Not being able to comprehend God’s unconditional love is a major issue with anyone who has emotional wounds from the painful experiences in life. Salvation gives ‘head knowledge’ regarding God’s love. Because the heart is so deeply hurt, comprehending God’s unconditional love is greatly distorted. The world defines it as self-worth. I define it as God-worth through God’s Word.
God is the one who made us worthy of His love. It is nothing that we have done or could do to deserve His love. He was our Creator and designed us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). He knows every detail of our life from birth to death. God became our Savior. As our Creator and our Savior, He bestows great value on us.
God knew Adam and Eve would choose to disobey His one ‘do not’ command. That decision of disobedience broke their relationship with God – a spiritual death – and it brought the curse of death to mankind. That disobedient choice birthed natural death, sin, sickness, all evil and all adversity that we deal with in the world. Because of this sin choice, every person is born a sinner and needs salvation.
We are all born sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. We need a Savior! We cannot earn salvation or earn more of God’s love through our works of prayer, Bible reading, fasting or praying. God’s love is not based on our performance or pedigree! God is love!
God so loved the world that He made Himself a body – God manifest in the flesh – as Jesus Christ to become the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He knew He would have to become the perfect supreme sacrifice for our sins. Jesus suffered a bloody painful death on the cross because of His love for us.
If we carry emotional pain because our earthly father/mother or someone else abused us, the devil delights in distorting our healthy loving God concept. If God loved me so much, then why did he allow all these painful things to happen to me? The answer comes from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve chose to sin against God and that choice brought chaos to the human race. When evil is in the heart of a person, that person can do horrible harmful things because of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life to innocent people.
Because of the sin choice by Adam and Eve, sickness and death will happen to us all if the Lord delays His return for His Bride. We will die someday. We don’t know if it will be through sickness or an accident, but it is appointed unto once man to die and then the judgment. Praise God – through salvation we have the hope of heaven!
So whether it is childhood abuse, parental death, a child’s death, our own sin choices, all of these experiences can be hindrances to understanding how special we are to God. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God (Romans 8). Before salvation or after salvation, nothing can happen that would make God stop loving us! He desires that all would come to repentance.
David committed adultery and murder and God still loved him. It took a prophet sent by God to wake him up to his sin. But when he ‘woke up’, he said, “I have sinned against God.” David genuinely repented of his multiple sins and God’s love for David never wavered. God’s love for you will never waver! I’m sure David’s sins hurt the heart of God, but God still loved David.
If we sin, we must genuinely repent of our sins. Do not repeat the sin. Stop the addiction, one choice at a time. God will make a way of escape if we turn to Him and cry out, “Help me, Lord!” God loves the sinner, but He hates sin! If you are hurting other people with your tongue, wake up and realize you need emotional and spiritual healing.
God’s truth can heal our brokenness. If someone betrayed you and trust was broken, you need God’s healing balm through His Word. If you do not allow God to heal the brokenness and process forgiveness in a healthy way, your emotional pain will flow over to those closest to you. The devil will rob the joy of your salvation through filling your thoughts with his lies. He wants you to feel unhappy, unloved, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Yes, you are saved, but deeply hurting and the devil is dancing with delight.
When you focus on God’s truth about you – you are His beloved, you’ve been redeemed by His blood, you are His special treasure, you are a new creation in Him – your whole thought pattern will change through the power of God’s Word. Romans 12: 1 & 2 – “we are transformed by renewing our minds.” You are fully forgiven by God, fully accepted by God and fully loved by God.
If you are fighting an addiction, unforgiveness, unresolved anger, etc., rebuke the devil and his lies and start a deep study of the scriptures (especially the New Testament letters written to the church). It’s God’s Word that can rewire the brain physically and spiritually to be transformed to victorious living.
I am a conduit of God’s truth in my counseling, teaching and writing. This is why I provide God-based counseling nationwide by phone/Skype (636) 448-0121. This is why I love teaching God’s Word for churches and conferences. I want to see people not only saved, but also living victorious lives to glorify God.
© Carol Clemans – March 2016
www.carolclemans.org – bio, 270+ articles, teaching CD’s & DVD’s, book: GOD’S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE – Anointed Bible teacher, Certified Pastoral Counselor, Certified Christian Life Coach, Holy Ghost 61 years.
Call: (636) 448-0121 to schedule counseling or teaching.