Life in this fallen world involves many struggles, plenty of suffering, and eventually death. This can easily become overwhelming without some perspective. Two of the most powerful forces to help us get through the challenges in life are love and family. Many people focus primarily on our earthly physical family and are highly dependent on how others chose to express their love. Once we expand our view to include our spiritual family, and how God expresses His unconditional love, it brings a higher perspective and release remarkable power;  The power required to get us through the challenges we face in this life. This post looks at God’s love and how you can harness it to get through the challenges you face now, and set you up for success for eternity.

God loves you more than you can even imagine

He formed you in your mothers’ womb.

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 129:13)

He has plans for you – He wrote your book before your first day on earth.

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” (Psalms 139:16)

He knows you inside and out.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

He loves you as a father.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..“ (1 John 3:1)

“I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18 & 2 Samuel 7:14)

He wants to help each of us individually in this life and set us up for the next.

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14)

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11-12)

He works to improve you as you go through your journey

“O Lord you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hands.” (Isaiah 64:8)

“Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? (Hebrews 12:9)

Sin separates us from Him

You were born as a sinner living in a fallen world. You are personally responsible for your sins. Sin separates you from the Father and that has consequences. Without a savior, you will continue to suffer now and forever.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

“The wages of sin are death” (Romans 6:23)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12)

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

“But your iniquities (sins) have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face (protection) from you, that he will not hear (your prayers for help).” (Isaiah 59:2) 

Acknowledge Jesus as your savior

He loves you so much He sent His son to save you from sin and its consequences – long before you were born.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Accept Jesus as your lord and savior.

“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Receive His love

Accept his unconditional love –

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9)

Accept His loving gift of forgiveness,

“I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Jesus died on the cross so you can move forward without sin – You can forget the past and move forward – There is no condemnation – only love  

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1)

“For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9b)

Once you accept Him nd what He did for you, His blood removes your sin –  He presents you to the the Father as if you had never sinned.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled  in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:21-22)

You are born again, Reunited with the Father, and Seated on the thrown of heaven with Jesus.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:20:21)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Apply His Love

Extend the same love by Forgiving others.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” (Colossians 3:13)

“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)

Invite the Holy Spirit inside you – and accept His help and guidance.

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:15-17)

“But we have this treasure (The holy spirit) in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Accept that you are now an adopted son – a child of God – a brother of Jesus.

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)

Transform your mind so you can walk as a child of God.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

1. Seek first the kingdom of God – Get to know God through Jesus – The expressed image of the invisible God.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

2. Have a healthy fear of the Lord: You are accountable for your thoughts, words, and actions.

 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12)

“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

3. Turn from evil as sin against God

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10)

4. Crucify / Deny your self-conscious /self-serving interests – Focus on flowing God’s love to others.

“If anyone desires to come after Me (Jesus), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life (His own agenda) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-26)

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-5)

“Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.” (1 Corinthians 10:24)

“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” (James 3:16)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

5. Do not focus on short term self-centered “pleasures” and “things”

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)

6. Live a life worthy – Jesus paid a heavy price to save you from sin and its consequences.

“I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, (Ephesians 4:1)

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Become His Love

Become love in action (thoughts, words, actions) – The body of Christ – His arms and legs on earth.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. (John 14:23)

Release the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside you – to bring glory to the Father

“Now to [the Father] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Become the Glory of God through Jesus, union with the Father, and through His pure love.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17: 20-21)

Become the perfect flow of love to others – Be perfect as the Father is perfect

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Become a beacon – Your life becomes as a showcase – Allow people to see Him through you.

“That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:15-16)

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

My Prayer:  

Heavenly Father, Thank you for everything;  You are the source of everything good in this world. Thank you forming me and setting plans for me. Thank you for sending your son to save me from sin and its consequences, I embrace Him as my lord and savior. I am a sinner and I am grateful for His generous gift of forgiveness; I embrace His love and forgive all who have sinned against me. I am committed to turn from evil and live a life worthy of the price Jesus paid. My spirit is born again and am now an adopted son/daughter of God and a member of the Holy family. You are my eternal Father, your love powers the universe and is inside of me; Your truth brings order out of chaos and and saves me from destruction. I thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to teach me and guide me.  My body is a temple for your spirit and I will make it a place worthy of your dwelling.  I submit myself as a vessel for your use – This life is no longer my own. I am the body of Christ – your arms and legs on this earth. You are my Father; I will seek to know you through your word. I will talk to you often and listen carefully for your input. I will flow your love to others in any way I can. I will use the gifts you have given me to help your kingdom in any way I can. I have the power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside me and I will release it in your name, to do your will, and bring you glory. I will walk as a child of God and be a beacon for your kingdom.  I thank you for all you have done for me, and I ask for your continued guidance as I learn and execute this life for you.  In Jesus Name, AMEM