All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”To effectively love others, you must first believe God loves you.
(1 John 4:15-16, NLT)
“That’s no problem,” you might say. “I know God loves me.”
Maybe so, but according to these verses, just knowing it is not enough. We also need to believe it. To believe means “to have firm faith in something; to accept it as true, genuine, or real; to have an unshakable conviction of its goodness, efficacy and ability.”
As Christians, we should have more than a mental understanding that God loves us. We should be firmly grounded in that love. We should believe it to be so good and genuine, so trustworthy and strong that it will keep us safe from harm in every situation. No matter what anyone else may say or do to us, we should rest securely in the fact that we are fully and forever loved.
Maybe that kind of confident love doesn’t come easily for you. Maybe you’ve been abused and criticized so much in the past that you naturally think of yourself as unlovable. If so, allow The WORD of God to change how you see yourself. Instead of filling your thoughts with the unkind words others have said to you, fill your thoughts with the tender words of God.
Set your mind on verses like 1 John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” Then fellowship with The LORD over the truth of those verses. Thank Him for loving you with such a great love. Praise Him for caring for you so much that He called you to be His very own child.
Acknowledge that regardless of your past experiences, whatever He says about you as His child is true. And since He says you are loved, choose to believe it.
As you do, you’ll begin to see by revelation of the Spirit that God actually is your Father and He does care for you. You’ll be able to say just like the Apostle John did, “I know and believe the love God has for me!”
As a result, the love of God will become a reality in your life. You’ll find that God’s love is not only coming to you, it’s flowing through you…and before you know it, you’ll be living the life of love!
Love Assignment: Identify two or three scriptures that talk about God’s love for you. Read and confess these scriptures several times today, and believe them with your heart. Tell someone else today how much God loves them!
aka: Kenneth Copeland Ministries