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I have been prompted by the Lord (God the Holy Spirit) to lean into returning to my first love.
In this installment, I will discuss the stories of Jesus and relate them to returning to my first love.
But first, let me break it down.
The rise of lawlessness
The strategic attacks of the adversary, the devil, are becoming more pronounced as defiance becomes the rule of the day.
U.S. headlines are filled with willful acts of everyday people openly defying law and order.
World leaders are belligerently opposing common sense and embracing destructive postures.
Third-world countries are rattling their (hypothetical) swords in open defiance.
None of this is coensital. It is a strategically planned attack by the prince of darkness.
The Apostle Paul addresses this very issue in his letter to the church in Thessalonica.
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 New International Version
We are living in such a time as this.
What does this have to do with returning to my first love?
It has a lot to do with it.
If we, Christ-followers, are not leaning into our first love, we will fall prey to these strategies of our adversary.
- First love lost
In the New Testament book of Revelation, the Apostle John is given instructions for seven churches. I am not entering into a theological debate about the symbolic meaning of these churches, but only to express some words the angel gave to John to tell several of the churches.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
Revelation 2:1-4 New International Version
This text serves as the scriptural basis for my journey in 2026.
The stories of Jesus
The New Testament book of Matthew reveals many things about the life and teachings of Jesus. Matthew 13 gives us four (4) of Jesus’ stories.
The 34th verse tells it like this: “All Jesus did that day was tell stories – a long storytelling afternoon.”
Matthew 13:34 The Message
The manner of Jesus’ teaching (the telling of stories) isn’t the focal point, but the stories are.
For example,
“At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach.
In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat.
Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it.
Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots,
so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.
Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds.
Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
Matthew 13:1-9
The Message
How does the story relate to returning to your first love?
Jesus is teaching about the intent of the heart (the mind, will, and emotions).
His disciples asked him why the stories, to which Jesus replied,
“Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears.
That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it.”
Matthew 13:12-13
The Message
He then explains the story to them.
In this story, he describes four heart conditions.
- The unopened heart
“When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.”
- The emotional heart
“The seed cast in the gravel – this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off, and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.”
- The worried heart
“The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.
- The open heart
“The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
Unopen heart
It is difficult to put anything into a full vessel, and an unopened heart is one full of itself.
This could be due to pride, insecurity, or other factors.
If it describes you, your path is clear:
Have an honest conversation with yourself, asking what is most important to you.
If it isn’t Jesus:
Cry out to God
Ask for forgiveness for whatever is filling your heart.
Seek the Lord through the Bible, a Christ-following community, and a renewed commitment to walk with God.
Emotional heart
The emotional heart is unstable because it is moved by whatever pulls its emotional strings.
Emotions are a natural part of humanity, and I am not suggesting that you live a Vulcan (Star Trek) emotionless life.
But you cannot have a consistent relationship with God if you allow your emotions to rule you.
You will be up on one day, down the next, and somewhere in between the day after that.
If it describes you, your path is clear:
Settle your heart by committing to daily following the Lord.
Find all the (righteous) help you can in a Christ-following community.
Realize it is a process, and do not let your emotions overwhelm you when you stumble.
Worried heart
A worried heart is full of doubt, unbelief, suspicions, and several other negative things. It is likely your adversary, the devil, has an open line to speak to you and feed you unrighteous thoughts and imaginations.
If it describes you, your path is clear:
Ask God the Holy Spirit to show you those you need to forgive
Commit to studying the Old Testament books of Proverbs (as a starting point) and Job.
Surround yourself with positive (Christ-following) believers.
Open heart
An open heart is ready for whatever the Lord has to offer.
In the New Testament story of Jesus, his mother was approached by an angel with news of God’s plan for her life.
Mary responded by saying,
“And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.”
Luke 1:38 The Message
If this describes you, your path is clear:
Obey the Lord and lean into him.
My challenge in 2026 is to:
- Lean into Jesus
- Let go of my self-determination
- Learn to trust in my God
This was easier when I first believed because I naïve about a lot of things.
It is becoming more difficult the longer I live in this world, because of the growing lawlessness I face daily.
It is a challenge, but one I have committed to embracing
The cry of the Spirit has gone out.
Humanity has entered a time of historical proportions, and being close to God will mean the difference between finding spiritual freedom and deepening spiritual bondage.