Kenneth Copeland Ministries Teaching the Word of God, All Over the World!

Practice Makes Perfect

When developing your faith in God’s love, you must not only allow it to flow to you but through you to others. As 1 John 4:12 says, “…If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.”
Remember the old saying practice makes perfect? That’s absolutely the truth. The way to perfect God’s love in you is by practicing that love toward other people.
Don’t just practice it on the easy ones either. Don’t just focus on loving the people who are kind and gracious to you. (The Bible says even rank sinners can do that.) Determine to love those who irritate you and act ugly toward you. Purposely love those who have hurt you.
Start by making sure you have forgiven them of any wrong they have done to you. Even if you don’t emotionally feel like forgiving them, do it anyway by faith. Say, “Father, I am forgiving this person out of obedience to your Word. I refuse to hold anything against them. Right now by faith I receive from You the grace to love them.” Then pray for that person. Ask God to help them and bless them.
Don’t sit around waiting for some kind of supernatural warm, fuzzy feeling to make you do it, either. Just pray for them by an act of your will. Ask God to help you see that person the way He sees them.
Faith without action is dead, so take the time in prayer to “see” them the way God does. Start by picturing them in your mind and then visualize Jesus coming right up behind them and taking them in His arms. See them totally engulfed in Him. Then think Yes, Lord, that’s the way You treated me. You loved me and had mercy on me when I didn’t deserve it. Help me do for them what You did for me. Lord, I let Your forgiveness and compassion for them find expression through me.
You may think you can’t do that right now. But I guarantee you if you’ll step out in faith, you’ll tap into the love of God and find out you can. You’ll find that the more you believe the love God has for you and the more you practice it toward others, the more it is perfected in you.