Today, September 20, is my mother's birthday.  Although she has been dancing with Jesus in heaven for 19 years, I still celebrate her birthday in my heart.  She was a remarkable woman.   As I was reflecting on her life, I was inspired to tell some of her story in my most recent blog for Hearts Being Healed which I posted last Thursday.  Today, as I was wishing that someone would share their healing story with me and give me permission to post it here, I thought again of my mother's story, and how there is no greater healing than the healing of our soul, the heart of who we are.  Many people who come to A Healing Place for prayer come for reasons they can't identify or express, whether or not they are also coming for healing of a physical ailment or injury.  God heals us from the inside out, meaning, he wants to heal that which is deep within us- scars from past wounds, shame, unforgiveness, these feelings that destroy us from within- so that we can truly and completely receive what he heals on the outside. My mother's testimony, although she has left this earth behind, just may be the story someone reading this blog needs to hear. So today we take a departure from our stories of healing that take place at A Healing Place, and instead I invite you to meet my mother and her testimony of victory via the love of Jesus.

Live Like You Are Loved

Romans 8:38-39 was my mother’s favorite scripture.  Her birthday is this week and I’ve been thinking about her. She had a very hard life as a youngster.  She was the oldest of 8 children born to an Irish immigrant family in 1916. In less than two years after the eighth child was born, her father left her mother and the children.  Her mother went to work in the city many miles away to work as a cook in the state orphanage during the week and only came home on weekends. My mother, at the age of 13, took on the role of mothering her seven younger siblings and running the household. They were very poor and sometimes she went days without food because she made sure all her siblings had something to eat before eating herself. She would have starved to death but for the loving kindness of one of her teachers who brought food for her to eat at school. (There was no welfare or school lunch programs back then). All my mother’s life she struggled with feelings of abandonment and being unlovable, of feeling like she was “less” than the people around her. However, she did not live a sad or futile life.  She met Jesus. She was introduced to him by the same teacher who fed her at school. She gave her heart to Jesus and started attending church. She read the Bible, meditated on the scriptures, and prayed in all her spare time. She became a teacher and an ordained minister, the first woman ordained in The Church of God in the state of Iowa. She married and raised six of her own children as well as other children who she and my father took in as their own.

Romans 8:37-39 were the first verses she memorized and they became her life mantra. If she were here today, the one thing she would want each of you to know and believe above all else is the message in these verses. “… in all these things we are more than conquerors through him (Jesus) who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Whatever has happened to you, whatever you’ve done, whoever you’ve been hurt or abandoned by, whatever has been said to you in hate, anger, or abuse, does NOT define who you are or your worth. You are the daughter of The King, created in His own image. You are the One who Christ left Heaven for, died for, rose again for, and established in His kingdom for all eternity when you gave your heart to him. Nothing or no one can diminish or take away or separate you from God’s love for you.  Yes, it’s true that you can deny it, turn your back on it, ignore it, even resent it, but just plain and simple:  there is NO THING or NO ONE that can stop God’s love or separate you from His love. No matter what your response to his love is, you cannot change God or His Love for you.

Many of us come to him with a truckload of wounds and scars, so we have times when we easily forget how much we are loved. We let our own past mistakes and shame, or the deep wounds of what has happened TO us take priority in our thoughts. We let guilt crowd out of our conscious thoughts this truth of God’s amazing love. That cripples us. It chains us down. It makes us sink into depression. It urges us to isolate ourselves from those who would encourage and lift us up. It makes us feel worthless. If that is happening to you, it is the Evil One filling your head with lies, lies, and more lies. Satan knows he is powerless to take you from God, so he tricks you, deceives you, lies to you until you begin to believe him instead of the Word of God, the Truth.

But this is the truth: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” – John 10:27-29

Many times our own worst enemy is ourselves. We replay destructive messages over and over in our head telling us how we don’t deserve to be forgiven, or how we aren’t good enough to please God, or whatever thought personally defeats you. If this is you, declare out loud right now, “God, I will listen only to your Truth about me. In the name of Jesus, I command all lies from Satan about myself and messages of self-loathing to be sent right back where they came from, the pit of Hell.”

God’s love is not only the broad encompassing love that he offers to the whole world, but it is also an individual love for each and every unique person he created. His love for you is the basis of the relationship he wants to build with you; an intimate, personal one-on-one love that he desires you to respond to, and build a powerful, intimate, and holy relationship with him.

An intimate love?  What kind of love is this, you ask?

First, God created you in his own image, which is a testament to the value he places on you. Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  He created you individually, one-of-a-kind, with care and tenderness, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalms 139:13-14. You are his unique creation, artfully made to bring him pleasure and glory.

God longs to spoil you: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.” I John 3:1

God knows you by name: ““Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”  Isaiah 43:1b

God loves you uniquely and individually: “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  Matthew 10:30

God considers you precious:  “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.” Isaiah 43:4

God treasures you:  “And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.” Deuteronomy 26:18

God enjoys you:  “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

God grieves with you: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8

God rewards you: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

God protects you:  “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12

God has a future for you:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Music is a wonderful gift of from God, so begin (or continue) your bright future today by listening to contemporary Christian music regularly, such as KLOVE radio, AIR1 radio, Comcast cable channel 935, etc. There are also many free internet download sites as well; free, but their value is priceless (to borrow an Ad line). The music they play is Holy Spirit inspired and based on Biblical truths and are a constant reminder of God’s great love for you. For instance, I got the title for this message from one of my favorite songs, “Live Like You’re Loved” written by Hawk Nelson. He reminds us that we have authority to live like a person who is greatly loved and cherished.  Here is a link to a recording that you can listen to free. http://www.lyricshall.com/lyrics/Hawk+Nelson/Live+Like+Youre+Loved/

When you feel separated from God’s love, if you’re doubting His love in any way, if you’re convinced that you are not of any value and not worth loving, understand that all of that is a LIE.  Go back to His Word. Read God’s love letter- the Bible. Write out and memorize scriptures that tell of his great love for you. Repeat it out loud until you believe it with every ounce of your being. Fill your life, your ears, your heart, with music that repeats this Truth over and over so that it soaks in and ministers to your soul.

Let the overpowering truth of God’s love transform your life from “woe is me” to “one who is a conqueror”.