Let God’s Love Takeover Your Life

“ 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:31-32, 35, 39(NIV)

Pain from the hands of the person that supposed to love you is not love – it’s abuse!

God tells us in 1John 4:8 that He is love. Loving is not only what He does, love is who He is. He created everything that we see out of His tremendous love, and that includes us. And not only this, He has given us His very essence, and we have received the privilege and honor to take on His nature. He commands us to be conduits of His love, to wear it like a second skin and dole it out to everyone we meet. This is our identity. Ephesians 5:8(NIV) tells us, “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” From this, you and I can be sure that any time we are not treated with love, and we walk outside of love’s way ourselves, something is very wrong.

When we break down an abusive relationship to its lowest common denominator, it is a relationship where one person is trying to control another through violence. This is not love, but fear, and it is very important to make this distinction. Love belongs to God, and by His example, love is defined. You and I don’t get to put our spin on it. God has set love in motion, and etched its defining characteristics in permanent, impenetrable, and immutable stone. 1John 4:18(NIV) says, “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.” Fear has to do with punishment. You do not deserve to be punished, because Jesus Christ took all punishment with him when he was nailed to the cross. He paid the highest price that could be paid for our sins. Because of him, we are free, and Galatians 5:1(NLT) tells us, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

It is important for you to know that domestic violence and abuse is not a reality that speaks the truth about the freedom you have received through Jesus Christ. God’s desire is for you to walk in freedom, and He is happy to help you do this. He tells us in 3John 1:2 that He wishes above all other things for us to be in good health and to prosper in every way as our very soul’s prosper as well. In John 10:10, Jesus Christ tells us that he came to the earth to give us a more than abundant life. We would all probably be most happy with just an abundant life, but Jesus has made a more than abundant life available to us. This is what God desires for all His children.

An abusive relationship does not represent the kind of love that your loving Heavenly Father wants for you. Love is kind, tender, and forgiving. It does not hurt you physically and cause you pain. In the past, people remained in abusive situations because they didn’t have knowledge about God’s love, and they didn’t know how to have faith in Him, but this is the information age. The Word of God is readily available in many ways. When we know God’s Word, we are armed with His powerful truth, and we can have greater faith in His power and love more than ever!

God’s Word testifies that there’s no way He would want the children of His Royal Kingdom to be controlled by anything other than His love and His Word. You were never meant to live as a victim, but to walk in the freedom Jesus Christ has won for you! Surrender to God’s guidance and direction. Study His Word, pray often, and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to open up a whole new level of possibilities for you through God’s love. This is what God wants. Open your heart to Him, and you will always be eternally grateful that you chose to let His love takeover your life. ■

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Let God’s Love Takeover Your Life”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

There Are No Risk with God’s Love

1 John 4:18; There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

How do we get the most out of love that we possibly can without getting hurt? As much as we would like to keep our hearts from feeling hurt, let down, disappointed or heart broken, once you allow yourself to feel that very real emotion for another human being, you run the risk of all of the above.  1 John helps us out a great deal when it comes to protecting ourselves because it speaks to the basic element of what we endeavor to stay away from – the fear of what loving someone can do if we let someone get too close or if we allow ourselves to become dependent on that person providing what we so desperately want out of life. 

We cannot allow fear into our hearts because once you do, it rips apart anything good and godly within you.  This is why our Father warns us to guard it with such diligence, He tells us guard it above everything else because He knows that all of the decisions that matter most to us will emanate from this place.  And if you don’t keep a close eye on this epicenter called the heart, feelings can become easily hurt, all it takes is one time for someone to torment and persecute you and slowly you begin to subconsciously put up walls to keep love out.  Just so you don’t risk the injury anymore. 

Walls will not only block anyone from coming in, but they will also block the love of God from getting out.  This in and of itself is torment.  It can clearly devastate your life and the only thing that can break you free is God.  Philippians 2:15 says, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”  This is how we have to see ourselves, as bright lights shining in a world of darkness.  And this is why it is so important for us to speak, think, behave and live – fear free! 

For instance, if there is someone that you’ve offended or hurt, consider going to that person or write them an email or letter to apologize for any offenses that you may have committed against them.  God tells us to be forthcoming about things like this so that we can move forward with a pure heart and a right spirit.  Go easy on yourself as well, this kind of mindset and humble heart takes time for some folks, as with anything, especially when you’re in a deep place of conviction.  We have to give God the opportunity to help us work through our own heart.   

You want to always portray a genuine, adequate portrayal of the real truth of what is in your heart.  Sometimes the truth is hidden until we are ready for God to reveal it to us.  Keep in mind, fear has a hanging partner named arrogance and oh my goodness is it a blocker, and it also is a part of the wall you have to climb over.  This can be a doozey to accept or confront, and only the ones that are serious about breaking down walls will be able to get out of their own way and allow God’s love to penetrate your heart and knock down those walls. 

John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  Fear is the material used to build your walls but God’s love will be the power tool to make it come crumbling down.  The last thing you want is to have fear making decisions for you.  I cannot begin to tell you how much you can lose and how devastating of a mistake it is to let fear call the shots in your life.

One truth is that as we continue to grow closer to God His love will continue to grow deeper and deeper in us and kick fear to the curb.  His love will keep you in perfect peace as you keep your heart and mind stayed on His love and goodness.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“There Are No Risk with God's Love”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

When A Nudge Feels like A Hard Thump

I’ve heard some of the strongest and fiercest women of God declare they’d never depend on a man for their happiness. They say they’d never allow the man in their lives to be their everything. If this were true, their hearts wouldn’t be completely shattered when heartbreak comes knocking at their door.

Women are often selfless caretakers of those that are objects of their affection. Whether it’s children, parents, siblings, spouses, or significant others, some of us have an innate ability to nurture. Because of this, we sometimes make the men in our lives the central focus of our worlds. This can happen without us even noticing what we’re doing. Slowly we allow our relationship with God to slip to second place and make our other relationships our first priority. No matter how you might try to slice it, this is going to be a recipe for disaster. And most of us don’t realize it until heartache or the pain of disappointment comes knocking at our doors.

Romans 8:1(NLT) says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Condemnation paralyzes a person, because it makes us feel so bad about ourselves, that we fall into a state of putting ourselves down constantly. We don’t think and feel the way that God thinks and feels about us. So, condemnation doesn’t do anyone any good. In Matthew 6:33(NLT), Jesus Christ tells us, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” This is instruction and direction from heaven. It is why God created us. He created us to be His children, and as His children, we are to seek His Kingdom above all other things, and we’re to live righteously.

Jesus Christ doesn’t give us these wonderful instructions and directives to put us in prison. Exactly the opposite. He tells us these things to free us, to help us walk in the destiny God has in store for us. When we don’t seek God first, He doesn’t punish us. He doesn’t love us any less. Instead, God tells us the right thing to do so that we can reorder our steps and begin to walk in harmony with His Word and Will. He forgives us as soon as we ask Him. So, we should also forgive ourselves and be committed to turn things around by praying more, increasing our study time in the Bible, and spending more time with God. This is the way to be continually blessed.

No person on this earth has the ability to make us more or less than what God has made us. Psalm 28:7(NLT) says, “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” God is our Sufficiency and Source of all blessings. He is the Source of our joy. Often, you will hear a person say that their husband, wife, or children is their everything. These are very sincere statements and they probably come from a good place, but a spouse or a child cannot give you life. Only the Spirit of the Living God gives life. He alone deserves all glory and honor.

A good attitude is to always recognize that spouses, families, and loved ones are treasures that come from God, but we must never put the gift before the Giver. When we begin to do this, and we let our relationship with God slip out of first place, we may endure some painful situations. Sometimes the person we treasure most will stop treasuring us. This can hurt really bad, but we shouldn’t sink into despair and become paralyzed by the pain. Life’s nudge may feel like a pretty hard thump, but it should be viewed as a wake-up call to reprioritize. James 1:2-4(NLT) says it best when it tells us, “2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Life will repeatedly teach us the lesson of seeking God and putting our relationship with Him before any other thing. It doesn’t have to be a hard lesson, but sometimes we make it this way because we ignore the reality of our identity as God’s children. We don’t ever have to go through hardships alone, because we have a loving Father that is close, and He will rescue us every time. God is love, and He teaches us how to love through Him, so that the very best can be done for everyone. So, let’s not allow our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ to take a backseat, because honoring the Lord is truly the only way that we can operate at our best, and be the best for those we love. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“When A Nudge Feels like A Hard Thump”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Can God Keep A Man from Breaking Your Heart?

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:33(NLT)

“Letting go is not that easy. It just hurts too much. I’m trying so hard to stop thinking about him, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over him!”

There are very few things in life that are more disappointing and hurtful than feeling as though the significant person in your life doesn’t love you. Whatever it is that has caused their feelings to change, you hope in your heart that the person will want to work towards resolving the issue, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes they’ll want to cut their losses so you both can go your own separate ways. This can be a baffling decision, because the whole time you believed the both of you were working towards the same goal. In your mind, it feels like a betrayal, and it is a very difficult thing to accept.

There are things about ourselves that we don’t realize until we go through some of the most challenging times in life. All of us will face seasons when we must endure these hardships, and they are very unpredictable. When these challenges are in the form of a heartbreak from the man you deeply love, you learn very quickly how much you’ve been completely wrapped up in this individual, and you learn whether you’ve neglected to strengthen your spiritual well-being in Christ for the sake of having someone in your life. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you lose yourself in another person, a train wreck is bound to happen. God never intended our relationships with spouses or boyfriends to take away from our relationship with Him.

I remember comforting a young woman who was having a very hard time with a break-up. Her boyfriend told her, “I just don’t feel the way you do!” When she heard those words, she told me she literally almost fainted. The hurt was so deep, and his words cut like a knife. She said she just wanted to disappear. Feeling as though nothing could ease her pain, she prayed to God for the strength to accept her boyfriend’s decision, but she was suffering.

This young woman asked me, “Can God keep a man from breaking your heart?” Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:27 that all things are possible with God, but wisdom requires us to pray only for those things that are in His Will. God can do anything, but it is not His Will to overstep the desires of another person’s heart. He will not overstep their free-will because He is faithful to His Word. So, we should not ask Him to do something that violates His Word.

Heavenly Father knows how badly we can hurt over our relationships, but His Word instructs us in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our hearts, because our hearts belong to Him. We should not allow anything in our hearts that could harm our relationship with God. Jesus Christ commanded us in Mark 12:30 that we must love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Loving God comes first, and when it does, He will lead, guide, and direct us in our relationships so that the honor we have for Him is not compromised by the love we have for the significant person in our lives.

When we’re so crushed by someone walking away from us, it shows us that we had not given all our hearts to God. Our hearts were trampled upon by someone who couldn’t love us the way Jesus Christ loves the church, and we should not desire this person more than we desire to change our patterns and put Jesus Christ in the driver’s seat of our lives; because this is where he belongs. Heavenly Father would like us to have enough faith in Him to let the person go when they want to go. God is our everything. He will take care of us and present us with someone who will love us just right. But we can’t forget the very valuable lesson that life will always teach us, and it is that nothing comes before God. To love the right way is to love through Him.

Colossians 2:10 tells us that we are complete through Jesus Christ, who is the head of all principality and power. And Romans 8:37 affirms that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. We don’t need God to keep someone from breaking our hearts. We need to keep our hearts strong through loving and honoring God and His Word through Jesus Christ. When we do this, our hearts may hurt from time to time, but they will never be broken. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Can God Keep A Man from Breaking Your Heart?”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.