2nd Step to Let God Restore the Wasted Years of Your Life (2 of 3)

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after 4 days. But Lazarus was not yet free. He was tightly wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus told Lazarus family, friends, and neighbors: "Loose him, and let him go.”  We, like Lazarus, need help getting free from the effects of a lifetime of sin and selfishness. 

Getting free by Growing Love is the 2nd step to restoration.

When We Are Born Again, We are Like Lazarus
Christians are made alive with Christ’s love and forgiveness when “born again”, but we need help to break free from the grave clothes wrapped around us again and again by a lifetime of selfishness and sin. 

Many Christians accept Jesus as Savior, but never get rid of their grave clothes. They are hobbled by their grave clothes all their lives.  

Instead of the sweet fragrance of Jesus, these people have the stench of death on them. They are bound hand and foot by old attitudes, old wounds, old relationships, old ideas and beliefs from their past. They never break free from the influences of their sin even though their sin has been removed and forgiven. 

In "Let God Restore the Wasted Years of Your Life", I explained how Christians can become captive to Satan in different ways. We can be born again and waste our potential – waste our opportunities to grow and to do great things for God.

**God heals, restores, and completes us. 

When we are born again, our spirits are immediately and completely sanctified (made holy and set apart for God’s purposes). But our souls (or mind, wills, and emotions) are NOT. Our souls are sanctified (made holy and set apart for God’s purposes) through a life-long process. Romans 12:1-2 explains the process 

We are transformed (completely and radically changed) from the inside out by Holy Spirit as we renew our minds with the Word of God., He makes us like Jesus. 

**Restoration is Not a Journey We Can Make Alone

God knew we would never be able to remove a lifetime of sin and selfishness by ourselves. He gave us Holy Spirit living inside us to help us. 

And God made us part of His body here on earth – His congregation of believers. God uses other people in this process of healing and restoring all that has been stolen from you by Satan, your selfishness, and your sin. See Ephesians 4:16 TPT

Love here is agape (the Greek word used to describe the unconditional, never fading, never failing, only from God love we are called to receive and to give God and others in the New Testament. E.g. Matthew 22:36-40). Agape is love that loves you no matter what you do. 

Human love which is transactional. It’s “I’ll love you if are nice to me. But if you hurt me I’ll stop loving you. I may even hurt you back.” That’s human. And that’s self-ish – that’s “all about me love.” 

Agape love isn’t human love with more effort. It is love grown from a different seed – a Divine seed. Agape love is the fruit which the Holy Spirit creates in us. We have to get this seed from God. That’s step 1. Get the seed. Know Love. Experience God’s love.

Step 2 Grow Love 
God’s love is constant. It has always been there. He continues to touch us with His love. We receive God’s love as we desire it and as we spend time with Him. Love grows as we work the soil of our hearts. (Read Matthew 13, the parable of the sower and the seed.) God’s Word is the seed. We are the soil. Holy Spirit is the farmer.

There’s a life-changing principle here. EVERYTHING WE RECEIVE FROM GOD COMES IN SEED FORM. It grows through relationship with God and others.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) tells us Holy Spirit is the one who produces love in us:
Through the transformation process Holy Spirit plants and makes God’s love grow in us.