A group of us were gathered in my living room last Monday night talking about our impression of what we had just heard. We were listening to the first track of Graham Cooke’s Devotional Soaking series, “Becoming the Beloved.” (YouTube clip below). We have used these CD series in our discipleship and ministry school for a couple of years now. They are transformational, to say the least.
But the particular line that struck a couple of us this time was, “It is My perception of you that must occupy your affections.”
It is HIS perception.
What God thinks.
It is HIS appraisal of you that must gladden your heart.
Not what you think about yourself. Not how people love you, or see you, or what they may say about you. Not even how well you love God, or how well you serve Him. It’s not based on those things at all.
No, our heart must be tuned to HIS view of us.
For this is the key to a life well lived and loved. Because life always comes down to the issues of our heart–the seat of our affections.
We know that the commandment that covers all commandments is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:29-30), but do we also understand that we can only do this because He loved us that way first–with all HIS heart, soul, mind and strength.
So what does God loving you with all of HIS heart, soul, mind and strength look like for you?
Because this reality is HIS perception of you.
But then we’re also told it’s equally important to love others the same way we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
Love ourselves?
How does one do that successfully? Selflessly? Obediently? Affectionately?
Again, His perception of us is the key. We determine in our hearts only to see ourselves the way HE sees us. And if He loved us and places such value on us that He gave Jesus for us, who are we to argue?
And again, God loves you the same way He loves Himself (John 15:9; 17:23)
Did you get that? God loves YOU the SAME as He loves Himself.
Again, we receive only His perception of us and let His thoughts occupy our affections. For then, and only then, can we truly love others rightly.
So we see that Jesus’ commandments here aren’t something tedious or burdensome (1 John 5:3), not something based on our perception or our valuation…but His.
We love with His love.
Beloved, whose perception is guiding your affections? Turn your heart to His heart. Believe what He says about you. Don’t accept anything else.
This is true repentance. Recalibrating our thoughts to His thoughts, beholding Him, His affections and being transformed into who He has already made us (Rom.12:2; 2 Cor.3:18).
And if you have not heard these devotional sets before, take a listen below. You can get all three complete series from Brilliant Book House. I highly recommend them.
You are loved.
In My Father's House 
WoW! This is a really good post. This should be on every pastors schedule to preach! Thanks!
Thanks. Much appreciated. Yes, this is pretty much at the center of everything important, isn’t it. Something I try to remind myself everyday.
This awesome and so affirming to what I’m going through in my community group. Mike Bickle has done the most amazing teaching on love, the two commandments…coming in agreement with God’s love for us etc etc etc. Its superb! You can check it out on YouTube, onething 2013 session 4. God bless 🙂
Sounds great. I have heard Mike Bickle teach on God’s love before. He has an amazing revelation about how we are loved. I will look into to it when I get a chance. Thanks for referring it. Blessings.
To understand Graham Cooke you need to understand that he is dealing with Positive Pneumatology rather than Positive Psychology and in the work of Graham Cooke, all the categories of Positive Psychology find Authentic and Real Energetic Pneumatological expression – which is why they have real impact and embeddedness – because Pneumatological Transference and Impartation are taking place – this is not just an abstract description of states of Grace; Ecstacy; Bliss; Consolation and Empowerment in the Holy Spirit but the actual Communication and Impartation of those Spiritual States and Encounters – it is very Viral and Communicative – you are literally being Upgraded.
Thank you for your insights here, Mark. I have to say I’ve never heard it described quite like that before but I totally agree on the real impact, transference and upgrade! It is very real. Blessings.
Mel
This will be brief and my final comment. My current area of interest is ‘Energetic Transaction’ between the Holy Spirt and the Human Person – so if you take the following comment by Bill Johnson:
“The same way that Jesus became flesh, the Holy Spirit becomes words, and when they are spoken, they bring life.” – what I find interesting in this comment is that Bill Johnson is describing an ‘Energetic Transaction’ – the Holy Spirit is doing something “Energetic” and Prophetic because Scripture as simultaneously Logos and Rhema is Prophetic (cf. Revelation 19:10b “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” – NASB) – it has Prophetic Vivacity and Energy and therefore there is relationship between Prophecy and Energy both in terms of spoken words and in speaking the Word (cf. Ephesians 6:17b ” the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”). This means that in dealing with Prophetics we are dealing with the spoken ‘life-giving’ (and imparting) impact of Real Energetic Pneumatology – because – these Holy Spirit (Embodied and Imparted) Words become a Real ‘Energetic Transaction’ – they are literally Viral and Communicative – they speak and impart Life because they are manifest and spoken Trinitarian Intentionality in Soteriological Terms – which means that the whole of Scripture is a Living Pneumatological ‘Energetic Transaction’ literally capable of imparting Life (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16a “All Scripture is God-breathed”.) and so are Prophetic Declarations – what you are expreriencing is the Pneumatological Energetic Impact and Impartation of Prophetic Declarations.
Blessings.
Mark
This is fascinating, Mark. Thanks for the explanation. It really brings more meaning to what actually happens with prophecy, when we speak, declare, in our devotions, etc.. It reminds me of Jesus when He said, “the words I speak to you are spirit” (John 6:63). And it sounds similar to principles in quantum physics. It’s interesting how science is starting to agree more with God than a lot of Christians believe in the area of the supernatural and heavenly realm. Blessings.
Mark Downham
5 days agoPublic
“The same way that Jesus became flesh, the Holy Spirit becomes words, and when they are spoken, they bring life.” – Bill Johnson
Mel, would it be OK if I say something on the relationship between Prophetics and Quantum Physics?
I think is worth revisiting the work of Maximus the Confessor (c. 580 – 13 August 662) – Christian monk, theologian, and scholar on the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ as the Divine Eternal Logos – “The Word” – (cf. John 1) and Logoi (cf. John 1:3 ) – literally “Words” and how everything that has been spoken into being in the Visible Material and Invisible Super-Material Universe (cf. Hebrews) are “logoi” – “Words spoken” and therefore they still resonate with that “Act of Speaking” – there are different ways of perceiving this in relation to the Divine Image and how Real Energetic Pneumatology works or ‘Noetic Sensations’ – but the base DNA of the Universe is Words (spoken) (cf. Genesis 1:3) Genesis – resonating in a Real Energetic Pneumatological way (‘Frequencies’ in Quantum Physics) with the Voice of the Creator through his ‘Breath’ (Romans 1:19) – even if the Fall has produced a state of Cosmic Travail and Frustration (cf. Romans 8) – what Prophetics are doing is exactly like Scripture speaking Life to those Logoi…..those Words and if you understand this – you can even speak to Storms (cf. Mark 4:39) and all of creation (cf. John 19:30 – Everything flows through the Cross of Christ – I mean everything – it all converges on the Cross which is literally at the Centre of the Universe – You have to pass through that ‘Eye of the Needle’ to understand this fully)…..you can speak with Apostolic and Prophetic Authority and this is the true Prophetic Ministry to the World (cf. Mark 16:15)….You are literally speaking Life-Giving Energies into the Universe…an ‘Energetic Transaction’ is taking place.
“The same way that Jesus became flesh, the Holy Spirit becomes words, and when they are spoken, they bring life.” – Bill Johnson
John 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
I will have to look up Maximus the Confessor’s work. I have a book by Anthanasius from the fourth century, “On the Incarnation,” which is also enlightening on understanding the Word becoming flesh.
What I’ve found from the Quantum understanding is that these “non-local,” or non-visible dimensions, are the interface God’s uses with our material world–how the physical world is framed (Heb.11:3). We tap into this “interface” by faith, by our declarations, confessions. Quantum physicists would say the states change from energy to matter with observation. But this explanation is more precise–everything “vibrates” on the Word of God and is controlled and held together by the same.
You’ve probably heard of “shifting atmospheres” from Bethel. We literally shift the “atmosphere” around us by faith (Rom.4:17). I’ve personally witnessed this happen many times over the years in ministry. So what you’re saying here adds more understanding to what’s actually happening.
Thanks again for your fascinating insights. Much appreciated.