Noting the stress that comes with the upcoming Christmas season, a minister reminded believers to keep their relationships healthy.
In his article on Charisma Magazine, Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries (CLM), shared "three keys to loving others."
First, making relationships with others more important than situations.
Landry said that people should be mindful about the attacks of the enemy, working against the flesh. They must also maintain their hearts and minds aligned with the LORD.
"The flesh is at enmity with the Spirit of God. The enemy will play on our minds, wills and emotions and put us in situations with others that spark our flesh to act. When we aren't aware of warfare, we can easily place the importance of a situation above the relationship we have with a person," he explained.
Next, remembering how they are loved by God.
Citing John 4:19, the minister said that Christians must remember about the mercy, grace and love bestowed to them at the time when they are undeserving.
"Let us remember that the only reason we can love is because the Lord loves us," he added.
Finally, having a "kingdom perspective."
He emphasized the importance of unity, and thus, believers must be careful about their words with others.
"Let us have a kingdom perspective as we meet with others. Let's think about what we say and how we say it. The heart motive behind our words matters. For there to be unity and fellowship among the family of God, friends and neighbors, the words we speak will be seeds that sow a crop we will later reap," the minister stated.
Landry warned that this holiday season, the enemy will try to use stress to stop the advancement of His kingdom by filling Christians with anxiety and pressure, causing them to fail showing love to others. But he argued that they can choose to live in love instead of fear, as the Bible states in 1 John 4:18.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love," the verse says.
The minister also shared the essential factor of loving others, recalling the commandments of Jesus in Mark 12:29-31 - loving God above all and loving their "neighbors" as themselves.
He then cautioned the people of God to be aware about the schemes of the enemy and of not falling into its "stress trap" this season.
"Let us move into this season with hearts and mindsets on loving others and being thankful for having an inheritance that can never perish," he concluded.
About Curt Landry
Landry and his wife, Christie, began their full-time ministry in 1996. Because of the former's Jewish roots, the couple became largely involved in Israeli affairs, helping the poor and participating in negotiations with the government.
In 2000, they founded a church in Oklahoma, the House of David Ministries. Alongside CLM, the latter provides humanitarian aid not just in Israel but in other parts of the world as well, such as Ukraine, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Haiti, Togo and the United States, specifically to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
