Holy Spirit’s leading. We need to help those whose consciences are weak, treating them with Christian love and compassion. Don’t give in to cynicism or despair but ask God to help you point others to Christ’s transforming power.

ELON MUSK SPEAKING GOOD SENSE

I was surprised positively by Elon’s views on birthrate, wokeness, climate change, and even AI. Sadly, he is an evolutionist, and the fact he does not fear God is a major problem. Nevertheless, I think there is much wisdom in this video hence its inclusion on my site.

HOW JESUS CHANGES LIVES

Jesus will love you into His Kingdom. This is a great authentic testimony from a girl who was living the gay lifestyle. You just know that she experienced the love of God in how she relates His dealings with her. How gracious and forgiving, He was at all stages of her journey and despite one major backslip.

Delafé Testimonies is a global evangelistic project with the mission of creating the world’s largest archive of Jesus’ testimonies. Their vision is to save souls, build community, and set people free through the testimony of Jesus. One of the ministries God has raised up for these last days prior to Jesus’ return.

HOW TO STAND STRONG IN THE END TIMES

We are witnessing shakings that disrupt virtually every life, disrupting the world, setting cities on fire, changing governments, and ushering in an agenda that wars against God’s people. Is there a way to stand strong and immovable through it all? Jonathan Cahn tells us how to find it – and live it.

There is no doubt in my mind that God is using Jonathan Cahn to alert the church to what God is doing in line with end times Biblical prophecy. Regardless of what Satan does to deceive the world when the Antichrist comes on the scene, our hope must be in the fact that God is in control of history. Satan’s time of controlling the world is coming to an end. Make sure you are on the winning side.

CHRIST LIKE LOVE

What does “love” look like?

The problem with discussions of love in most Christian circles is that “love” is too often undefined.

I would assert that biblical love is Christlike love. Or, as Paul states:

with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

“For our sake, He (Heavenly Father) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus, of course, demonstrated what this love looks like when He went to the cross. Consequently, a person who is transformed by biblical love is a person that consistently lays down one’s life for others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,Philippians 2:5-9

Biblical love surrenders power for the sake of the other

Christ’s display of this kind of love on the cross also demonstrates what true power looks like. Christian power, in other words, is loving the other so much that one is willing and prepared to die for the other.

This means that in the kingdom of God power is manifested in love—self-sacrificing love! This kind of power stands in stark contrast to the way power works in the world.

LOVE OF GOD NEVER CEASES

All of God’s promises are great and there are so many we will never exhaust them. But the following verse is such comfort it is worth putting it up somewhere to remind you. It is a popular verse so perhaps you have already done so.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:22-26

POWER IN KINDNESS AND LOVE

Oscar Amaechina is president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, a group that seeks to take the Gospel and the love of Christ to African towns where people have never heard about Jesus and to make them realize that His return is imminent. Therefore, all hands must be on deck to evangelize the African continent in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Amaechina told The Christian Post recently about a group of people he once encountered on a challenging mission field in Nigeria.

“We were ministering to people, and some people came to kill us. They confessed that they were there to kill us,” he said. “We saw them with their guns and machetes, and we believed that that was our last breath.”

Amaechina and those with him assumed they would face almost certain death — but then something incredible happened.

Rather than cower, beg, or panic, he and his fellow missionaries decided to do a kind act for the assailants. They provided them with food and resources, and it changed absolutely everything.

“We gave them rice, gave them spaghetti, gave them cream and soup … and they moved away from us,” he told The Post. “They returned, and one of their leaders spoke to us through an interpreter and said, ‘We were here to kill you. Since we are poor, no one has ever given us gifts, but because of these gifts, we want to become Christians.’”

So, not only did Amaechina and the group secure their survival, but they also saw those who came to kill them experience heart change and transformation. He said he “couldn’t believe it.”

“We led them to Christ. It was wonderful, it was awesome, and it was an eye-opener,” he said. “Since that day, we have never resisted showing kindness. There’s power in kindness and love. And that is what we believe in ministry.”

Amaechina’s story is a powerful reminder of the life change that is possible when Christians live out Jesus’ command to “love God and love others.”