There are many ups and downs on the Race I’ve come to find out. Satan tries to impart lies and gets in your head. A simple statement can be twisted and turned into more than just words, but “false truths.”
My Squad Mentor asked my team to write lies we were believing and then combat them with truths from the Word, from the only Truth.
We set out to do the task we were given <insert enlightening music> Our team time consisted of each of us sharing what lies we had been believing. I reluctantly stated, “I don’t feel loved. I don’t feel wanted.” I knew these eight simple words to be lies, but at the moment, I felt them to be true.
We had a week to search through scripture and discover the truths the Bible had for us.
During this week, we had an event called Awakening. Basically, four different squads from different routes had the opportunity to come together in Thailand for a conference, sharing what the Lord has been doing in our lives.
There were multiple sessions and one included Inner Healing. I thought about it, is feeling loved versus knowing I’m loved something I need to work through? During small group breakouts, I decided to voice how I felt. I’m not loved. WHAT A LIE.
That night, we had a speaker come to share a solid truth. Andrew Sherman, a British fellow, who became an American citizen, came to Thailand to tell me I was loved.
He asked the crowd, “Why were you born?”
In my head, I answered, “To glorify the Lord”
Wrong. I was wrong. He shared, THE REASON we were born was…. to be loved. There is literally nothing I can do to keep Jesus from loving me. He died on the cross for me before I was even born because HE LOVES ME. I just have to be, and I’m loved. I don’t have to do ANYTHING.
We sing the song as a child, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
But do I just know that, or do I believe that??
You can’t love yourself, or love others without knowing from your head to your heart that you are first and foremost already loved. No works.
It’s so basic. But literally I was feeling down and Jesus sent this Andrew guy thousands of miles to tell ME that I was loved when I needed to hear it the most. I know that feelings are not what I base my truths on, but man, the Lord is so good to me to provide even when He doesn’t have to. Talk about the ultimate Pursuer and Provider. Lord, You are sooo good. That never ceases to be true!
The next day, we went through a session discovering our identity in the Lord. The first word that came to mind was Beloved. It’s as if the Lord AWAKENed my eyes to see that I’m His BeLoved. All I have to do is BE, and I’m LOVED.
YOU are His BELOVED. He loves you regardless of what you are doing, what you’ve done, what you could ever possibly do. Rest in the fact that there’s nothing you can do for Him to stop loving you. Don’t only know this in your head, but know this in your Heart.
BE.LOVED.
