There are two words in the original that are used for love. The word “phileo” and the word “agapao”. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you agape me?” and Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, I phileo You.” In other words Jesus was asking, “Do you love me with the love of God?” and Peter was saying, “I love you just as much as I can love you, as much as I love my own brother. I love you like my own mother or like my own family.”

Peter was going to his limit but Jesus was trying to take him beyond the limits of natural love into a supernatural love. Finally, the third time Jesus said, “All right, do you phileo me?” Peter responded, “You know that I phileo You.” Then Jesus said, “feed my sheep.”

You cannot feed the spirit of God’s people without God’s love. Love for your family is not enough to empower you to feed God’s people, because feeding God’s people involves suffering. Every father and mother knows what it takes to bring up a child when the child rebels against you. You don’t throw them out because he or she is rebellious. Instead you do everything to throw the rebellion out of them.

But then in the process of trying to get the rebellion out of your children, you find that you have to get the rebellion out of you, because much of the rebellion that is in the child comes from the parents. So the child becomes the teacher that God uses to reveal a greater need.

While you are trying to get rebellion out of a child the Lord shows you areas of your life that are not fully surrendered to His Lordship. You will find that unless you can put down your own rebellion and respond to the light that God is shining into your heart that you will lack the anointing to deal with the situation in the child. It is the same with the Lords sheep. Your heart must be free and clear for that “agape love” to flow and bring about deliverance from a rebellious spirit. It is a spirit and is the greatest hindrance to our feeding our family and feeding His lambs. The word of the Lord to you right now is “Do you agape me? When you love Me with Fathers love then your life will be poured out as an offering to feed My sheep”