Do you believe that God rejoices over you, watches over you, and secures you and your loved ones ~ in his forever-hands?

Show me someone who knows she is love-covered, and I’ll show you someone who knows how to love.  People say, “you can’t give what you don’t have,” but neither can you give what you don’t know you have.

How free can I be if I don’t know I’m free?  How can I experience the fullness of God’s love if I experience it in my heart, but not in my mind?

Heart Imagery

Jesus wants us to intentionally remember the intensity of His passion for us.  He wants us to picture it in our minds until we’re gripped by Christ’s hanging-on-the-cross-love, His “Father-forgive-them-for-they-don’t-know-what-they-do” love, and His I-did-this-all-for-YOU-love.

Carla, a friend of mine, is often plagued with feelings of guilt and unworthiness.  Carla knows God loves her, but because of her past (rather, because of Satan’s lies about her past), it’s difficult for Carla to see how God could possibly love her as much as He loves others, especially the “good girls.”

Just as sin makes us equally guilty and unworthy, confession makes us equally cleansed and love-covered. When Jesus covers our sins, He also wants to rescue our hijacked, dirt-splattered consciences.  Satan lost his dominion.  We’re a clean machine, so we better believe it!

When Facts Meet Feelings

It was a ho-hum day in Bible College when I returned to my room to rest on my bunk bed.  I was tired, wired, a little down, and a tad nervous about the future.  All normal stuff for me.  Then something extraordinary happened.  The only way I can describe it is to say God met with me.  As I lay in my bed, wave after wave of His love washed over me.  I wanted to freeze the moment, intense, raw, and real…  God.  Loved.  Me!

Whether we experience an answered prayer, meet with God in a special way, or witness a miraculous touch ~ these types of love-winks are all God’s little extras.  You could also look at them like the special features He throws in with your movie, His love story.

We need to hold on to them, and turn them around in our minds.  They’re true and lovely and pure.  They remind us of what God’s Word already tells us.  We are the apple of God’s eye.  His inheritance.  His exceedingly great reward.  His prize.  His everything.

Father, thank you for your indescribable love than makes me want to further reciprocate it.  Please may I grow in it daily ~ both in knowledge and experience.  I know it’s a safeguard to me.  I want to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength.  In Jesus’ name.

Now it’s your turn

What are some of the reasons why/how Satan tries to downplay, dismiss, and darken your knowledge of God’s love?   What are some of the ways God has shown you the beautiful reality of His love?

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When I think of God-breathed, I picture God, up-close and personal, igniting life in Adam’s nostrils, awakening unlimited possibility-seeds in mankind.

Just as God worked with dirt and breathed life, He used imperfect men as human pens.  Breathing life on their truth-stories, His Spirit-seeds continue to produce every kind of good fruit in keeping with repentance.

God describes his Word as a sword, just as our tongues are swords.  We touch His Word-sword to our tongues, and rest our flesh beneath its power.  His Word is a life-speaking gift in our mouths.  Health from the inside out, it spreads truth throughout the body.  Lord, may I speak your life-giving truth today.

The Good Fight

I’m thankful for good weapons in “the good fight”.  When our body offends us with sin, we “cut off” bad behaviors, and expose sin’s darkness under the gleam of God’s sword-light.  We circumcise our hearts.

The world doesn’t “get it” until they get Him.  The Prince of peace reaches for them, but they reach for peace in the wrong places.  Still, his Word calls out, again and again, and all who embrace it, find themselves embracing Him.

We’re never more “self-actualized” than when we actually realize who are in Christ.  His Word chisels away everything we aren’t, and reveals everything we’re meant to be.

Our Real Enemy

God gave us this spiritual weapon because our good fight is spiritual.  The manual tells us to handle our armor with care.  As good soldiers, we remember that people aren’t our real enemies.  Satan is.

Jesus withstood temptation to teach us how to fight.  He showed us Satan’s half-truth lies are no match for the picture-perfect purity of the Word!

Impacting Others

We’re thankful God gave us a standard of morality (of safety), and the power of the Spirit to uphold it.  Like an oxygen mask on a plane going down, we first cover ourselves; we then cover others.

We’re not afraid to use the Word to help others because we’re motivated out of love, not pride.  We want to spare people from death just as much as we want to encourage them toward life.

When it comes to teaching, rebuking, correcting and training, we don’t move ahead of our Commanding officer.  We follow his lead, administering his grace in its various forms: with wisdom, gentleness, humility, and selfless love.

Your Turn:

What are your goals  for using God’s Word?

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The apostle John got me thinking…

What could be a better way for the Father to show how much He loves the Son than for Him to give the Son the power to judge the world? 

Digging into this verse, I saw several things…

The Father honors the Son.

Love always honors and prefers another. The Father prefers the Son just as the Son prefers the Father.  That’s why Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. (Phil 2:6)  There was never any competition, so the Father and Son always placed each other’s interests above their own.  Imagine what an effective witness we’d be if we always related to others this way!

The Father wants the Son to be honored by others.

Who doesn’t want their child to be liked?  At Jesus’ transfiguration, remember how the sky opened and God said, “This is my Son with whom I am well-pleased.  Listen to Him.” (Matt 17:5)  By giving His Son authority publicly, the Father honored Him so we would want to honor Him too.  Bottom line: how could we not?  He’s the judge!  Reality check: we fail.  We’re much more self-focused than Jesus.

Jesus reveals grace.

Have you heard the story of the judge who stepped down from the platform and took off his expensive robe in order to take the young offender’s sentence because he was the only one qualified to do it?  That was our Judge Jesus.  The Son was misunderstood, spat upon, betrayed, denied, humiliated, mocked, rejected, and slain. (Matt 27, Luke 23)  The “God-followers” shouted, “Let His blood be upon us and on our children!”  Jesus exclaimed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Aren’t you glad the same One who forgave His murderers is the same One who will judge us?

Jesus wants us to understand authority.

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt 28:18-19)  Because God gave the Son authority, the Son passed it on to us.  In His name, we’re agents of healing and forgiveness.  (John 20:23)  In His name, we’ll someday judge men and angels.  (1 Cor 6:3) What does God want us to do with this positional knowledge?  He wants us to judge ourselves by the authority of God’s Word.  Why?  So we won’t fall under judgment. (1 Cor 11:28-31)  We’re the judge’s kids!  We need to let grace rule our hearts.  Freely we have received; freely we give.   Grace…

I’d love to hear from you below: When you think of the character of Jesus, what makes you glad He’s your judge?

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1. The Beautiful Choice
2. Naked Shame Reversed
3. Everything Happens For A Reason?

“How can it be possible that everything happens for a reason?  Some things are too painful!”  Has a hurting friend ever said this?  How did you respond?

As Christians, our hope isn’t based on feelings and circumstances; it’s based on God’s character, Sovereignty, and unshakable love.

The bright Jewel of heaven went through hell for us.  Why?  Because He’s all about redeeming our broken places.

Look How He Cares

God knows we don’t suffer in a vacuum.  Just days from His death, Jesus took time to love and care for His hurting disciples.  The changeless One wants to do the same for us!  The defender of the innocent, the Father to the fatherless, will make a way where there is no way.  He will redeem, and He will never waste an ounce of His children’s pain.

Look At The Cloud of Witnesses

One of my favorite Bible stories that best illustrates Romans 8:28 (All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose), is the soul-tingling story of Joseph.

Joseph was a young boy when he lost his mother, Rachel, as she gave birth to Joseph’s brother, Benjamin.  Joseph’s siblings hated their father’s favorite, so they threw Joseph into a pit to kill him.  Then, realizing they could get twenty pieces of silver for him, they sold him as a slave to some travelling Ishmaelites.

Look For Wisdom

Joseph’s life consisted of a series of ups and downs; but, most of the ups didn’t surface until he was older.  Joseph’s life reminds us that we need to hold on; our story isn’t over!

God gave Joseph favor and wisdom and made him governor over Egypt.  He revealed to Joseph that there would be a severe famine, so Joseph could get prepared.  The famine struck all the way to Canaan, so Joseph’s brothers journeyed to Egypt for handouts.  Because many years had passed, Joseph’s brother didn’t recognize Joseph in his high position.

Look For Jesus

Joseph became a picture of Christ when Joseph saw his brothers but they didn’t see him.  Although his brothers deserved death, Joseph had compassion on them.  After he revealed himself to them, Joseph forgave and blessed them abundantly.

Through all life’s ups and down, God gave Joseph this powerful perspective:

Look Like Jesus

Satan never tires of firing harmful trials and temptations our way; but neither does God get weary of working behind the scenes to redeem, beautify, and strengthen us.

Joseph found God in a closer way through his suffering, and so can we.  What a joy to know that God wants to use everything that happens to us to transform us into the radiant image of His Son.

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3. God Never Wastes Pain

Prayer with a friend stopped short when I received a call from the school secretary saying, “Justin was in an accident during gym class.”

Racing for the soccer ball in a one-on-one game against time, my eleven-year old collided heads with another boy.

Arriving at the nurse’s office, my son lay flopped on her bench with an icepack to the back of his head, eyes glazed.

The doctor said he suffered a concussion; the CT scan showed a fracture to his temporal bone, the part of his skull behind the ear.

My pastor’s words rang in my spirit and dangled with a question mark: “When we go through trials, we need to ask God what He wants to teach us.”

Ok, God, I’m listening…

I distilled my trial into two basic, but challenging, lessons: trust and thankfulness.

Justin’s injury caused hearing loss in his right ear; although I believed it would return to normal, what if it didn’t?

Thankfulness is an act of obedience, a beautiful by-product of trust.  Knowing God is in charge of our lives gives us a big bouquet of reasons to be thankful.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

As soon as I started trusting God in one area, he stretched me to trust him in another.

Two weeks after Justin’s head-on fiasco, I was away at a writer’s conference, and one morning I awoke and couldn’t move my right arm!  It had been strangely sore leading up to the conference, but now it screamed with pain!

Ok, God, I’m listening…

Again: trust and thankfulness.

It’s. hard. to. trust. when. you’re. in. the. dark.

“What’s wrong?” everyone asked.  I wished I knew.

A year and a half earlier, I’d mysteriously injured my rotary cuff.  I’ll never forget it because it happened the same week, “A Friend in the Storm” released in stores.  Again, I was miles away from home.  Again, it was my right shoulder.  However, I’d been healed when someone prayed for me.  Hadn’t I been?  What of this?

I’d looked forward to this conference all year, and now, in the middle of it, I felt fearful, helpless, and confused.

Ok, God, I’m Listening…

My agent, who shines a heart of gold, directed me to a caring doctor who just happened to be a conference attendee.

My friends rallied around me; and with my arm in a sling, my roommates even helped me get dressed!  In every obstacle, God provided someone to lend me a hand.

Was I disappointed?  Yes!  But did God bring good from evil?  Yes!!  I actually experienced the Body of Christ the way it’s meant to be experienced.

Returning home, the doctor informed me that I have calcium deposits in the tendons of my rotary cuff.  The good news?  I was able to talk about God’s power to the doctor, nurse, and physical therapist.

Trials, in their various shapes and sizes, strike at every turn, but the good and patient Shepherd uses each of them to sculpt us from head to toe (and arm), into the beautiful image of Christ.

“Abba, Father,” he cried, out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  Mark 14:36

Heavenly Father, I thank you my shoulder is doing better so I can share…

Thank you for friends who shoulder each other’s loads in prayer.  No one is exempt from pain, but you strengthen us, provide for us, and give us reason to rejoice in all circumstances.

As we close this sweet time together, may trust and thankfulness grace our spirits, and may we we set up smooth stones of remembrance around your goodness and love.

Speak, sweet Savior, for your servants listen…

“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.  So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.” 1 John 4:17-18

I’d love to hear your thoughts and favorite Scriptures in the comment section.  Thanks!   Also, the coupon code for the buy one, get one FREE copy of “A Friend in the Storm” is now the word: thankful.  I’ll be drawing a name from your comments below so someone will also win a FREE gift book!  

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Susan Delaney was mad at herself.  After a misunderstanding with her coworker, she willed her voice and face to stay intact.  But she lost the battle.  As she stood in his office, her eyes misted and her lips quivered.

With no turning back, she wondered, will he understand?  In light of his knowledge about her current stress, she guessed yes.  When she first got the job, Dan reminded her of a father-like figure.  A whole lot better than her father, actually.

“Are you trying to manipulate me?”  The question jolted her, cutting deeper.  She last heard it from the lips of her former fiance.  Manipulation – seriously?  She just wanted understanding.  Couldn’t a guy grasp that?  She wanted Dan to see her viewpoint so she wouldn’t shrink beneath his harsh eye of judgment and scrutiny.

“Please excuse me,” she said, slipping into the hall so he wouldn’t see her floodgate.  The last thing she needed was for him to further question her motives.

“Susan?”  The voice came from Jane Turner, the second last person she needed to see right now.  Susan gave her a quick wave, hoping Jane would understand she was in a hurry to get to the restroom.

Jane was cold and hard as polished stone, the kind of lady Susan envied at these times.  If Jane had been talking to Dan, she would have held it together.  She would have calmly laid out the facts, maybe even put Dan in his place.  Jane wouldn’t second-guess herself, wishing she’d said this or that.  Most importantly, Jane wouldn’t crumble at someone’s suggestion that she was far too sensitive and maybe needed medication.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Friend, are you extra-sensitive like Jane?  Are you a warm, tender-hearted person who would love to hug the whole world, but at the same time, stay steer clear of those cool, unemotional types who always seem so painfully distant?

God wants to meet you right where you’re at today.  He accepts you, but he also wants to strengthen you.  He wants to fashion all your inward parts for his glory.  But that’s not all.  He also wants to teach you to fear him more than you fear man.  Where man has this amazing talent of messing up, God never does.

Don’t harden your heart to those who are unlike you.  Love them like Jesus loves.  Jesus was – and is – the most misunderstood, mistreated person in history.  He’s also the perfect blend of softness and strength.  That’s why Scripture describes him as the lion and the lamb.

In regard to your sensitivity or lack of it, please join me in praying Reinhold Niebuhr’s timeless Serenity Prayer.  Thank you for being you; and big hugs to you!

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with – ouch – sensitivity.  Thanks!

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My microwave oven went on the fritz just five slim days beyond its one-year warranty!

“We’re VERY sorry,” said the store clerk, “but we can’t help you.”

I hung up the phone and started to pray.  Nothing fancy or super spiritual.  Just, “Lord, please protect our things.”  It seemed natural enough.  After all, we’re to be wise stewards of our things, right?

It hit me like a whoosh!  “You need to also pray, Lord, protect my heart from things.”

Protect my heart from things….  Ok, I can handle that.  I’ll think about that.  Then this verse hit me:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:21

Things are just things… (I know, doesn’t it sound profound?) But your heart is at the heart of it all!

Another verse…. Oh boy.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Hmm… I have a lot of issues.  If they’re going to spring out of my heart, I’d sure better protect it!

Actually, I wanted to shout, “Yay, I have a part in protecting my heart!” but I sobered up when I realized …  Hey, this is a serious mandate.

We spend a lot of time protecting our things, getting insurance, washing, polishing, buffing…  How much time do we invest in protecting our hearts?  And HOW do we protect our hearts?

I don’t have all the answers, so I’m going to let you answer this time.

How do we guard our hearts?  What does that mean?

(Oh and, don’t be afraid to put your heart out there to answer.)

No related posts.

“A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

As I have loved you.

You must love one another.

Quite the request, Lord.  It was in your heart all along, wasn’t it?  “Love my people.  Do unto others.  Feed my lambs.”

It’s a breeze to love you, Lord, so perfect and kind.  But people?

Even the best pastors, leaders, teachers, people who know better…  They fail.

You want me to love them with complete, sacrificial love?  Pray for those who hurt me?  Forgive them deeply from my heart?

I’d tell you it’s impossible because you’d tell me, “with God all things are possible.”

I’d remind you what they did to me because you’d say, “look what they did to me.”

You’d repeat the word, love, as deep calls to deep…. You’d look straight into my soul with sweet receiving eyes…

Love.

Such an overused word, yet I know how you use it.

With grace.

You bring someone to mind… stretch my obedience, ask me to fall into your strength.

The lady who gossiped, the man who overstepped his bounds…

You want me to pray for them right now.  Love them with prayer.  Serve you in the secret place.

I guess if I truly love you, I need to bless those who wrong me.

Knowing what’s right and not doing it is wrong.  Life-sapping.

I know love surrenders and wins.  Always.

I know because you show me.

I know.

So I surrender all.

To love.

What kinds of things happen when you pray for your enemies?

Have you, like Jesus, been betrayed by a friend?  Did God do a love miracle in your heart?  In your relationship?

It’s contest time!

Share a comment below OR share this post on Facebook or Twitter and let me know, and I’ll randomly pick a winner to receive a FREE copy of my Zondervan gift book, “A Friend in the Storm.”  Those who share in both places will be entered twice.

~~~~~~

BONUS!  I’m guest-blogging at my agency’s blog today!  Please click here to visit!

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“I have loved you with an everlasting love…”  Jeremiah 31:3

Tripping through life, tossed and torn here and there, we manage to lose it, to leak it.  Where’d it go?  Where’s joy?

Instead of bubbling out, it fizzles flat, leaving us without a wave or a pat.  We’re dry, needing a tune up in order to bloom up.

Maybe we need to wake up, inhale the rush of salvation.  Christ’s resurrection power pushes us passed death, into the new garden we neglect too often.

We’re saved!  No matter what’s wrong, there is a Holy Ghost song.  Earth is just a quick dip in shallow water.  We’re invited to bathe in the heavenly Father! 

We’re loved, accepted, forgiven.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Let the celebration begin!  We’re free in a battle we already win!

God gave us this no-strings-attached joy.  No person, principality or power can take it away ~ unless we give him the royal ok.

God is the only Valentine who makes the lonely shine!  We rest in his restoration.  He restores rest, passing us through each love test!

We say “goodbye” to the blahs that get in the way!  Our Valentine is here to stay!  Simply said, with souls fed and eyes on the prize, it’s fun to run in the Son!

That’s why we push passed the past.  It’s true God is up to something new.  That’s why we tighten our love muscles, forsaking all fussles!

Joy!  We sing to the King!  Yippee!!  From here to there with Holy flair, we’re free to praise and be!  Joy!

It’s contest time!

Write A Valentine to Jesus in the comment section below OR share this post on Facebook or Twitter and let me know, and I’ll randomly pick a winner to receive a FREE copy of my Zondervan gift book, “A Friend in the Storm.”  Those who share in both places will be entered twice.

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The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Psalms 37:23,24

About that disappointment you’re feeling…  God’s working behind the scenes to make it a God-appointment.  That’s Sovereignty.  There are no missteps, only His steps; no detours, only God-tours.

Rejoice in the Lord!  Shout aloud!  One blast of Jesus-joy, and say goodbye to your heaviness.

Remember how he called you?  How he turned on the music, reached for your hand and said, “May I have this dance?”

When you said, “yes” and opened your eyes to love, his out-of-this-world hope flooded in.

The world doesn’t know hope.  Hope’s bigger than their vision.  Bigger than heaven itself.

You became the righteousness of God.  You live, move, and breathe the One who lives, moves and breathes in you.  The one who created the universe, who orders the times and seasons, who knows the stars by name, orders your steps today.

Your all-knowing Savior hovers over the moment by moment details of you.  He led you to this place so he could teach you to breathe.  Out with worry.  In with his Spirit of truth.

Step together, step, he wants you to trust.  He wants to switch your light to the brightest, highest notch – splash you with peace unspeakable and full of story!

Rejoice!  Your dance partner who orders his angels concerning you, is honest-to-goodness tireless and gracious to see you through.   As he leads you today, he makes rough places smooth – swings your earthly perspective into his “Holy Wow” groove!

Have a toe-tapping time in the Lord. I will say it again, Rejoice!

Do you love him?  Tell us about it!  What has he done for you lately?

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