IF GOD IS LOVE……………

Without mincing words I want to quickly say that I am neither a renowned counselor
nor a trained pastor. Nevertheless, I am compelled in my spirit to write this
article on one of the most controversial issues in the world and I am already
aware of the fact that my points of view/ideologies on this sensitive issue will
contradict to a great extent some already existing ideas.

Few months ago, I stumble at a portion of the bible that says “GOD IS LOVE”.
Even though I have read that portion of the scripture several time, the Spirit
opened my eyes to the mystery hidden in that statement. Most often than not I have
seen/heard people discuss “LOVE” in various dimension but, I had always known
there is more about love than we always thought. Today, the word love has been
grossly abused and misused by humans especially in the secular world. We often
hear statements like: FALLING IN LOVE, MADLY IN LOVE WITH, I LOVE HER/HIM THAT I
CANT DO WITHOUT HER/HIM, HE/SHE HAS STOLLEN MY HEART to mention but a few.
Initially, when I hear these wonderful statements I marvel but as time goes on I
have come to realize that over ninety percent (90%) (if not more) of those who
uses those statements either don’t know what they want to say or they are simply
deceivers. Now I want to go straight to the point, like I said earlier am neither
a counselor nor a trained pastor, therefore it is never my intensions to give
lectures on this topic but suffice it to say that experience and observation makes
a better teacher. Now let us examine some of the critical issues concerning the so
called “LOVE”, on so many occasions I have asked boys /girls who said he/she is in
love with an opposite sex to tell me why he/she thinks so and the answer has
always been silly. I have come to realize after interacting with a good number of
youths that in most cases, when a boy/man say “AM IN LOVE WITH HER” he is
indirectly saying “I AM IN LUST WITH HER”. At this juncture, I want to quickly say
that anyone who doesn’t “know God” can never Love. The reason is simple “LOVE IS
DIVINE”.

Please permit me to take you to the epistle of 1John 4:8 and I quote “Whosoever
does not love does not know God, because God is love (NIV). Now, let us have a
critical look at the verse: first, it says “whosoever does not love does not know
God” if this is true which I know you equally agree with me it is true then, I can
then feel free to say that the opposite is also true “whosoever does not know God
does not love”. So, if this is true, then I can confidently say that, the only
prerequisite to love is “knowing God”, if one does not know God then he/she
CANEVER LOVE rather he/she CAN LUST. Secondly, the same verse went on to say
“Because God is love” please note the metaphor GOD IS LOVE, it does not say God is
like love or that love is like God rather God is love. If we accept this to be
true then, I can as well say that “If God is love, then love CANEVER be stupid,
foolish, mad and hurting as we often present it to be.
I just read in the Sun news pepper about a young crippled lady who claimed she
falled in love with a male colleague of hers. While the relationship lasted for
good nine (9)
years the young man promised to love and cherish her irrespective of her
physically challenged nature and the young innocent handicapped lady foolishly
allow the deceiver to be sleeping with her. Everything seems to be moving well
until the lady got pregnant some time last year. Hear her:
Though physically challenged, Eunice is a paragon of beauty. That, no doubt,
explains why she was attracted to Stephen the first day they met in the school.
She recalls: “Stephen started coming to my room in the hostel in 1998, but
proposed to me in 1999. He said all kinds of things: that my condition has nothing
to do with his love for me, that he has genuine love for me and that he was ready
for marriage if I accepted. And truly he acted it. He seemed God-sent to me. He
was always there for me. And we loved each other. Things went on like that for
eight years until I “took in” last year. I told him I was feeling funny. He took
me to where we had test that confirmed I was pregnant. At first he was not cold
about it. But things changed when he told his mum who is also a worker in the
school. According to him, his mum said over her dead body will she see her son
marry me (even though she was aware of the affair from the beginning). The
pregnant was already two months then. I was abandoned to my fate
My pastor friend Pastor femi fasanya of singleaffairs ministry in his article
“Don’t fall in love” recommended walking in love rather than falling in love. But
I want to quickly add that walking in love can only be possible when we come to
the knowledge of God through His son Jesus Christ. If one does not know God the
much he can do in to fall in LUST. Someone might ask but, how do I know when I am
in LUST and when I am In LOVE? I want to briefly give some guide to that question
but, first I want to tell you what LUST is, I simply defined LUST as doing or
strongly desiring in our minds the evil which when given the privilege we can do
it with our body. Below are the few points that might be of good help to you:
- when you look at an opposite sex and all you see is his/her physique then
you are probably in lust
- when you cannot get your mind off him/her even when your alone or in the
mist of other people, then the chances are that your in lust/infatuation
- when all that captivates you about him/her is the physical appearance then
it is likely to be lust
- when you began to see a mental image of his/her nudity then it is absolutely
lust.
- When you began to have some unnecessary/uncontrolled chemistry reactions
within you then know that lust is gradually setting in.
It has been observed that most of the marriages that crashed are
covenanted through lust. Hence as time rolls by, the marriages began to suffer
because lust can never stand the REALITY of marriage.(Please be inform that due to
our human nature it always seems like there is thin line between lust and love, so
the best and sure way to checkmate the two is to subject them to the HOLY SPIRIT
and THE WORD OF GOD). Permit me to share this personal experience with you. While
I was at the camp during my NYSC orientation, I saw a sister that humanly speaking
I like what my eyes saw both her physical structures and spiritual commitment.
Initially, I thought I have seen my missing rib but because I have always known
the tricks of satan and the flesh I consciously subjected it to test through
prayers and scriptures and to my greatest surprise within few days the funny
feeling disappeared. After this experience, the Holy Spirit made me to understand
that satan has succeeded in deceiving the world even most Christians into
believing that lust is love.
Before I bring this article to conclusion, I want to once again re-emphasize
this bitter truth: “No matter the perspective from which you want to look at it,
romance and sex is never suppose to be part of love until after marriage”.
Please, when next you say I LOVE U” do ask yourself:
Do I know God? - This statement “knowing God” is not all about being a Christian
or a regular church goer rather it means having an intimate relationship with God,
observing, keeping with all sincererity of heart Gods commandments and
instructions as clearly stated in His Word (the Bible).
Do I know what I have just said or
Shouldn’t I have said? “I LUST AFTER U” sounds crazy I guest. At least now you are
being sincere and I am sure you will be appreciated for being sincere.

NB: the door of salvation is still open right in front of you; just enter through
it for only then you will began to enjoy LOVE through JESUS CHRIST. THANKS AND
REMAIN BLESSDED