The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]
1 John 4:8 AMP
God Is Love — and That Is the Issue
This verse is not primarily about love.
It is about acquaintance.
John is not questioning belief.
He is discerning intimacy.
If God is love — not merely loving, but love itself — then closeness to Him must shape what flows from our lives. When love diminishes, the issue is not calling, gifting, or effort. It is proximity.
How close to the Source are we?
From Familiarity to Intimacy
Most leaders are acquainted with Christ.
We know His character.
We know His will.
We know His ways.
We have walked with Him long enough to recognize His voice and trust His faithfulness.
And yet, under the constant crush of ministry demands, family responsibilities, cultural pressure, and urgency, we often abandon what we know to be true — not intentionally, not rebelliously, but practically.
Jesus becomes familiar rather than central.
Known rather than lived with.
Love does not disappear.
It trickles instead of overflowing.
A Simple — and Disruptive — Conviction
Recently, the conviction of the Holy Spirit has been clear:
The one thing I need to be doing is waiting on the Lord.
Not preparing more.
Not refining strategy.
Waiting.
Waiting quiets my reflex to fix and improve. Waiting recalibrates love. It tunes my heart to His.
And if I am honest, my flesh resists this more than almost anything else. I am not internationally known for my patience.
Why the Flesh Resists Stillness
Stillness removes usefulness.
Silence removes control.
Waiting confronts identity.
When I am still before the Lord, I cannot hide behind competence or productivity. I am present because He is God — not because I am effective.
That exposure is uncomfortable for habits shaped by efficiency and output.
The flesh would rather:
- study about God
- work for God
- speak on behalf of God
Than sit quietly with Him.
But abiding cannot be outsourced to activity.
Conversion Gave Me Life — Waiting Is Teaching Me Love
I experienced a radical conversion and deliverance at age 25. That moment forever marked me and brought real change.
But growth did not stop there.
What I am learning now is that love is sustained not by encounter alone, but by continued closeness — cultivated most deeply where my need to solve and improve is laid down: in waiting.
Ministry can be productive while love quietly wanes. Waiting restores us.
Why This Matters Now
The future will not resemble the past.
We are entering days where:
- discernment matters more than speed
- love will be tested by pressure
- leaders will be tempted to lead from depletion
Familiarity with God will not be enough.
We will need intimate acquaintance — friendship, shared life, ongoing nearness.
Only those who know how to wait — how to be still, how to listen, how to abide — will remain anchored in love. And what this world needs now more than ever is God’s people overflowing with His love. Let’s lead by example!
An Invitation to Quality Time With the Father
So for now — before more studying, before more teaching, before more planning — pause.
Set aside unhurried, undistracted time with the Father.
Not to solve anything.
Not to produce insight.
Not to fix what feels broken.
Simply come as a son or daughter and be with Him.
Sit quietly in His presence.
Acknowledge that He is near.
Invite Him to speak.
Then wait.
Let Him lead the moment.
Let Him set the pace.
Let Him remind you who you are to Him.
This is not inactivity.
This is shared life.
Because God is love.
And love is sustained through quality time spent together.
Return to the secret place — not to accomplish anything, but to enjoy the Father.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
Psalms 91:1-2 NLT
That is where love is renewed.
Igniter Ministries 