🔥 Restore Our 1st Love Rev 2:4 Mk 12:30-31 1 Cor 14:1, Extra Grace to Pray, Study, Worship, Make Disciples, "Do The Things We Did at First" Rev 2:5

[Nochaeld]

Restore Our 1st Love Rev 2:4, Mk 12:30-31, 1 Cor 14:1, Extra Grace to Pray, Study, Worship, Edify the Church, Share The Gospel, Make Disciples, "Do The Things We Did at First" Rev 2:5... Father, thank You for Your great love, for "We love because You first loved us," 1 Jn 4:19. We ask for a restoration of our first love, Rev 2:4. Help us "repent and do the things we did at first," Rev 2:5, i.e., when we were first saved [1]. Extra grace to pray (in The Holy Spirit) & study the Bible so we can learn His Word and extra grace to pray so we can share the Truth filled with "Power from on high," Acts 1:8, The Holy Spirit, His fruit, Gal 5:22-23, and gifts, 1 Cor 14:1-2, and holiness. Help us "Make Disciples, baptize (live) and teach obedience to all Christ taught, Matt 28:19-20. Protect us from distractions, sin and the evil one, Matt 6:13. Give extra grace and discipline to dig in deeply over this summer and throughout all our Lives. Let us "choose the best part "as Mary, who "listened to Jesus' Teaching in a posture of humility," Luke 10:40, which The Lord promised would not be taken away, Luke 10:42. Thank You so much for Your love, Holy is Your Name, in Jesus' Name.

"O Lord, please light the fire That once burned bright and clear Replace the lamp of my first love That burned with Holy Fear," in "O Lord, You're Beautiful," May 7, 1980.

[1] Oddly enough, the Ephesian Church Jesus addresses there has a historic precedent in Acts 19:1-5, After a slightly comical exchange between Paul and the "believers" at Ephesus, He asks them if they'd received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith. Their answer is "We haven't even heard The Holy Spirit exists!" They'd come to faith through Apollos who'd only been familiar with The Scriptures and the Baptism of John (The Baptist). After receiving the Baptism of The Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, (foundational teaching, Heb 6:1-2), the 12 all speak in tongues and prophesy! In Acts 19:8-12, after a time of battle over the Word of God in the Synagogue, Paul sets up "The School of Tyrannus," a seminary of sorts, and the revival there so mirrors the Early Church after The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-6:7 in so many ways, it's noteworthy. They remained under the teaching of the Apostles, the Word spread, the church grew and extraordinary miracles confirmed the message of Jesus was The Word of God. Let us remember to "keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in The Holy Spirit which edifies us in our most holy faith," Jude 1:20-21. Let us express that love through prophecy (edifying, comforting, exhorting and sharing the testimony of Jesus), 1 Cor 14:1-3, Rev 19:10. This is an example (from Ephesus -- the church used by Jesus (hand picked) to tell us to return to our 1st love through by emulation of the works they did at first as we repent from anything we shouldn't be doing contrary to doing this as the best part, loving The LORD, our God, YHWH, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength -- and loving our neighbors as ourselves, Mk 12:30-31. May our love abound with all knowledge and true discernment so we may always see and choose the highest good, Phil 1:9-10. May God add blessing to His Word, in Jesus' Name, thank You and you all, Amen 2 Cor 1:20...

 

[Articles]

We hear your cry for restoration, beloved in Christ, and we join our hearts with yours in fervent prayer. The longing to return to the fervor of first love is a sacred ache, one that the Spirit Himself stirs within us when we have grown cold or distracted. You have rightly turned to Scripture, Revelation 2:4-5 pierces our complacency like a sword, reminding us that even faithful labor can lack the fire of devotion. "But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works." The Ephesian church’s story is a sobering mirror; they were doctrinally sound, patient in endurance, yet Jesus threatened to remove their lampstand if they did not repent. How terrifying to be commended for works yet condemned for love!

Your reference to Acts 19 is profound. Those twelve men in Ephesus had believed in the baptism of repentance but knew nothing of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power. When Paul laid hands on them, the Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied, visible, tangible evidence of a life transformed by God’s presence. This is the missing element so often in our own lives: not just knowledge of the Word, but the power of the Spirit animating it. We must ask ourselves, have we settled for religious activity without the fire of Pentecost? Have we traded intimacy for information, relationship for routine?

The call to "do the first works" is not a call to busyness, but to burning. The first works of a believer are marked by awe, by tears of gratitude, by hours lost in prayer and worship, by a hunger to know Christ more than life itself. Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha fretted over serving, chose "the good part" (Luke 10:42). That posture of humility, of listening, of prioritizing Christ above all else, this is the first love we must reclaim. It is not enough to know the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31); we must live it with every breath. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is to love Him with our time, our thoughts, our finances, our dreams, our very bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Yet we must also confront the distractions that have dulled our passion. The evil one does not always attack with blatant sin; often, he seduces us with good things that crowd out the best thing. Social media, entertainment, even ministry itself can become idols if they replace communion with Christ. We must ruthlessly examine our hearts: What have we allowed to take precedence over prayer? Over Scripture? Over worship that is not performance but surrender? The apostle Paul’s plea in 1 Corinthians 14:1, "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy", is a call to prioritize what edifies the body and glorifies God. Prophecy, in its biblical sense, is not fortune-telling but speaking God’s truth in love to build up others (1 Corinthians 14:3). It is an outflow of a heart that has sat at Jesus’ feet.

We also lift up your cry for "extra grace" to study, pray, and make disciples. This is the work of the Spirit, not human effort. Zechariah 4:6 declares, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you (Romans 8:11)! He is the One who will quicken your mortal bodies, who will bring to remembrance all that Jesus has said (John 14:26), who will empower you to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). But we must yield to Him. The early church did not manufacture revival; they waited for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). Have we grown impatient with waiting? Have we filled our schedules so full that there is no room for the Spirit to move?

And what of the Great Commission? Making disciples is not an optional add-on for the "super-spiritual"; it is the mandate of every believer. Yet how often do we reduce it to a tract or a social media post, forgetting that discipleship requires relationship, teaching, baptizing, and walking alongside others as they learn obedience (Matthew 28:19-20). The Ephesian revival under Paul’s teaching in the School of Tyrannus was marked by extraordinary miracles because the Word was lived, not just preached. Are we living in such a way that our lives authenticate the gospel? Or have we become like the Pharisees, loading burdens on others that we ourselves do not carry (Matthew 23:4)?

Let us also address a subtle danger in your request: the focus on experience over truth. While the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts are biblical realities, they must always be submitted to Scripture. The enemy is a master of counterfeits, false tongues, false prophecies, false miracles (Matthew 24:24). We must test every spirit (1 John 4:1) and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), is the evidence of His work, not just the gifts. A tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16).

Now, beloved, let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we come before You with contrite hearts, acknowledging that we have left our first love. Forgive us for the times we have served You out of duty rather than devotion, for the moments we have prioritized the temporal over the eternal. Lord Jesus, You are the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2); restore to us the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12). Holy Spirit, ignite within us the fire that once burned bright, rekindle our passion for Your Word, our hunger for prayer, our thirst for worship that is pure and undefiled.

We repent of every distraction that has stolen our affection from You. Cleanse us from the idols of busyness, comfort, and self-reliance. Teach us to number our days (Psalm 90:12) and to seek first Your kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Fill us afresh with Your Spirit, that we may walk in power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Let us not quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) but yield to His leading in every area of our lives.

Father, grant us the grace to "do the first works", to sit at Your feet like Mary, to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to study Your Word with diligence (2 Timothy 2:15), and to make disciples who will make disciples. Let our love abound in knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1:9), that we may approve what is excellent and be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Philippians 1:10).

Protect us from the schemes of the evil one, who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). Guard our hearts from pride, from legalism, from emotionalism. Let us walk in holiness, for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). May our lives be living epistles, read by all (2 Corinthians 3:2), that they may see our good works and glorify You (Matthew 5:16).

We ask for a revival in our hearts, in our homes, in our churches, and in our nations. Let the fire of Pentecost fall again, not for our glory, but for Yours. Let signs and wonders follow the preaching of Your Word (Mark 16:20), and let the lost be saved, the sick healed, and the broken restored. May we be a people who love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who love our neighbors as ourselves.

We pray all this in the mighty name of Jesus, the Name above every name, the only Name by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear the deep longing in your words, that desire to return to the simple, wholehearted love you had when everything was new. It’s a tender place to be, and we’re grateful you’ve shared it.

What often helps in seasons like this isn’t trying harder all at once, but taking one small, steady step back toward what you once did naturally. When our faith was fresh, maybe it was just a few unhurried minutes in the morning with a Psalm, or a simple prayer while driving, or the joy of telling someone what Jesus had done for you. Those weren’t grand, but they were real. And they were enough to keep your heart warm.

One thing we’ve seen make a difference is treating this like training rather than striving, like building a long-term habit, not conquering a mountain in a day. So perhaps this summer, you might pick just one of the things you mentioned: not all of them, but the one that feels most personal and doable. Maybe it’s setting aside ten minutes each day to pray in the Spirit, or reading a short Gospel passage with the simple aim of listening, not studying. Then stick with it a few weeks, not measuring by feeling but by faithfulness. Over time, that little flame often catches again.

Above all, rest in the truth that you don’t manufacture that first love on your own. God is the one who first loved you, and He’s still at work. He’s not disappointed in your longing; He welcomes it.

Let’s pray:

Jesus, thank You that You never stop calling us back to Yourself. Meet our friend in the quiet, ordinary places where love once burned bright. Quiet the noise of distraction and the pressures of doing everything at once. Help them simply take the next small step, a few honest words with You, a moment in Your Word, and in that, let them taste again the nearness they miss. Restore what feels distant, not by our striving but by Your Spirit’s gentle work. In Your name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

You would have your first love restored, and you do well to ask it of the Lord, for He alone can rekindle that sacred flame. But do not think this grace will come while you sit still and only sigh for it. The text is plain: "Repent and do the first works." This is not a suggestion but a command of the Master. You long for the love of your espousals, that holy fervour which marked you when you first believed; then you must go back to the place where first you met with Christ. Was it not in secret prayer, in the earnest searching of the Word, in humble reliance upon the Holy Spirit? Those early prayers were not cold and formal; you wrestled with God as Jacob did, pleading the covenant and refusing to let Him go except He blessed you. You remember how every word of Scripture seemed to speak to you, and you devoured the Book as a hungry man eats bread. Go back to that closet, to that Bible, to that posture of simple dependence.

I hear you say, "Alas, but the world has stolen my heart, and I find prayer a weariness." Do you not see that you have lost your first love because you have neglected communion with Christ? A wife soon cools toward her husband if she never speaks with him. And what are you without daily, intimate converse with your Lord? Consider how little you have drawn from Him of late, how hurried your devotions, how faint your praise. Yet He remembers the kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals. He does not forget that early zeal, for it was His own work. How this should humble you and draw you back! His love for you has not dimmed; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. While you are cold, He is still the God who loved you and gave Himself for you. That immeasurable love, proven at the cross, abides unchanging. Will you not let that love constrain you?

The mark of a true son is prayer. Behold, he prayeth. This was the sign given to Ananias concerning Saul of Tarsus, and it is the unfailing evidence of life in the soul. Therefore, be much in prayer. Let it be your first resource, not the last. Fall on your knees with Jacob's humility and plead God's own covenant, for He delights to be argued with by His own promises. Plead the blood of Jesus, which speaketh better things than that of Abel. And do not pray alone; gather with the saints to cry out for the power from on high. You speak of the church at Ephesus, remember what followed their first love: they laboured, they had patience, they could not bear them which are evil. But Christ said, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." All our busy service is empty if love does not fill it. Return first to the cross, to the fountain where sin is washed away, and there you will find your heart warmed afresh. Then go and do the first works with the first love.

As for the summer days you mention, let them be no season of sloth but a sacred opportunity to dig deeply into the Word. Value the Bible as Josiah valued the rediscovered law, and let it search your heart, shake your self-righteousness, and drive you to the Lord of hosts. Read it, not as a dead letter but as the voice of God to your own soul. And share it, scatter the good seed with tears and with joy, for the love of Christ constraineth us. When you truly grasp that the Son of God loved you and gave Himself for you, you cannot but pour out that love upon the perishing. This is practical love, born of the first love.

Do not dream that you can recover lost ground without a real turning from everything that has cooled your heart. What are those distractions, those little idols, those creeping sins? Drag them to the light, repent of them, and cast them away. The Lord is ready to revive you; He waits to be gracious. O, do not trifle with this call. Some of you are sowing thorns for a dying pillow by your present backsliding. Yet even now He cries, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you." May the Holy Spirit work this in you till your love abounds yet more and more, and you joy in Christ as He joys in you, with nothing between but love. Amen.

 

[Windwold]

Praying in agreement with you in Jesus' name, Amen

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body​

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

You ask for restoration of first love, and rightly so, for when the fire of divine affection grows dim, all else becomes a barren effort. Notice in the Scriptures how the harlot, drenched in tears, became more honorable than virgins: not by mere sentiment, but because repentance kindled a furnace within her. She loosed her hair, bathed the Lord’s feet, and exhausted her ointment, yet God beheld a far greater fervor in her soul. This is the "first love" that must be reclaimed, not a shallow warmth, but a burning, a holy madness that counts all else as loss. Do not simply ask for grace; ask for the grace of tears, for godly sorrow is the root of an unfading joy.

The Spirit is not given to make you idle, but to inflame you with power and love. Paul bids you be "fervent in spirit," which means to glow, to be awakened, to carry a flame that no enemy can withstand. That fire is fed not by waiting, but by doing: praying without ceasing, studying the Word with hunger, and pouring yourself out for the brethren. When you say, "Help us do the things we did at first," remember that those first works were likely marked by a simplicity of heart, a readiness to speak, a love without dissimulation. Return to that. Love your neighbor as if Christ Himself were the recipient, and you will find the Spirit stirring within you like a living coal.

Do not shrink from chastisement, for affliction casts out sloth and draws down the grace of the Spirit. It is a participation in holiness, a sharp but merciful tool. In your prayer, give thanks for tribulations, for refreshments, for things known and unknown, for even what comes against your will. A holy man I knew began his prayers with nothing but such thanksgiving, and there his soul was kept pure. Take up that practice: bless God for every circumstance, and you will see His love shed abroad in your heart, not a stingy portion, but a full fountain, poured out before your labors even begin.

Let repentance be a foundation, not a passing thought. If you would lay hold on the things of God, first condemn every dead work, and sever yourself from every distraction that competes for your affection. Then, with a whole heart, cleave to what is good. Pray for increase in love, that it may abound and overflow, not only toward those who love you, but everywhere. This is godly love: it embraces all, just as Paul desired for his flock with a madness of affection.

Therefore, rise up and do not merely recall the flame of old. Strike it afresh by returning to the posture of Mary, seated in humility, listening, choosing the better part. That part will never be taken from you, for it is Christ Himself, the Word made flesh. Abide in Him, serve the Lord with a fervent spirit, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, who alone can restore and keep your first love.

 

[Silas]

A prayer for restored first love is a prayer that reaches the heart of God, because love is of God and everyone who truly loves is born of God and knows God. We love because he first loved us, so the way back is not to try to manufacture more religious effort. It is to look again at the cross and remember how much we have been forgiven. The Ephesians had works, but the Lord held this against them: they had left their first love. His call was not to do more in order to be accepted. It was to repent, remember from where they had fallen, and do the first works over, the works that used to flow from love.

That is what your desire for prayer, study, worship, and making disciples should be. These are not duties to balance with a busy life. They are the places where love is fed and kept alive. Prayer in the Spirit builds you up in your most holy faith. The word of God is profitable for doctrine and for reproof, and it corrects us when our hearts drift. Worship returns you to the right center, because God is jealous for your love. He wants no other master passion to take his place.

Ask him for the grace to choose the better part, as Mary did when she sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his teaching. The one thing needed is not feverish activity. It is hearing him. From that hearing, the works of love will follow. Love for him will show itself as love for others, a love that edifies, shares the gospel, and makes disciples while walking in holiness. Pray also for protection from distractions and the evil one, because the enemy knows that if he cannot destroy your faith, he will try to crowd out your love.

Repentance and return are not one-time things. They are the lifelong pattern of a heart that wants to abide in his love. Keep asking him for grace, and let obedience be the evidence of love, not a substitute for it. He will not quench the faintest flame that turns back to him.

In Jesus' name, may the Lord restore what has grown dim and make your first love bright again.