We’re talking about the Pillar of Love. I want to help you understand before we go any further that when the very, very hard times come, one of the things that God is going to look for in the heart of the believer is the virtue of God. He is going to make special provision for them. I don’t necessarily understand this, I only know what He has shown me, and so it is important.

Let’s look at Ephesians 3:16, 20-21a

Verse 16: "May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality]"

Listen to those words—this is God's desire for your life:

Verses 20-21 a "Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super abundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory..."

Now, you’ve heard this scripture how many times in your life? Think over and above all we dare ask. Think infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, and dreams... That is far reaching. I don't think that I have ever heard this scripture preached apart from money. They always tell you this when there trying to provoke you to give. It seems that it is always a message about giving and about money. Look where He put this passage; it is right here in a cluster of scriptures about love. It’s not about money! Although God is more than happy to take care of your needs. This passage is not about money. He is willing to do for you abundantly, above everything you can imagine, everything you’ve ever dreamed, and everything you’ve ever hoped. Listen to these words; the highest you can think of - in the realm of love.

How would God want to demonstrate His love to me? Regardless of what you can imagine, He’s higher. If you think about the breadth of His love and consider how many ways throughout your life He might manifest His love for you and your loved ones - He’s much broader. You can’t think, you can’t perceive, you can’t desire the depth of love He wishes to give. Not because you don't want to, but because you are not capable. You cannot want to be loved in this life enough, to touch even the bottom of what He’s willing to give. The love that He has, the love that He is willing to manifest, is much higher than you could ever want, ever hope for, or ever need.

You can’t ever, ever, in your lifetime pray and say to the Lord, “If You love me, why do You...? Why? Because His love and what He’s willing to do out of that love, is greater than anything you could ever need, ever want, ever hope, think, even dream of, in this lifetime. You can’t pray a prayer high enough to touch the bottom of His love, let alone the fullness of His love. Some people will say: why did He allow this? I’m going to tell you something you may have a difficult time with; He gave authority to man, did He not? He gave authority to man and man makes mistakes and man will do things wrong, but that does not mean that God does not love you - even in the most terrible troubles you’ve ever been. God’s love for you remains strong and steady.

You don’t know what God has allowed in your life because you were created to bless someone else. If you did not experience and endure personal suffering, you would lack that which you needed to touch and ministers to others. Paul says it in Corinthians; doesn’t he? He gives the principle right there in his writing. You may not hear that much from the pulpit, but you’re going to start hearing it because hard times are coming and you need to understand this truth. God has a purpose for everything He allows and that purpose must be very high if it’s going to entail suffering. It does not mean that He does not love you. Quite the contrary; He has trusted you to bear the suffering, He has allowed it in His name; He has trusted you, and this is a sacred trust. How could you ever give the glory of God to someone else who endured great suffering if you have not walked where they walked? The Native Americans used to say "walk a mile in my moccasins, and then you’ll understand." How true that is.

God allows things in your life because He needs you. He needs you to be His hand extended. He needs you be His heart extended. He needs you to reveal the grace and the power of Christ to those who do not have the same strength you have. Because it will help carry them through. This is the love of God.

He came and bore your infirmities; He didn’t have to. He came and felt what it felt like to have a broken heart. He came, and He felt what it felt like to experience betrayal. He came and felt what it felt like to be so tired that you just fall asleep—you don’t want to fall asleep; you’ve got disciples waiting to hear from you but you are so tired you just crash. He knew fatigue. He came, and He felt what it felt like to reach out and do nothing but good, and be counted among those who were evil. He came and felt what it felt like to give and give, and not have it appreciated. He came and felt what it felt like to teach the ways of God and then see the people who He was going to give His life for turn and walk away because they didn’t like what they were hearing.

Years ago I was standing on the top of the Mount of Beatitudes, and the Lord said to me: I want you to read the Mathew 5, 6, and 7 from this place. I looked down the mountain, and I began to read the passage. I was not only reading it; I said it the way He said it when He stood atop that mountain. I found myself in a spiritual experience: my Lord Jesus Christ was on the Mount, and flowing down all around the mount were grouped clusters of these people hearing these phenomenal truths by the Son of the living God, our Messiah, and they didn’t even recognize Him. I began to cry, and I cried so hard, I thought if only they would have known. He was the One who we waited for - for generations - if only they had known, Jerusalem would not have been destroyed. The enemy would not have taken over the nation if they had just known who He was. The multitudes loved to hear His Words; they loved to see the miracles, but they did not understand who He was. I felt His broken heart as I stood on that Mount, broken because He knew that while He sat there and gave those illustrious words, most would die in their sin.

He came, and He was battered, threatened with His life again and again. Why? Because this is what love does and it will keep reaching out and reaching out, continuing to believe. Love keeps believing and it keeps forgiving and it keeps forgiving. Love always wants the best for the object of its' affection. Love will endure unspeakable suffering for the sake of the one that it loves.

The problem with the Church today is that it's not willing to pay the price to walk in this love. When we willingly pay the price to walk in this love the world will know He has come. There is nothing wrong with suffering in this life.

The Bible says: To this you are called. Why do we fight it? To this you are called; in that place is the place of Divine selection because only those who walk in the highest grace and the highest realms of God are allowed to suffer at high levels. It is a place of Divine selection, and it’s a place of the greatest revelation when you are ready to learn the deep love of God. That is when He begins to reveal Himself to you and the more you’re willing to walk in it the more He will reveal Himself to you. You will experience the love of God at unspeakable levels, far greater than you know now.

Here's the beauty of the Pillar of Love; every one of you is called to walk in this love. In this love is a great grace, great strength, and great joy to endure. You don’t endure with your strength.

What is this city [New Orleans] worth to you? What is it worth? What are you willing to sacrifice to see this city saved? Do you not know and understand my dear brothers and sisters that either New Orleans will bow the knee to Christ, or there will be another Katrina - only next time it will be much worse? I’ve seen it in a vision. What is this city worth to you? What are you willing to endure to bring Christ to NOLA and this region? Will you get up and pray when it’s inconvenient? Will you bow your knee and go where ever He tells you to go? Are you willing to spend an extended period fasting and in prayer, even when it’s difficult? You do have a choice; a city set aflame with God or drowned in the waters of another Katrina.

What is it worth to you? Do you want to learn the love of God? Press in, sacrifice, give, expecting nothing in return. Give, give, and when you’re tired and weary—give some more. His grace will be there to carry you. You’ll never learn Christ until you put yourself in a situation where you have to know Him; you’ll never learn Jesus in an easy chair.


Paul said, “To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.” He just ends this beautiful exhortation with those words because as he’s pinning, Paul remembers who He is and what He does in the human soul. He remembers the One He loves and all that He has done for him. He remembers what God is really like, and it so elevates his soul in the love of God, he cannot help but finish it by saying: To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

To be continued next week...

In His Amazing Love,
Nita Johnson