The Reproductive System

If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Mathew 5:2315Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matthew 18:15

The Word of the Lord came to me this morning so clearly. I have been praying and seeking God asking Him to expose. There are times when we get to a place and we are tired of being tired and sick of being sick. I started asking God to expose because I'm ready to move forward. This is what He spoke to me based upon the three scriptures above.

God said our focus has too long been on production instead of reproduction. As Christians God blesses us with gifts, spiritual gifts, talents and skills needed to build His Kingdom. However, like the Master that gave out the talents, God wants us to use our gifts to reproduce something new. More specifically, what I'm explaining is that God wants others to be discipled and saved.

Before I began attending my church, I hadn't ever really been interested in graphic arts or desktop publishing. A need was exposed and God gifted me to be able to produce needed art communication for the ministry. But I'm hearing from God now that it is necessary and imperative for me to reproduce someone else who can do the job. Here's where it gets interesting and I'll get to the scriptures above in a moment.

What frequently happens is that when we experience some success in something we become comfortable and it's hard to let it go. Not only that but we begin to convince ourselves that we are the only ones who really know how to do the job, but in fact the job can be done by anyone whom God chooses, which is how you got it in the first place. We cannot be afraid to let something go. I can attest to this personally. To be transparent in my example, my fear has been that the job won't be done like I do it. God has shone me that it is good that it won't be done the way that I did it and so what. What matters is that the job gets done for the GLORY of the Lord.

So God told me this morning that there is a formula for being reproductive. It is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Here is how the formula is broken down:

1. Recognize who and whose you are. If my people, which are called by my name (We belong to God as we have been bought and paid for with the ultimate price);

2. Be broken. Would humble themselves. To be humble here calls back to the scripture that says we need to have a broken and a contrite spirit because to be broken before the Lord is to be open. Some of us see broken as a bad place, but God sees broken as the perfect place for Him to work in our lives. He can come into a broken place and work. He can fill the brokenness with His spirit. He can remove the broken pieces and replace them with joy.

3. Pray. This one is where God told me to stop and to take a look at the other scriptures. God wants us to enter in beyond the veil, but the fact is that many of us cannot pray. We cannot pray to God because we have unresolved issues with each other. Matthew 5:23 says if you remember--many of us straight out KNOW that there's an issue hanging in the air that is not resolved, but we keep trying to bring an offering to the alter and guess what? God keeps saying leave it here and go get right with your brother. God keeps saying, I can't hear you. You need to get right with your brother. But rather than get right with our brother we have perfected the art of looking like we gave our offering anyhow. We make a big production at the alter to cover up for our cowardice and disobedience. It takes a real man or a real woman of God to resolve, reconcile, repent, restore and revive when we've fallen into a place of disrepair with our brother or our sister. We have replaced prayer with play. Since God isn't hearing our prayer--since we have a form of godliness, but we're denying the power, since we refuse to obey the Word of God, then all we can do is play the game of church. All we can do is pretend with religion. God told me this morning that religion is not reproductive. It is self gratification and self satisfaction. It takes a relationship to reproduce!

4. Seek His Face. When you are dating you want face time with your boo. Talking on the phone is cool, sending love letters and text messages is fine, but you're not satisfied until you get in the presence of that other person. God is a jealous god and He wants your face time. He wants you to lay prostrate before Him. He wants your worship. He wants you to chase after Him. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to want to be with Him. He wants you on bended knee. In order to develop a relationship with God we must seek His face.

5. Operate in God's PERFECT will. My Bishop often says, sometimes we read the Word so fast that we miss something. I have quoted read and reread this scripture time and time again and I didn't understand what God meant by turn from their wicked ways. I was laboring under the misunderstanding that perhaps we were doing something specific--you know the Pentecostal 3 (the 3 biggest sins are smoking, drinking and fornicating). And we begin to think that as long as I'm staying away from what I believe to be wickedness then He's not talking to me. But hold up. God didn't call out any specific person or sin in this scripture. He said MY PEOPLE and their wicked ways. God revealed to me that what the scripture is saying is that as a body we are operating outside of His perfect will for our lives and anything outside of God's perfect will is our wickedness. He wants us to turn from our own agendas and our desires and our own ways and our own whatever and turn to His perfect will. He wants us to stop observing and start discerning.

God has been very specific with the information that He has placed on my heart today. I hope that whoever reads this will take in that God wants us to move forward. We've spent a great deal of time preparing to do His will. Now He wants us to advance His will for His GLORY! We are not babies in the Word any longer. God is looking for someone to prophesy not to speak from our cognitive powers of deductive reasoning. God's not about coulda woulda shoulda. When He speaks His Word does not return void. The Word is certain and it is sure. The prophetic Word is not about predicting some one's future. God's not into that. The prophetic Word comes to encourage, to admonish, to correct or to provide information that we need from the Lord. It isn't meant to make folks feel any particular way. It is meant to engender reproduction. There is something in us that God wants to marry and impregnate so that His will can be born out of us as a whole body.

Be encouraged today knowing that God is interested in your reproductive potential as much as He is interested in your productive ability. He gave you your gifts. Now ask Him why? What good would it be for a man to gain the whole word and to lose His own soul? What good would it be for us to have all of the ability to sing, dance, prophesy, encourage, preach, teach, reach and never use those giftings to take back the Kingdom by force! God has set up a divine appointment for healing, but we must adopt the reproductive system in order for that healing to take place. God wants to heal the land, but we are standing in the way. We are hindering our own healing. Know who you are, become broken, go beyond the veil, get into His presence, prefer His perfect will and He will hear us and heal the land.

You "Should" Feel Used

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. St. John 9:4.

I was talking with someone a few days ago and I found myself thinking that there are situations where people don't mind "using" you. Only the using carries a negative connotation because inside we may feel like that person doesn't care for us yet at the same time they don't mind exploiting us for their own benefit or purposes. We'll leave church folks out of this discussion!

After pondering this for a while, God spoke to me and asked me How much of your life have you really given to me? Seriously. We complain about being used because we don't want to feel like we've been taken advantage of or we don't want someone to get us to do something when we don't like them or we think that they don't like us, but in fact only what we do for Christ will last.

This gave me a totally different perspective. As a matter of fact it reminded me of a vision I had when I was seven years old. At that young age, I imagined God having a tool belt and that I was in it. I imagined that He would take me out and use me and that became my life's prayer and purpose. People may believe that they are using, misusing or abusing you, but change your perspective. When you move or remove your will and align with God's will you will change your whole paradigm. We get caught up in the mistaken belief that how someone feels or doesn't feel about us for that matter will affect our ability to enter heaven and avoid hell.

People's attitudes, ill will toward you, hateration, or whatever you want to call it or think about it should never even enter your mind when it comes to doing the will of God. From my new vantage point, it doesn't matter what or how a person says what they say--sometimes we feel that Christianity gives us a license to be rude instead of careful to treat God's people with grace and finesse and just how we want to be treated--that's another blog. From my new vantage point, my goal is to be used up for the rest of my life and to be found doing God's will; to be found being about my Father's business.

Be encouraged today knowing that God is using you. If you think of it that way, you won't mind being used at all. Do what you do the way you do it for Christ for the remainder of your life so that you will have an eternal reward with our heavenly Father.

Stay on Task

2 Samuel chapter 7 deals with David sharing with Nathan his earnest desire to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant. The scripture text opens stating that the Lord had granted David rest from all his enemies. As a result David had a lot of time on his hands. David loved God so much that he wanted to do something outstanding for God so he proposed to build a temple.

Initially, Nathan was on board and encouraged David to go for it; after all, it was a good desire, David had the means and the time on his hands to accomplish it and he had the heart to do it. As a man of God, Nathan didn't see anything out of order about David's desire. However, God came to Nathan that same night and instructed him to go back to David and to let David know that the opportunity to build a temple for the Ark did not belong to David. There are good things that we have the ability and the means to do, but that does not necessarily translate to those things being our job to accomplish. We get inspiration and ideas and we move; rather than seeking God first. The vision that you see may be set for someone else to accomplish. You may just be planting the seed for someone else to come along and water so that God can give the increase. The lesson to take in here is that we must stay on task with the will of God for our lives and the only way to know His will is to remain connected to our covering. David often sought God himself, especially, when it came to going into battle, but when the Word of God came to him through Nathan he accepted it.

It must have been an awkward situation for Nathan to have to go back to David and share with him that he wasn't the person that would be building a temple for the Ark. Interestingly, God gave Nathan further information to reveal to David. God revealed to David what was actually in store for him and for his legacy. To this news David responded in humility. He began to pray and talk with God. He shared with God how honored he was and most importantly this scripture text highlights that David accepted God's will. This is important to note here, because David's heart desire was a stake. He could have gotten caught up in his own ego--justifying himself with the notion that what he wanted to do was for God and it was a good thing. But he realized that if he were to press forward after Nathan had instructed him differently, then he would have been acting in his own will and not in God's will.

This is a nuance that Christians do not always grasp. We feel like if we do good we have done God's will, but that's not the message that God wants us to understand. Doing God's will is doing God's will. We know what that will is when we seek His face. What desire have you shared with your leadership and didn't get the green light on? Did you try to press ahead with it anyway? We've got to stay in position to hear and to know God's voice and to respond, to move and to act upon His bidding.

A good measure of knowing when you are doing God's will is to evaluate if God's people are edified and if God is glorified. Being in God's will provides us with joy, peace and people are developed and moved to position where they are uplifted and can give God glory. Proceeding with our own will provides us with self satisfaction, but there's no joy and no peace with it. Sometimes we tend to mix the two situations, but one is a constant state of being and the other is emotional gymnastics that can be swayed by people's compliments or criticism.

Did everything fall into place? Then chances are that was God's will. Were you challenged, but your faith was made stronger? Chances are that was God's will. Was it about God's people? Chances are that was God's will. Did you remove yourself, your attitude, your pride and your ego? Chances are that was God's will. Did God open up opportunities and doors for you? Chances are that was God's will. Did God send provision your way to help you? Did God grant you favor? Was the outcome reconciliation of souls to the Father or applause for you? Did you have to struggle or contend with your brother? Did you have to force your agenda or your idea? Did you feel a sense of urgency to get done what you wanted to get done?

I imagine that initially when David heard the news from Nathan his heart hurt because he loved God so much and he wanted to show it in this specific way, but I am impressed with and long to learn from the fact that David simply began to thank and to praise God. David heard the other part of what Nathan said. Sometimes we can even remember the other part of what God has told us because we're so focused on trying to do something that we want to do and to get everyone on board with it. David recognized that it's God's mercy that put him where he was and that kept him where he was. As a result David humbled himself. I can see why He was a man after God's heart. What God revealed to David was awesome and Nathan was very encouraging in his delivery. David went on to pray and to stay on task.

Be encouraged today that God will reveal to you the difference between your will and His will and if you desire God will begin to move you into a place where you recognize that your will must align with His will. What God has for you is meant to promote you not to pacify you. It's meant to be your testimony not your temper tantrum. God wants the best out of you and for you and as that happens in your life you will be pressed, but the result will be reproduction. Stay on task with what God wants you to do. Don't be detracted by what you feel you can do or what you wish people knew about you. Praise God for who He is and for what He's actually telling you to do and sharing with you about your future.

There is no Answer without a Question

What if Nicodemus never sought to meet Jesus by night to ask Him how to receive salvation? When I was in elementary school I learned a valuable lesson. I was always an inquisitive person and I would ask questions over and over until I was certain that I had received understanding of the subject matter. But as we get older we start to want to fit in and it becomes embarrassing for us not to already know something. But my teacher--Ms. Stella Fiddemont--told me not to ever stop asking questions. She said, "I'll tell you a secret. There are other people who want to know the answer too. They are just afraid to ask."

From that point on I was that person. You know the one I'm talking about, the person who prolonged the class session by asking questions, the person who would ask questions during Bible Study, the person who would write everything down and then go back and read and study and ask the teacher more questions. I would go to my professors' offices in college and ask questions after class. I would always find a Bible scholar and listen and ask questions. I believe Nicodemus was that kind of person too.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Not only that, but he was a leader among the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a sect of Jews who had some political and social power, but whose claim to fame mostly lie in their self touting ability to accurately understand and proclaim Jewish religious writings and historical content. In other words, they knew all that was to know about the law. As such the Pharisees like their more aristocratic counterparts--the Sadducee's--were religious elitists who often clashed with John' and Jesus' teachings. So we can see why it would be highly unusual for a Pharisee--let alone a leader--to break away from the pack in order to ask Jesus a question. What I love about this passage in John chapter 3 is that Nicodemus comes to Jesus and acknowledges, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
This acknowledgement seems to mean that there was some agreement among the Pharisees that Jesus was the real deal. Nicodemus goes further. Asking Jesus sincere questions.

Many times we observe in the New Testament--Jesus' disdain for the Pharisees and their questions purposed to try to discredit Him. He often confounded them and shut them up with what we see now as simple parables and stories. But Nicodemus' questions were real and sincere. He wanted to understand and Jesus had compassion toward Him.

What is the question that you are afraid to seek Jesus during the daytime to ask? As adults we start to believe that we cannot ask God questions, but we can. That's not to be confused with questioning God. It's not the same thing. In order for us to learn and to grow we must ask questions. It is the question that prompts the answer. And no matter is to small to bring before God. He is just and He will answer. We have to break down like Nicodemus did. No matter who thinks we should already know. No matter if we feel embarrassed. No matter if no one else is speaking up.

Be encouraged to ask God what you need to know. If its about understanding finances, budgets and debt--the Word has the answer! If its about parenting, marriage, living single and saved--the Word has the answer! If it's about how to cope as a child, a teen or as an adult in this world--the Word has the answer! Whatever you may need don't be afraid to seek God's face with prayer and supplication. He will lead you and guide you into the truth.

There's No Business Like Church Business

Luke chapter 2 and verse 49 presents a then twelve-year-old Jesus trying to explain to His mother Mary that He had business to tend to for His Father.

I am intrigued by this story because the passage reveals that Jesus was a child. He had no change of clothing. He had no money. He had no means. His parents Mary and Joseph were not around and yet He had no fear because He was walking in His calling and His purpose.

Oftentimes we hear that where God has given a vision He also provides the provision. I fear that we have a thwarted sense of what the term provision means because so many of us are yet waiting to act. We're waiting on money, a house, a car, a job, a spouse, a something before quickening our faith by joining it with our works. I am learning to change my perspective more and more. I'm not actually waiting on something to do what it is that God has purposed for me to do--to be about my Father's business, but what I find that I'm waiting for is release. God's Word is filled with promises of how He can, He is able, He will and He has. My memory runs over with how He did over and over--not just in my life, but all around me in the lives of the body of Christ. What I'm trying to say clearly is that our provision is within our reach the moment that God gives us the vision. What we must learn and what Jesus humbled Himself to here is the proper season.

Still there's something else that moves me in this passage. The scripture does not tell us if Jesus is fully aware of His destiny at this age, but what it does reveal is that even at the tender age of twelve He was armed with the Word and ready to launch out and do what He had been called to do. The Word equips us. It qualifies us. It provides us with our experience with God so that we will know His voice, His will, His timing and His leading.

2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed with the ability to correctly understand and share the word of truth. It is interesting to me that this passage admonishes one to study to be a good workman. There is a season of preparation. That preparation endows us with the ability to internalize the Word of God and to comprehend it--not by natural understanding, but by spiritual revelation guided by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus came in a manger yet He was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His glory was so great that a star brilliantly lit the night sky in His honor. However, His purpose was not to distract, but to usher in salvation for all. In order for Him to be about God's business, the business of reconciling souls, He had to be selfless. He had to be meek, but He was in no sense weak. He had to be humble. He had to be loving. He had to be thoughtful. He had to be caring. He had to be long suffering. He had to be patient. He had to be kind. He had to be peaceful. He had to be good. He had to temper Himself. He was equipped in the manger to carry out the work of the Father. Just like you and I are equipped to carry out the work of the Father for our lives.

In due season God moves men's hearts. He remembers the favor that He has toward us and He grants us favor with men. He puts us in a place where our gifts can be stirred and our faith can be tested. We grow as we learn that everything that He has given to us over the course of our lives has prepared us to be good stewards and good workmen.

Be encouraged today realizing that God's promises are yea and amen. What He has said He will do. It will come to pass. You have what you need for your journey. Arm yourself with the Word. Write His Word upon the table of your heart. Hide it in your heart. When God's ready to put you in the game, you'll be ready.

Just the Facts

Today's scripture reading is the entire book of Jude.

What strikes me as I read and reread this passage is Jude's candor and conviction. He does not hold back at all. In this passage He advises those who have clung to the faith and who believe that Jesus is Lord, to fight for that faith too.

That fight has several rounds.

Round 1 (Verses 1-4) Living Holy and Contending for the Faith

Jude expresses that we are called to live holy. Our holy living will glorify God. In this point Jude does not waiver. He also states that it is our mandate to earnestly contend for the gospel, but not to force it on others. We should share the gospel with grace and finesse and be consistent with the example that has already been given to us.

Round 2 (Verses 5-7) We have not arrived--we still owe God all fear and reverence

These verses remind us to renew our commitment daily. We must stay on guard remembering all that God has done for us and committing to continued obedience to His Word. If we are not careful we could suffer the consequences of those non believing Israelites who were destroyed after having been delivered from Egypt and after witnessing the miracles of God.

Round 3 (Verses 8-16) Beware of false teachers. Defend those who God owns.

These verses describe how false teachers creep in. How they are wise in their own eyes and desire to push their own agenda. They are passionate about their will and consumed with feeding their own appetites. It seems like they are doing good because they begin in the Spirit, but their ending point is in the flesh. Even though they speak well--they are all talk. They bare no fruit and do not reproduce. These will be cursed at the root. Their doom was foretold. Jude makes the point here that we are to follow men only as they follow Christ.

There is also an entry from Jude about how the archangel Michael contended with the devil over the body of Moses. This passage lends one to believe that it is important that we not only fight for the gospel and for our faith, but that we fight for those whom God calls His own. We do not have to dispute or to bring railing charges.

Round 4 (Verses 17-23) Real Faith

Bishop Woods began sharing with us this past Sunday on how to Faith it and not fake it. Faith works by love, which purifies the heart and overcomes the world . . . Our prayers are most likely to prevail, when we pray in the Holy Ghost, under [H]is guidance and influence, according to the rule of [H]is word, with faith, fervency, and earnestness . . . (Matthew Henry Commentary). The more that we concentrate on the promises of God and the more that we exercise our faith we will mortify our own lusts and separate ourselves from sin. All of this will help us to set a good example within the body and be the evidence of who we are to the world.

Round 5 (Verses 24 and 25) Exhortation

True believers have been given to Jesus Christ by the Father and have been adopted by the Father through Jesus Christ's shed blood, His death, His burial and and His resurrection. None that have been trusted to Jesus have been lost. As a result He is able to keep us from falling and to present us blameless before the presence of His Glory--not because of anything we have done, but because it is the will of God.

In spite of our doubts, our fears, our sorrows and our shortcomings Jesus as our savior and our redeemer has taken on our sins so that the Father considers us faultless. As a result we are able to enjoy a position in God where there will be no sadness and no sorrow and no sin; where there is perfection of holiness and perfection of joy. Therefore, in faith we ought to look to Him that is able to keep us from falling knowing that He will improve upon and maintain the work that He began in us.

Be encouraged today to contend for the good news that Jesus saves, to live holy, to avoid false teachers, and to trust that God has everything under control.

Lifesaver

10And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:10-13

Jesus' disciples must have thought that Jesus was crazy as He welcomed dinning with tax collectors and criminals. It really is shocking to the senses to think that Jesus actually came here to save sinners! Jesus was so very comfortable right in the middle of a crowd of people with issues. He was at home in the midst of people who were rejects.

This morning I was reminded of a friend, who has now passed away. When I first met her, I was newly graduated from law school and I had landed a great job as a loan officer with an investment bank. I was on my own and I believed that I was starting to experience some success. I started volunteering for a grassroots group that was interested in celebrating the gifts, talents and academic success of youth. I would meet with the youth once per month and the group would pay for the youth to take trips and to compete with their art, their drama, their spoken word, their scientific aptness and their business acumen.

This friend was a teen at the time. She had been labeled. Every adult in her life called her bad. Teachers, her mother, her friends' parents. People would warn me about her and tell me that she was a bad influence on the other kids. In hindsight it seemed like everyone had formed their opinions of her based upon her behavior rather than on who she was. People didn't really know who she was because her behavior oftentimes preceded her. I learned that she didn't know who she was. She was earning terrible grades, getting suspended from school and just generally acting out.

There came the divine appointment when she decided to participate in the program that I was chairing. It was my first year chairing the program and I didn't really know what to expect. She had come with another friend who was excelling in her field of competition. It didn't really seem like my friend had any purpose about herself. She didn't want to get involved, but she wanted to hang around. She didn't want to extend her self, but she was super sensitive and would get hurt easily. I can remember one day I was taking her and her friend home from one of the meetings. She got out of my car and slammed the door really hard. She began walking off. I backed my car up and made her get back in the car then get out and close the door gently. My comment to her was that whatever was going on in her life, it wasn't my car's fault. Now that I look back on everything that she subsequently shared with me, the slammed car door wasn't really a big deal.

Eventually, this young lady began to participate in the oratory competition. She wrote and spoke very well. She did so well locally that she was selected to participate in the state level competition. She won hands down. She had done so well that sponsors took notice and were proud to send her to the national competition to represent the state. Her presentation was so powerful that she received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges.

From that point forward she was empowered. She was never the same. Her grades improved and she got into college. She earned nothing but A's. She eventually got married and had a daughter of her own. She passed away shortly after. She came to visit me here in Missouri when she was still in college. She shared with me that she had never even been out of Pine Bluff, Arkansas before she started working with the NAACP ACT-SO program. She shared with me that I had believed in her and that encouraged her to believe in herself--in spite of being abused by her step-father, being abandoned by her mother and forced to live with her grandmother. She had been rejected by her father and he lived right down the street from her.

In this Christian walk we cannot be afraid of what people might say about us spending time with the people that we are assigned to. When I first started teach someone told me that It's not the A student who needs the help--any teacher can guide them. It is the troubled student who needs to be taught and it takes a dedicated teacher to reach them.

Other people's problems are uncomfortable to us. We begin to back track and back away when we are presented with real life tough situations. We say we're not equipped to handle it--and perhaps in many ways that's true. If we are not psychologists or psychiatrists we cannot begin just opening up wounds because we are not equipped to help the person obtain the tools that she needs to deal with their past and their pain. At the same time, that shouldn't stop us for dining with publicans and sinners because they need to know that there is healing and deliverance. Jesus did it out of His compassion. He did it because of His agape love. He did it to glorify the Father and to prove that people who others have written off and rejected, God can change. He confounds those who are wise in their own eyes and He gives supernatural insight to those who learn to humble themselves.

Looking at my own life I was drowning. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within and sinking to rise no more, but the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry and from the waters lifted me now safe am I. I realize now that it was love that lifted me. Love was my lifesaver. God's love yet is my lifesaver. Jesus dined with publicans and sinners--not giving any power to what others thought of it because He is the savior of the world. Be encouraged today that we ought not to allow any divine appointments to pass us by--not even when it seems like a challenge. If you can't handle it Bishop and Pastor can. Love that person into the place where they feel comfortable sharing with our leaders. Be encouraged today that love covers a multitude of sins. People can be reconciled to the Father through your capacity to allow the love of Jesus to flow through you.