First Love Fire
“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 2:2-3
In these final days God is looking for a bride that will be consecrated, Holy and set apart for Him! A lovesick bride!
The first love fire will help us to survive the spiritual war we are in right now. The cultural moment.
Not moved by people, but the fear of the Lord.
A person who fears the Lord has great intimacy with the Father.
Friends of God fear the Lord and because they fear Him they become lovers.
Ps 25:14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
As the Fear of the Lord returns to the church, friends of God will be established, lovers of God will be awakened
Not how close can I get to the line before its sin vs. how far away can I stay from the line to remain close to my Father.
A person who fears the Lord asks this because they have seen the Father as His is (rightly) and have fallen in love with the person they have met.
It’s time for the Lovers of God to be awakened
The First Love matters to God. It is a priority for Him.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place Revelation 2:1-5
The Lord is looking for lovers, not just laborers. This is not a word of condemnation, but an invitation.
Signs you have lost your first love:
Testimonies don’t move you
Numb/cold to His presence
Performance > Presence
Don’t love the bride (annoyance/work/irritation)
No regard for His word/lost authority in your life
Jesus is not Lord/His headship is not your leadership
Seared conscience
Seared conscience keeps us from remaining in the first love.
We encounter God.
We tolerate sin
God told me to do this, but I keep delaying, I just don’t have time.
We begin to compromise.
I’ll just have one glass of wine.
I’ll just sleep on his couch.
I’ll just hang out with the guys, no smoking tho.
I’ll just have one more plate of food.
The enemy sears our conscience
We worship other gods
We begin to worship the idol of food
We begin to worship the idol of addiction
We begin to worship the idol of perversion
And then we coming running back to Him, when we realize those god’s aren’t enough
This cycle is dangerous because it limits the growth and maturity that could be occurring if we would just remain in the place of 1st love!
We are entering into a time where the Bride of Christ must be a mature Bride! A Bride who has their lamps ready and their wicks trim! A Bride that will not compromise anymore, that will not be tainted by the things of old, the things of yesterday, but is deeply rooted. Not child-like, but has left the old childlike behaviors in the dust.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11
To those seasoned in the church, what childlike behaviors, practices, actions need to be laid down so that you can operate as the mature Bride of Christ?
What sin do we need to stop tolerating?
What area must we cease from compromising?
How has our conscience been seared?
Strategy to prevent Seared Conscience and Compromise:
Does it go against God’s word?
Does it go against/contrary to what He has called me to do?
Will it pull me closer to God or further from God?
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:7-10
Recognize your need for Him.
Our longing should be to be as close to Him as possible. First love fire produces a love sick bride.
What makes us lovesick is not us, but the person.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us 1 John 4:10
It’s who He is that makes us love sick. It’s how kind He is. How loving He is. How tender He is. How mighty He is. How powerful He is. How faithful He has been. How consistent He has been. IT’S HIM THAT MAKES US LOVESICK!
Heaven’s Reality: what does the first love look like in heaven? “Holy (3x)!”
Heaven’s angels are still enamored with Him! (Rev 4:8)
My first love: all I could do was cry out, you satisfy me, you satisfy me, you satisfy me!
If you have never felt lovesick for the Father, prioritize intimacy with Him. Forget about the influence, forget about the call, forget about the ministry and the talents and gifts. Prioritize falling in love with Him.
Intimacy > Influence “many are influential for me, but not intimate with me.”
Strategy for returning to the first love!
Go back to what you did at first!
Repent and do the things you did at first. Rev 2:5
Prioritize daily Secret Place
Not just quiet time, prioritize encounter
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Pray! Pray in the Spirit!
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, Jude 1:20
Fast!!!
...I humbled my soul with fasting.. Psalm 35:13
Consecration
Worship! Pour out your adoration before Him!
Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3
Devour His word!
Eat & become hungry!!!!
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word. Psalm 119:9
Time of Ministry
