Tag Archives: Unconditional love

To the Point Tuesday: Will you ever… ?

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Ephesians 3 rocked my world! Crazy, right? I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t read it before. In fact, I could have quoted several of the verses.

But this time, just… wow! It wasn’t so much that Paul willingly accepted jail time because he could see the purpose in it. It wasn’t even that God’s plan for Salvation and unity were made perfect in Jesus, or even that we now have confidence to go freely before the throne of the King of kings. As awesome as those Truths are, it was Paul’s prayer for you and me that gripped my heart and brought a new hunger to my spirit (3:14-20).

So I ask: Will you ever grasp the magnitude of the love of Christ for us? Will I? This love that is deep, intimate, all inclusive, endless, far reaching, and extravagant? I truly hope so! We need at least an inkling of it because it’s that understanding that leads us to experience God’s presence and fullness in our lives!

Don’t worry, though, we are not alone in our journey to grasp His love for us! In verse 16, Paul prays that all believers will be strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit in the very core of our being (innermost part) so that Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith. Sometimes we think this is the end-goal of the Gospel: to have Jesus in our hearts as our ticket to Heaven. But, if we stop there, we miss out on the incredible richness of a relationship with Abba… Daddy!  We miss out on developing a relationship with Jesus, our Co-heir and Groom. We spend our days trying to be “good enough” instead of living life with the Holy Spirit as our Coach, Comforter, and Counselor.

God has SO much more in mind for us!

As we become secure in the idea that Jesus loved us enough that He gave His life for us (head knowledge), we want to know Him! We choose  to grow in intimacy with Him through relationship. It is in that journey that the Holy Spirit enables us to KNOW the love of Christ… he takes it from head knowledge to heart knowledge! We begin to grasp that He loves us, ALL of us, deeply, intimately, endlessly, and extravagantly! With that deep understanding, we become filled with the very presence of God in all of His fullness! Wow! Yes, please!!

Paul closes out his prayer glorifying God and declaring praises from every generation from now till eternity. And in that closing, don’t miss this incredible reminder and promise: The God that we serve, our Abba, is able to carry out His purpose for us! He is able to do superabundantly, infinitely, immeasurably more than you and I can ask, imagine, think, hope, dream and pray! Now I ask, are you dreaming? Are you asking? Are you hoping? Are you praying? I sure hope so. Let’s declare, “Yes, and Amen!” to this promise!

On your behalf and mine, I pray in agreement with the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-20. Here is that prayer in The Passion Translation:  “So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, 15 the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. 16 And I pray that He would unveil within you the unlimited riches of His glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power.

17 Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of His love will become the very source and root of your life.

18–19 Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!”1

Live Loved,

1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+3&version=TPT

To the Point Tuesday: Is Your Heavenly Dad Proud of You?

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Have you ever wondered if God is proud of you? As parents, we tend to tell our kids that we are proud of them for working hard, accomplishing a goal, or making wise choices. Agreed? As children of the Heavenly King, it makes sense that we’d want Him to be proud of our choices and efforts, right?

A quick dive into the Word of God reveals the following:

  • When God created man, He looked at His creations and said, “They are very good.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
  • We are to “walk” through life in a way that is pleasing to God. (I Thessalonians 4:1)
  • We have right-standing before God in Jesus. (II Corinthians 5:21)
  • God loves us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
  • He declares that He delights in us. (Isaiah 62:4)
  • Our Father will lift us up if we choose to walk in humility (I Peter 5:6-7)
  • He rejoices over us with gladness and singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
  • We are blessed when we give praise to the Lord. (Psalm 89:15)

So, I don’t know if God is proud of you and me. But I do know this….

We are blessed when we choose His ways!

He loves us deeply and unconditionally because we are made in His image!

The righteousness of Jesus covers us giving us access to His presence!

When we love Him, walk in obedience, and love others, He is pleased with us!

He adores us and rejoices over us!

Let those thoughts roll around in your spirit! Your Daddy delights in you! Why wouldn’t we want to live in a way that lights up His face with a smile?

Live Loved,

Pathways to Joy: #NotAlone

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Have you ever been given the gift of #notalone? It’s a beautiful moment when you open up your heart and share a painful journey, a deep struggle, or a raging battle and the listener looks at you with understanding and assures you that you are not alone.  Maybe they’ve also fought your battle or they’ve endured a heart-rending experience that rocked their own world… and survived. Maybe their gift of #notalone is the willingness to walk with you through your valley and celebrate with you on the other side. Knowing that we are not alone lifts our spirits in difficult seasons.

Yet, we know that having someone journey with us does not necessarily spark joy.   So how does #notalone become a pathway to joy?

Let me share with you a beautiful piece of poetic truth found in Psalm 139:

1 Lord, You know everything there is to know about me.
2 You perceive every movement of my heart and soul,
and You understand my every thought before it even enters my mind.
3–4 You are so intimately aware of me, Lord.
You read my heart like an open book
and You know all the words I’m about to speak
before I even start a sentence!
You know every step I will take before my journey even begins.
5 You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way,
and in kindness You follow behind me
to spare me from the harm of my past.[a]
With Your hand of love upon my life,
You impart a blessing to me.
6 This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible!
Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength.[b]
7 Where could I go from your Spirit?
Where could I run and hide from Your face?
8 If I go up to heaven, You’re there!
If I go down to the realm of the dead, You’re there too!
9 If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, You’re there!
If I fly into the radiant sunset, You’re there waiting![c]
10 Wherever I go, Your hand will guide me;
Your strength will empower me.
11 It’s impossible to disappear from You
or to ask the darkness to hide me,
for Your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night.
12 There is no such thing as darkness with You.
The night, to You, is as bright as the day;
there’s no difference between the two.
13 You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside
and my intricate outside,
and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.[d]
14 I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!
Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking.
It simply amazes me to think about it!
How thoroughly You know me, Lord!
15 You even formed every bone in my body
when You created me in the secret place,[e]
carefully, skillfully shaping me[f] from nothing to something.
16 You saw who You created me to be before I became me![g]
Before I’d ever seen the light of day,
the number of days You planned for me
were already recorded in your book.[h]
17–18 Every single moment You are thinking of me!
How precious and wonderful to consider
that You cherish me constantly in Your every thought!
O God, Your desires toward me are more
than the grains of sand on every shore!
When I awake each morning, You’re still with me.

(The Passion Translation, emphasis added)

Read it once, twice, even three times! Let the truth of His presence wash over you. God is always with you!  Everyone else in your life may have abandoned you, but God never will!

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake {abandon} you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

The Passion Translation says it this way in Hebrews 13:5: “…for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t He promised you, ‘I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!’” He is holding you safe in His arms and He won’t let go! What a beautiful picture of a father’s love! 

When we are hurting, angry, ashamed, or questioning, our tendency is to run away from God. Many of us have been taught that God is an angry, militant master just waiting for us to screw up so that He can drop the gavel and pass sentence on us.  But while He is holy (thus the need for Jesus’ sacrifice to cover our sin), He is a loving Father who adores us and is waiting to give us the blessings He has stored up for His children.  He is waiting for you to turn your face to Him so He can be everything you need. Instead of running away, run to Him! He is waiting with arms open wide!

“I am Yahweh, your mighty God! I grip your right hand and won’t let you go! I whisper to you: ‘Don’t be afraid; I am here to help you!’” Isaiah 41:13 TPT

Trouble will come, that’s the reality of life.  No one is exempt. But here’s another promise: “But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV

You are not alone! Even in your darkest time, your deepest pain, your most desperate situation, He is near. Whisper His name, allow His love to wash over you. Run to Him! #notalone!

My prayer for you today is that you would feel the presence of a loving God! That you would feel His loving arms wrapped around you and His voice calling your name. You are not alone!

Live Loved,

P.S. Isaiah 49 is one of my favorite Scriptures! I love the idea that God has tattooed my name on His hand (as if He would ever forget!) 🙂 If you’ve never read The Passion Translation, I encourage you to explore it (not all books have yet been translated but you can read: Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and the New Testament). The translators also include many footnotes to help us understand what the inspired Biblical authors were trying to communicate to us.

A Precious Paradox!

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It’s a simple thought really! One of the core beliefs of our Incredible God, Eternal Father, and Everlasting Prince is that He is unchanging!

Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 tPt

And yet, this unchanging Bridegroom loves us so intensely that when we get it… when we grasp just a smidgen of that love, when we open our hearts to be loved unconditionally, His love changes EVERYTHING! It changes how we view ourselves and how we view others. It changes how we perceive our difficult circumstances. His love changes how we view the hurting around us. It changes our actions AND reactions! His love changes everything!

Let that seep deep into your spirit today! His love for you is unchanging and yet, His love for you changes everything!

My prayer for you is that you will grasp and BELIEVE that His love for you is unconditional, relentless, and unchanging… that you would trust this truth a little bit more today than yesterday and tomorrow, more than today!

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. I John NIV

He is the Lover of your soul and the keeper of your heart! He wants the very best for you!

Live loved,

My family is evidence that His love changes everything! #thankfulheart #Imabeliever Photo Creds: Jaime Hinton

Stolen Identity

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I rarely watch the news; the hate-filled acts across the world leave me heart broken and frustrated. Have you ever, like me, wondered…  Why is there so much hate in the world? 

Is hate caused by pride? Self-righteousness? Anger? Self-loathing? Pain? Fear?

Most likely, it’s a combination of these and more. 

But maybe you feel “hate” is too strong a word for the pervasive disregard and lack of decency we see on the news, in the store, in schools, in our neighborhood… regardless, there’s a grass roots effort to perpetuate this hatred.

The enemy of our soul is the source of hatred; Satan (meaning adversary), roams around on the earth delighting in causing death and destruction (John 10:10).  Again, why?

Biblical passages indicate that Lucifer, now known as Satan, became prideful, wanting to be like God or even above God.1  You see, angels were created by God, but they were not made in His image or to be like Him.

But who IS made in His image?  You and me! How Satan must have raged when He realized that God was creating man-male & female-to reflect His heart, His mind, and His nature!  God gave us what Satan couldn’t have, His likeness.  No wonder Satan is on a rampage to destroy us! His jealousy fuels his hatred of all mankind.

Satan and his minions have diverse tools of destruction at their disposal.  Sadly, many of those tools we put straight into their hands through our own decisions or lack of decision.  But the greatest tool he wields is that of identity stealer! 

How does he steal our identity?  Lies, whispered lies, constantly flowing through the media, through others, through our own self-criticism.  Lies that lead to pride, self-righteousness, anger, self-loathing, pain, and fear. His lies are meant to convince us that we are nothing like God, that we are alone, that we must fight to get what we want. Ultimately, these lies are meant to steal our God-given identity: Loved one.

When the enemy’s lies block out the truth of who we are, we become victims of a stolen identity!

Victims of stolen identity malfunction in thinking and in relationship.  They may think themselves better than others or never good enough.  They may feel entitled or victimized. They fear those who look, act, think, or believe differently than themselves.  Victims of stolen identity struggle with emptiness and confusion that ultimately leads them to hurt others. Does any of that sound familiar? It does to me!

The solution?  A journey of discovery!  Destination: Identity Restoration! 

In an atmosphere of love, children thrive!  They are free and expressive.   Ask them who they are and they declare their name and age.  Ask them who they belong to and they’ll throw their arms around a loving adult in their life.  Children play with any other pint-sized person that crosses their path, never requesting political leanings, portfolio proof, or family history.  They have not yet been branded by the lies that steal confidence in who they are.

That childlike confidence is still possible for you and me!  It’s a confidence born of trust in a Loving Father who created us to look like Him.  He looks on us in delight, even in the middle of our mess, because He sees in us, His own reflection!  Don’t get me wrong, He doesn’t delight in our poor choices.  They grieve His heart in the same way our children’s painful choices grieve us.  Yet, we as parents, look beyond our child’s actions and see the child, our child, precious and irreplaceable!  Why would Daddy God look at us any differently?

This is the basis of our identity: We are His beloved creation!  That’s right!  No matter who you are, what you believe, what skin you’re coated in, where you live, what you’ve done, what’s been done to you, how you dress, who you sleep with, what you’re addicted to, or how angry you are…  God loves YOU!  He is deeply smitten with you, His beloved image-carrier!  Your true identity is found in Him!  I’m sorry if anyone has made you feel less than loveable.  It’s not true!  You are worthy of being loved just because you are made in the image of God!

I challenge you… go on a journey of discovery!  Ask God to help you sense His love and develop a deep revelation of His love for you!  Look for Him in the burst of sunrise, the fragrance of a flower, and the sweet smile of a child.  Search the Bible for the truth of His love for you!2  Allow your heart to blossom to the reality that you have an amazing identity: God’s image-carrier!  You were designed to be a child of God.  As you turn your heart towards Him, you will find security and confidence in His love for you.  Your identity will be restored!

“And I pray that He would unveil within you the unlimited riches of His glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power.

Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of His love will become the very source and root of your life.

Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!” Ephesians 3:16-19 (tPt: the Passion translation)

If you are struggling to know and believe God’s love for you, please leave me a note and I will pray for you! You are not alone in your journey!

Live Loved! You truly are!

P.S. Please share on social media if this encouraged you! 🙂

1Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-19, I Timothy 3:6

2Jeremiah 29:11 & 31:3, John 3:16 & 15:13, I John 4, Psalm 139:1-18

All I Need

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What is it that you need in 2018?

I love learning about the names of the Lord sprinkled throughout Scripture!  When I need healing, He is Jehovah-Rophe. When I need provision, He is Jehovah-Jireh.  When I need forgiveness, He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu. When I need His presence, He is Jehovah-Shammah.  He is my Counselor, my Everlasting Father, the God of Angel Armies, and King of kings. When Moses asked God what name he should give to the children of Israel, God’s response was, “I AM WHO I AM.”

Sometimes… I don’t know what I need. I don’t know what to ask for.  I don’t have the words to ask.  But He knows!  I simply need Him! The I AM!  HE IS what I need and He knows what my heart needs… He reminds me “I AM enough!”

He is I AM…

He is enough for you! He is enough for me!

I was meditating on this idea when I read from one of my Christmas gifts: “I Hear His Whisper” by Brian Simmons.

“I {God} am enough for you.  When you face difficulties and limitations, I will whisper into your heart, “I am enough.”  I will not shield you from every hardship, but I am enough as you walk through them with your eyes set on Me.  I am enough.  I will be your wraparound shield in the midst of difficulty.

Your thoughts cannot contain the love I have for you.  And you will never be able to comprehend with your mind the plans that I have for you.  Yet I am enough, and all you need to know is that I am here for you.”

No matter who you are or where you’ve been or what you’ve done, you are deeply loved and treasured by God!  Turn your eyes to Him and open your heart to His love and grace!  You don’t need to change to receive His love; it’s a done deal!  He loves you and there’s nothing you can do or not do that will change His love for you!

Whatever 2018 brings, don’t face it alone!  You have an advocate in Jesus!  He is your Comforter, your Healer, your Deliverer, and the Lover of your soul!  Our Heavenly Father, the Great I Am is enough!

May the Lord richly bless you and your family in 2018!  May it be a year of wonderful surprises, amazing victories, and Kingdom revelations!  May you know God’s deep, unconditional, abiding love more than you ever thought that you could!

Live Loved,