Crucible?

a place or occasion of severe test or trial.

"the crucible of combat"

a place or situation in which different elements interact to produce something new.

How is love expressed?

Certainly it is expressed by the willingness to die for your friend.

But for most of us, what is the common expression of love? Or should I ask the evidence of love?

It is a commitment to relationship no matter the response from the one you love. It is a commitment to their highest good even when they walk away.

It is a willingness to say, "please forgive me". When you have made a mistake.

This love can only be expressed, transfered or passed on when you have experienced it yourself. It comes from an overflowing understanding of your own unloveliness, and the price Christ paid to have a relationship with you.

It is the understanding that you aren't sinless but you can be blameless.

Leverage?

A pivot point where pressure is multiplied. Accusation is the pressure. The accuser has a case. The point is guilt. Guilt is a function of the Spirit. The mind tries, but can not reason it away. Excuse and blame give control away and the lever is lengthened. So we are lost and condemned. Yet.
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.
Certainly good news.

Authentic Faith?

The difference between "authentic faith" and a "trust in their own understanding" has huge ramifications on how our "faith" is lived out and therefore passed on.

Biblical principles are made alive by the Holy Spirit as one realizes their need to be guided. Thus knowledge is acquired... If a man knows to do good and doesn't do it, that is sin

The problem is when we trust in our own understanding. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Faith implies a present-tense relationship with God. Present-tense is used in grammar for actions that are happening now. We reside/exist in the Now, and so does our relationship with God. It is impossible to have "Faith" in God without a relationship with Him where His presence is experienced in the present.

We think that we have the ability to anticipate the contingencies that our choices will propagate. But we forget "we see through a glass darkly"! Our perspective and therefore our understanding is limited. But God's is not.

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the children of God.

The Battle Front.

In every battle there is the "front". In WW2 they were defined geographically. Initially though they were defined by ideas that individuals expressed. These ideas propagated, to influence other individuals in geographic locations. The real battle front is relational. It is the battle between truth and lies. It is a battle between the one who loves our soul and the one who wants to destroy us. It is a battle waged in the hearts of those who know His guidance, provision and care and those who need to know.

Priorities. The difference is between temporal and Eternal. Many will be surprised when they find out where their priorities were.