LOVE STRUCK 1.0 Mainland with Consul Saint Rhymes

Sermon Note

We must realize that God is not against relationships because he himself is the Personification of relationship— God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God understands the importance of a relationship. Thus, he stated in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for a man to be alone...” Every product has a principle of usage AKA, the prescription. For whatever is produced by a manufacturer, the best principle to apply in its usage is the manufacturer’s prescription. Love is the standard thing in a relationship; Every relationship ever founded began on a reason to love.

Love is both a feeling and a choice; If love hangs on choice alone, it will be bland. Everything else feels like an obligation, devotion without emotions strips the ship off the relationship. Likewise, feelings may fade sometimes, but the choices we make hold them up when things get sour. Songs of Solomon 8:6, Love costs; Just as “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son…” It costs to love, even for us. That we would sacrifice without a second thought for the ones we love. If we must deal with matters of Love, we mustn’t enter with an empty heart.

LOVE STRUCK: This is an intense feeling of infatuation, to be smitten or deeply in love. Also to be compared with being struck by cupid’s arrow. It is characterized by butterflies, rapid heartbeats and uncommon behaviors etc. Is it wrong to be Love Struck? It is not.

Love is a feeling endowed in you from God. To want to be loved and to love.

To understand love, you must appreciate yourself;Every human being has a charm; something unique that makes them stand out. It could be your voice, your character, the way you walk, talk, sing, or carry yourself. There is something about you that makes you special.

There are things others may not like about you that someone else will deeply appreciate. This is the reason why you must learn to appreciate yourself first. If you want to do well in any relationship, you must love and value yourself. You can’t love properly if you do not learn to appreciate yourself first. A person who doesn’t love themselves is only asking to be used and that itself is not Love.

Learn to harness the power of Love;

The feeling of Love has the power to move the one to do things, things they didn’t think they had the ability to do. Yet, we must take care to not be controlled by that power but to harness it and make it our own.

• Set up your affection, fine tune it depending on the ways you can manage it.Colossians 3:2
• There is a timing for Love; Songs of Solomon 2:7, 3:5 & 8:4.Time here isn’t defined by age nor a physical standard, but by maturity. Your emotional maturity, financial and spiritual mentality is crucial to your identity because it helps you make the right choices.
• Find your identity: When things are not set in place, what results is calamity. Therefore, we must first figure out ourselves by finding our identity, understanding your goals and to always choose by the direction of what aligns with our identity.

THE DO(S) AND DON’T(S) OF BEING LOVE STRUCK 

• Don’t lose your identity trying to satisfy a relationship; 1 Cor 7:20
• Don’t be a financier or become someone else’s financier. This is not a charge to eliminate generosity, but to prevent you from diminishing your value to that of an ATM.
• Don’t stop developing yourself; Engage continually in personal development rather than be overly dependent.
• Don’t engage in sexual activities outside marriage; including Kissing. 1 Cor 6:18

THE DO(S):

• Interact: Talk more! Relationships are for talking and not touching.
• Interrogate and Investigate: Let their business be your business. Ask the right questions.
• Invest in yourself: Add value to each other 
• Inspire yourself: Build yourself up to take new tasks and challenges 
• Involve mentors: A Godly third party improves insight, especially in times of confusion or conflict.
• Finally; involve God.