The name of Jesus represents the love of God, and in His name we love. Apart from His name, we could have never received His love, even though God freely gave it. If a person rejects Jesus, he also rejects the love of God. Jesus represents the Father. Jesus Himself said, “He that has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9) Furthermore He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me”(John 14:6). The Father revealed His love to us through His Son. He also gave us the Name above all names. Because of love, we have His name, and through His name we have the Father’s love.

God is love. Because that is His nature, it is also the nature of the Name of Jesus.

When we bless others in His name, we are extending His love to them.

A name represents its owner. That representation gives authority to others to do the things as if the person himself were doing them. However, that authority it limited to specific things. For example, when a person signs his name on a Proxy, he is giving someone permission to act on his behalf. The action is limited to the specifics of the Proxy. Acting beyond its intended purpose is illegal. That being said, our authority is limited to the will and character of the Father. Understand that when we claim or invoke the name of Jesus, we are representing Him.

[bctt tweet=”Anything we do outside of love is an illegal use of His Name!” #Jesus]

Every principle of the Kingdom operates by love. Jesus underscored that truth in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” If we are to represent His name well, we need to love others well. If the actions of God are the result of His love, then our actions should correspond to His as well.

For those of you who may question the Father’s love: do you have authority in the name of Jesus? Shouldn’t that tell you something? God freely gives good and perfect gifts . If anything obligates Him, it’s His love. You might say His word obligates Him to act; however, He gave His word out of love. Remember He is love, and so is His name. For His name represents Him. Think about it!

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Another requirement alluded to in part one was desire. That is to say, in order to grasp the things of God we have to be willing to know and receive them. For some, the trouble with understanding spiritual matters calls for a change in their thinking and lifestyle. This is called repentance, and frankly, the reason some do not grasp the things of God is that they do not want to repent. They like the status quo regardless of the consequences. Similarly, people like things in neat little packages, which means that truth can really mess with their theology. Understanding Godly principles requires a willingness to let go of false reasoning, also known as “strongholds” (see 2Corinthians 10:3-5). Please keep in mind that we are accountable by God for what we know; however, we must realize that we may also be accountable for what we do not know. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee . . .” (Hosea 4:6, KJV). It is one thing to be ignorant, but it is entirely different to be willingly ignorant. The former may be a defense, while the latter may have dire consequences.

A very helpful thing to grasping the things of God is studying the Bible for ourselves, as the Holy Spirit leads. While the Lord has given us teachers, it is always good to study what we are taught by others. Never take anyone’s word for it, no matter how well respected he may be. We need to be as the Bereans were in the days of the Apostle Paul: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11, KJV). They did not study to disprove Paul, which genders to unbelief, nor did they try to prove him correct. They simply sought the truth, and received it. The more we seek and receive the truth, the more we will be given.

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Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (KJV).

We cannot define people, things, or circumstances from our limited point of view.  True definition has to be given from above, for it requires purity found in a Most Holy, Omniscient (All-Knowing) God.  We cannot define ourselves because we do not know enough about ourselves to bring definition.  In fact, we do not know ourselves as well as we think.  We cannot define who we will be because we do not know the ending from the beginning.  We have to allow the One Who knows all to define who we will be.  Our job is to believe and receive what He reveals to us.

Not every circumstance we find ourselves in is what it appears to be at face value.  We do not know the purpose, plan, and workings behind the scenes.  We do not see the ending, and we really do not know the length of its duration until it is complete.  Even then, its completion date may still be unknown, unless it is revealed from on High.  Our job is to trust, and know we are not alone.  Everything is in the hand of the Father, ready to be revealed in the proper time.

If we attempt to bring definition in our own limited capacity, we will limit God in every area of our life.  It is time that we trust in the Lord and stop leaning on our own understanding, and in all our ways acknowledge Him!

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There are times when believers have a difficult time hearing God’s voice, especially when they are first learning how to listen.  Sometimes they will ask, “Why is it taking me so long to hear His voice?”  One thing to remember is that God does practice what He preaches, so to speak.  Anything He asks of us to do, He already does Himself.  That means when He says, “Be swift to hear,” He’s already listening before we begin to speak.  He is the Best Listener there is; in fact, He listens so well that He knows what we are going to say before we say it .  Sometimes people are so concerned with what they are going to say that they fail to listen.  Some believe that by talking a lot they are going to get His attention, as if they can earn it.  We already have His attention if we have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Jesus Himself said, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7, KJV).  Coming unto Him does not necessarily mean we have to say very much, but we would be well served if we are prepared to listen.   If we want to shorten the time it takes to hear God’s voice, perhaps a first step is being quick to listen, which means, we want to prepare our hearts to listen before we even begin.

Agendas are a very funny thing.  When people have their own agenda, they are usually less apt to listen to what someone else has to say.    This also pertains to our relationship with the Father.  When we have our own agenda, we may not be as sensitive to hear what is on His heart, especially if what He has to say does not coincide with our agenda.  Jesus also said that when we pray we are to include, “Thy will be done in earth as it is heaven.”  This means that we want to see if our agenda coincides with His will as we seek Him out.    Another step in hearing His voice is to put away our agendas until the proper time.

This next one is a big one: not being willing to listen to what He has to say.  The Bible tells us that the things recorded in Scripture are also written for our  examples.  One of those examples that can be found in Ezekiel 12:2: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (KJV).  Even though God had spoke to the children of Israel numerous times by His prophets, they could not hear what He had to say because they were stubborn -they simply would not listen, so they could not hear.  If one is refusing to listen to what He has to say, he will not hear His voice unless he repents. If you happen to be one who refuses to listen to what God has to say to you, the question is: “Why?”  Could it be that you are afraid of what He has to say?  For some, this is a trust issue.  In some cases, they simply don’t want to be asked to do something they don’t want to do.  Agendas are a funny thing!

Still another reason believers have a hard time hearing is that they are looking for instruction instead of a relationship.  They simply want the Lord to tell them what do next.  Interestingly,  some already have been given instructions, but have failed to follow through with what was given.  Maybe if they complete the first set of instructions, another set will be forth coming.  But this is a digression.  People confuse activity with relationship when it comes to God.  The reality is that instructions should flow out of the relationship.  Seek Him first; not instruction, then His voice will be heard.

Some think that waiting long periods of time to hear the voice of God makes one spiritual. Granted, there are times when people have had to press in for a season, but sometimes that is the result of getting rid of the distractions of the mind, or perhaps heart issues.   What we do does not make us spiritual; what we do is the result of being spiritual.  If a person enters in with the mind-set that they have to wait a long period of time to hear His voice, chances are it will be.  Similar to what Jesus said, “As your faith is, so be it unto you.”  Another key to hearing His voice is not putting a time element to it.  Let His voice come in His timing.  You might be surprised how quickly you are able to hear.

One final reason to be offered up is unbelief.  Some don’t believe they can hear His voice, even though Scripture makes it clear that the Father has made the provision by His grace.  Grace is the ability to do the things of God, without it would we could not be saved.  Please understand that there’s a vast difference between refusing to believe and not being sure.  Some have been taught not to believe they can hear His voice by well-meaning Christians.  Others have had influences that are not conducive to belief, which include close family members and friends.  For those who have a hard time with this concept, ask the Lord to reveal the truth, and search the Scriptures to see if it be so.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you.

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One might ask, “How do I know I really love Him?”  “How do I know I really repented?”  To begin with, if you did not love God, the question would never come to mind.  You could care less about whether you hurt Him or blew it.  Granted, some may be motivated by the fear of hell and the lake of fire, but that is not the issue here.  Question: when you blew it, did you feel grief or terror?  If you felt grief, love was your motivation.  Think about this, “There is no fear in love: but perfect love casts out: because fear hath torment” (1John 4:18, KJV).  Those who refuse to repent have had their conscience seared with a hot iron.  They don’t love God, and it is impossible to renew them in such a condition.  Second question: Are you still actively seeking to sin or are you going the opposite direction?  If one does not resist sin, that is when it is time to take a personal inventory.

If we blow it, we turn away from our sin and run into the Father’s arms.  We learn from it, and move on.  If we want to make up for it, we have to do it on the Father’s terms: repent, receive His forgiveness, give it no more consideration, and be made whole.  We need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus.  We deny the self the right to have a “pity-party.”  Remember this simple principle found in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (KJV).

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