Episode 16 - Living with Intention Begins with Love

What if living with intention starts with something as simple—and as powerful—as love?

In this episode, Val Mitchell explores the Fruit of the Spirit known as love and challenges listeners to move beyond the world's definition of love into God's definition of agape love.

Through Scripture, personal reflection, and practical application, you'll discover why love begins with receiving God's love for yourself before you can fully give it to others. You'll also learn how your words, actions, and thoughts can become a reflection of Christ's love in your everyday life.

If you've ever struggled with loving difficult people, extending grace, or even loving yourself, this episode will encourage you to take the next step in your spiritual growth.

📖 Scriptures:
Galatians 5:22-23
John 13:34-35
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Romans 12:10

💜 Key Takeaway:
The more you receive God's love, the more naturally His love flows through you to others.

Welcome to Valetha's Greatest Moments with God, a podcast for women who desire to hear God's voice, find healing, and grow closer to Him.

Each week, Val Mitchell shares personal stories, biblical insights, and powerful revelations from her own walk with God. Through real-life experiences and practical faith lessons, you'll discover how God speaks in everyday moments, guides us through difficult seasons, and invites us into a deeper relationship with Him.

Wh

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Valetha's Greatest Moments with God.

If this message encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with a friend who may need to hear it.

To continue the conversation, connect with me on Facebook at Val Mitchell, where I host weekly Let's Talk LIVE discussions and share additional encouragement throughout the week.

Remember, God is always speaking. Take time to listen, spend time in

Thank you for listening to Valetha's Greatest Moments with God.

If today's episode encouraged you, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with a friend.

Until next time,

Hear God's Voice.
Find Healing.
Build Intimacy and Trust.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:34

How are you doing? The fruit of the spirit found in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. We know that there's love, there's joy, there's peace, there's forbearance, there's kindness, there's goodness, there's faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Out of all of those nine, I know I am not the only one who is not just rocking in each one. Every day I'm going to try focusing on love. And then what I'm going to ask for you to do in return, try to show love this week. Try to do something within love. Amen. In John chapter 13 and 34, it says, A new command I will give you. Love one another as I have loved you. So you must love one another. And then in 35, it says, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Amen. So we are walking around. We are the sort of the earth. We are the light in the midst of darkness. But how do we stand out with others? It is from our love. Amen. All right. Let's get into it. So I'm going to do a quick prayer and then I'll pray at the end. Heavenly Father, I ask that you touch this teaching. I ask that you touch the words that come through. Let you be heard and manifested. Show us what you want us to know with the spirit from the fruit of love. Amen. Amen. Okay. So when we think of love, let's unpack it a little bit. Let's try to understand what is love. Amen. Love according to God's version. That's what we're talking about. It is unselfish. It is a beloved concern for others. Amen. And we get that out of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7. But we always hear one thing as Christians. It is agape love. God is agape love. Amen. What is that? What does that actually mean? Let's kind of dig into that. If we must first and foremost always start off with knowing that God is love. And I'll never forget my first encounter with the Lord. My first real encounter. Let me be specific. When I had my first real encounter with the Lord, I felt love throughout the whole atmosphere. And it is so hard to describe, even harder to explain. But that encounter showed me that our God that we serve is love. So when we look at what is agape love, agape love is the Greek word, and it says it's the fatherly love of God. It's his love as a father for us, and we are his children. Amen. It is the highest form of love. And we know in John 316, which a lot of us know by heart, that God shows his fatherly love, that highest form of love, when he gave us his only beloved son. When God shows love, he gives. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies they will cease, where their tongues are, they will be still, and where there is knowledge, it will pass away. So when we think of the word love, that we as Christians should be demonstrating, we should be referencing what the word love is, what we should not be doing, no matter what the situation is. Amen. When we look at love, it also talks about it in Galatians chapter five, thirteen through fifteen verses. You my brothers and sisters were called to be free. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself. Now I'm gonna just stop there before I keep reading. Because a lot of us can't show love to others, we can't show honor, we can't stop holding grudges, we can't show respect, and that's because it's a reflection of how we love ourselves. Amen. I think if this one is a challenge of loving your neighbors, I think we have to step back and look in the mirror and look at how are we loving ourselves. The Bible says you can't love anyone more than how you love yourself. So how can you expect to show all this? Love is kind, love is patient, love is um not envious, not boasting when you don't have love for yourself. Amen. Amen. And that is something, and we're being honest, that I had to learn in my walk. I can show everything to everybody, but by the end of the day, I felt so drained, or it was a struggle to love those who hurt you, love those who showed harm for it towards you. Remember, it's easy to love someone that loves you back, but it is very hard to love someone that doesn't show love to you. But in order to do that, you have to learn how to love yourself. So this week I challenge you before you focus on loving anyone, show yourself. Now that could be in so many different ways that you show yourself. Some examples can be self-care, taking time out for yourself, taking a break away from things in others, and treating yourself to whatever comforts you for self-care. That can be words of affirmation, excuse me. Um, shame. We are so hard on ourselves. Sometimes it means letting go of things that we are trying so hard to do. We have to let it go and find peace within ourselves, amen. That's another form of showing love. Giving yourself grace when you don't get it right all the time, when things don't go the way you planned it out. Believe me, I am a planner, but I have learned to let it go. Amen. Amen. So, whatever that looks like for you, if you are still struggling with how to show love to yourself, then what I ask of you to take that to God in your prayer time. God, show me those things about me that I need to give myself grace on. Show me me that I need to know how to show love to myself. Teach me, Heavenly Father, to show me how to love me. And then you'll be surprised. The more you start loving yourself, the easier it becomes to start showing love to others. Amen. Romans 12 and 10 says, love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. It shouldn't be a case of let me do this because I'm gonna get something out of it. Because it's gonna get me something I need. Because Lord said, No, don't take the word because all the way out of it. Do it be so that way you are demonstrating love. Remember, we are walking as kingdom disciples. I already read the scriptures that said God will be able to, people can be able to point out who's God's disciple, who out of this group is God's disciple, and the one that shows love will stand out in the crowd so that way they know what God's love feels like, what it feels like to receive God's love, because we were ambassadors that were able to demonstrate that to them. Amen. Amen. So I am asking that as we go through this walk, I'm going to challenge you. I need you to get out of your old patterns, your old way of thinking. And I'm going to ask, let's embrace new ones. Amen. Let's speak words of love to yourself. Remember, because we're trying to build ourselves up. Speak words to everyone you come in contact with. Sometimes it's so easy to speak words of love to strangers, to co-workers, to friends, but it's so hard to speak love to those we deal with regularly, our family, to our husbands if we're married, to our children. Sometimes we parent so hard with that hard iron fist that we forget sometimes we need to also show and demonstrate love. They are the ones who need to feel that from us before they go out and try to receive it from others around them. Amen. Amen. So with your words this week, I want you to show, speak love with everyone you come in contact with. Your actions, your actions should demonstrate love. Honor those, treat those with kindness, amen. Do things just because show a smile to someone who looked like they're having a bad day. Whatever your actions are, I'm gonna challenge you this week to do them in love. Amen. And then the third one that we spoke about was how we think. We need to start putting new thoughts in our head. We're gonna get hit. We're gonna have rude people that come to us, we're gonna have people that do things against us. What we call them nowadays, we call them haters. You're going to encounter that. It's a given. So I always say, be prepared. Now that you know what's coming, counteract it with love. So you have to think about it. You have to put your mindset on. Get up in the morning. Today, I'm going to show love today. No matter who comes my way, Lord, bring them to me so I can be the one that shows love. Now, when he brings them, they ain't gonna always show love back. So I have to get you prepared that no matter what thought process, words, comfort, a hug, we don't always have to go out and preach and say, Thus saith the Lord or Bible scriptures. When Jesus came down, he didn't start out that way. He brought them in with love. And then once they realized they were in a safe space, then he started telling them truth and the good news of the gospel. Amen. So I hope this encouraged you today. I hope you learn. And then may after this week that it become so natural because that love spirit is just blossomed inside of you so strongly that it overflows in everything you do. Amen. Amen. So let us pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you, I praise you. Father, I give you glory and honor. I invite you into our hearts, Lord, into our lives today. Father, teach us this week how to increase the fruit of love. Increase it first in us, Father. Help us to love ourselves, Lord. Show us those areas where we're lacking that your love can pour in to teach us how to love ourselves. And then, Father, bring on the people this week that we need that needs the love of Christ. Let us be the light in those dark moments of their lives. Show us what to do, how to do, so that way that encounter they walk away feeling your love that dwells within us. And we give you glory and honor in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, that's all I got. Again, this week, I pray that you do the three steps I am asking for. Show love in your words, show love in your actions, and show love in your way of thinking. That mind, boy, I tell you, it can talk you out of things quickly. But sometimes, if you put good good food in, then goodness comes out. Amen. Alrighty. Thank you for joining me. As again, this has been Val. I'm praying this has blessed you as much as it is a blessing.