February 2023
Jesus
Said,
“Love
One
Another”
(is that
really
necessary?)
Oh,
how
important
it is to
be
walking
in the
love of
God –
TODAY!
The
heart
and core
of the
Bible is
God’s
love for
us and
His
command
to love
Him and
love our
neighbor
as
ourselves.
(John
3:16,
Matthew
22:37-39)
No
doubt
you have
noticed
we are
being
confronted
with
many
opportunities
to get
out of
love
toward
others.
It is
the same
for
people
worldwide.
The
current
pressures
and
events
will
cause
many
people
to get
easily
offended.
However,
harboring
an
offense
prevents
the love
of God
from
operating
through
your
life.
God
still
loves
you and
wants
the best
for you,
but your
capacity
to
receive
His love
is
restricted.
Love
is a
choice,
not a
feeling.
You
shall
love the
LORD
your God
with all
your
heart,
with all
your
soul,
and with
all your
strength.
(Deuteronomy
6:5)
This is
“the
first
and
great
commandment”
according
to
Jesus.
(Matthew
22:38)
We are
commanded
to love
God.
Thus,
love is
an
action
of the
will,
something
we can
choose
to do or
not to
do.
God’s
love is
self-sacrificing
in order
to
benefit
others.
Jesus
revealed
it
through
His
surrender.
This is
how we
have
discovered
love’s
reality:
Jesus
sacrificed
his life
for us.
Because
of this
great
love, we
should
be
willing
to lay
down our
lives
for one
another.
(1 John
3:16
TPT)
Jesus
said
there
would
come a
time
when
most
peoples’
love
will
become
cold.
(Matthew
24:12)
The
battle
is REAL
– the
battle
is ON!
It is
God’s
love
moving
us that
advances
His
Kingdom
in our
homes,
our
neighborhoods,
our
cities,
and in
foreign
lands.
If the
enemy is
successful
in
getting
us to
turn our
backs on
God’s
love –
the
advancement
of His
Kingdom
is at
best
restrained
–
ultimately
halted.
It has
been
said:
When you
love God
and
rejoice
in that
love,
your
desire
for God
will
increase.
The more
you know
Him, the
more you
will
want to
know
Him, and
the more
you want
to know
Him, the
more you
will
know
Him.
Similarly,
the more
you love
Him, the
more you
will
want to
love
Him, and
the more
you want
to love
Him, the
more you
will
love
Him.
Finally,
the more
you
serve
Him, the
more you
will
want to
serve
Him, and
the more
you want
to serve
Him, the
more you
will
serve
Him.
And
never
let ugly
or
hateful
words
come
from
your
mouth,
but
instead
let your
words
become
beautiful
gifts
that
encourage
others;
do this
by
speaking
words of
grace to
help
them.
(Ephesians
4:29
TPT)
When
I was a
little
kid, on
occasion
my dad
would
tell me,
“Billie
Barta,
think
before
you
speak!”
Even
though I
never
really
listened
to him,
today I
have
come to
know and
understand
exactly
what he
meant.
Words
are
powerful!
The
things
you say
to and
about
others
are
really a
reflection
of
yourself.
When you
speak to
someone
in love,
this
directly
displays
the love
living
inside
of you;
on the
contrary,
when you
allow
hateful
or ugly
talk to
come
from
your
mouth,
you are
putting
forth a
public
display
of what
is on
the
inside
of you.
Listen,
and take
this to
heart.
It’s not
what you
swallow
that
pollutes
your
life,
but what
you
vomit
up.
(Matthew
15:11
MSG)
God
loved us
so much
He gave
His Son
to die
in our
place
for our
sins.
Jesus
was
willing
to leave
the
comfort,
glory,
joy and
peace of
heaven
to come
into a
world
filled
with
troubled,
sick,
hateful,
suffering
people.
It was
love
that
caused
Him to
endure
the
rejection,
agony
and
torment
of the
cross.
Seeing
Jesus’
love for
us is
vital.
Choosing
to love
as He
did will
take us
to the
people
He has
assigned
you to
reach.
God has
no other
plan. He
works
through
us to
fulfill
His will
in the
earth.
It all
started
in
Genesis
when God
gave man
dominion
in the
earth.
He works
through
people
who
choose
to do
His
will.
Remember,
love is
not a
feeling.
You may
or may
not have
an
emotional
experience
or
feeling
when you
choose
to love.
The
important
issue is
to
decide
to love
because
you were
born
again
into the
love
nature
of God.
Beloved,
let us
love one
another,
for love
is of
God; and
everyone
who
loves is
born of
God and
knows
God. (1
John
4:7)
You
have the
ability
to love
because
love is
in you.
It is
your
choice.
Will you
choose
to walk
in love?
Will you
choose
to align
with
heaven
and walk
in love?
Forgiving,
releasing
offences,
speaking
blessings
upon
those
who
attack
you or
those
you do
not
agree
with?
Will you
choose
to make
love
your
primary
focus.
All
of us
have a
boiling
point, a
height
of anger
or rage
in which
we “lose
it” and
are
careless
with the
things
that are
spoken
out of
our
mouths!
Our
patience
has been
pushed
to the
brink of
the
cliff
and we
can’t
bite our
tongue
any
longer;
we have
tried to
be kind
but it
just
seems
like
different
words
must be
used to
address
this
person
and
resolve
this
conflict.
I know
this
feeling
well!
BUT
today is
it
important
to
understand
Jesus
had
plenty
of
opportunities
to “JUMP
off the
deep
end,”
but the
way you
talk to
people
and
about
people
shows
your
maturity
and
ultimately
your
relationship
with
God!
Victorious
by His
Grace!
Billie
To
participate
in the
ongoing
ministry
of HGI
through
your
financial
support
you can
donate
by
mailing
your
contribution
to: Holy
Ground
International,
924
Switzerland
Ave.,
Yukon,
OK
73099-9624
or by
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Link:
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using
the
email
address
billiebboat@cs.com
and then
select
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or
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Your
faith
will not
grow
into
great
faith
out of
great
effort;
your
faith
will
grow to
be great
out of
your
great
surrender.
Allow
your
faith to
deny the
influence
of the
problems
you
face.
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