By Francis Frangipane
If
Satan cannot distract you with worldliness, He will overwhelm you with
weariness. Indeed, how easy it is to wear ourselves out; even good works
done without recharging ourselves in God can drain us of life and
energy. Daniel speaks of a time at the end of the age when the enemy
will attempt to "wear down the saints of the Highest One" (Dan. 7:25).
God never intended for us to do His will without His presence. The power
to accomplish God's purpose comes from prayer and intimacy with Christ.
It is here, closed in with God, where we find an ever-replenishing flow
of spiritual virtue.
Weary in Well-Doing
In
the early 1970s, during the beginning of my ministry, the Lord called
me to consecrate to Him the time from dawn until noon. I spent these
hours in prayer, worship, and the study of His Word. I would often
worship God for hours, writing songs to Him that came from this
wonderful sanctuary of love. The presence of the Lord was my delight,
and I know my time with Him was not only well spent but also well
pleasing to us both.
Beware of the Stronghold of Cold Love
By Francis Frangipane
Is your love growing softer, brighter and more visible? Or is it becoming more discriminating, more calculating, less vulnerable and less available? This is a very important issue, for your Christianity is only as real as your love. A measurable decrease in your ability to love is evidence that a stronghold of cold love is developing within you.
Jesus warned of our era. He said, "Many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" (Matt. 24:10-12). So, let us honestly ask the Lord to examine us: Is our love hot or cold? Another's thoughtlessness may have wounded us deeply, but instead of forgiving the wound or going to them and discussing it according to Matthew 18, we go to others with our complaint. The wound then begins to germinate into a root of bitterness, and many are being defiled (Heb. 12:15). What is growing in us is not love but bitterness, which is unfulfilled revenge.
Is your love growing softer, brighter and more visible? Or is it becoming more discriminating, more calculating, less vulnerable and less available? This is a very important issue, for your Christianity is only as real as your love. A measurable decrease in your ability to love is evidence that a stronghold of cold love is developing within you.
Jesus warned of our era. He said, "Many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" (Matt. 24:10-12). So, let us honestly ask the Lord to examine us: Is our love hot or cold? Another's thoughtlessness may have wounded us deeply, but instead of forgiving the wound or going to them and discussing it according to Matthew 18, we go to others with our complaint. The wound then begins to germinate into a root of bitterness, and many are being defiled (Heb. 12:15). What is growing in us is not love but bitterness, which is unfulfilled revenge.
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