“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”—1 John 3:1 NIV

There’s something I want you to do today. It’s a kind, gentle act of love. Stop for a few minutes and find somewhere quiet, somewhere private, so you can be honest with yourself and not worry about what anyone else will think. Grab a pen, a sheet of paper, and maybe even a couple of tissues. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and let God love on you for a moment.

Focus your thoughts on God’s love for you. Recall His word that declares you are His daughter. Meditate on the verse above (1 John 3:1) and how God has provided and blessed you as His daughter. Listen in your spirit for God to say things like, “How precious it is to have you sitting with Me. Let Me love on you with My ear to hear you, My heart to understand you, and My love to accept you right where you are. Receive My grace and mercy for your journey. You’re not alone, I’m right here with you.”

As you sat quietly, were you able to receive God’s love for you? If not, did something invade your thoughts that did not agree with God’s love for you? Did that thought/feeling seem fake or judgmental? Did you experience a flash of something that inserted a “but” or “if only” or any other word/emotion that seeks to steal your truth, kill your identity, or destroy your hope?

Write down what inserted itself between you and the love of God. Why did it keep you from enjoying the Father’s presence and the encouragement of recalling the great love that the Father has for you? What position have you given this thing in your life that it would separate you from the love of God?

What’s the one thing you won’t let yourself off the hook for? What do you beat yourself up over every time your mind wanders there? Write down what plays over and over in your mind—that thing you’re still talking to yourself in the mirror about. (It’s the thing you’re letting someone else beat you up over, because you don’t feel you have a legitimate defense.) Write it down.

Now read aloud what you’ve written, but don’t read it for yourself or for the air … say it to God. How do you feel about this “thing”? Pour out your heart to God. Tell Him who hurt you, what they did, what motivated your actions/decisions, etc. Pull the plug on your pent-up emotions and let them flow at the feet of your heavenly Daddy. Let your heart pour out as freely as the Son’s blood did on the cross. 

This is where our pain meets His remedy.

Tell Him your biggest fear. Why is this your biggest fear? What do you want Him do about it?  Where do you yearn to be saturated by His grace and mercy? 

Father God longs to restore His daughters to who He created us to be, transforming us from our brokenness to His wholeness. Moving us from how we were born back into His original intention for His beloved creation.

He waits patiently, allowing us to choose Him. He’ll never demand that we do anything, but He does tell us the way to life everlasting. He’ll never snatch anything away from us, because He desires for us to willingly give up what has no place in our lives. He’ll never remove His gift of choice simply because we’re not using it the way He intended. We can’t hide anything from Him, so there’s no point in struggling and suffering alone.

Transparency before God says we’re at the end of ourselves and we need a solution. It shows God that we’ve chosen Him acknowledging that He can provide the solution we need. We are open to receive His grace, mercy, and restoration. We are open to hear what He has to say.

Spend time with Him and listen for His gentle, kind voice.

What did the Father say? Get your piece of paper and, beneath what you’ve previously written, write down images, words, phrases—anything impressed upon you. You can quickly sort out what is from God by identifying what will build up and encourage you—those things that bring life and life more abundantly. God speaks to you in the way of restoration. He does not condemn; He heals.

After you’ve spent some time in transparency with the Lord, make sure you don’t leave before taking responsibility for any actions/words you produced or your agreement with actions/words against you. Tell God, “I repent for ________ (fill in the blank) and I thank you for your forgiveness.” Say, “I declare I will no longer ________ (fill in the blank). From this day forward I will choose God’s truths over man’s brokenness.” Thank God for His grace and mercy and enjoy your new level of freedom.

On your paper, where you wrote out that thing that enslaved you, now write Paid in Full or Under the Blood. You can either rip that part off and throw it away or leave it intact so you can remind yourself of what you’ve put under the blood and the new level of freedom this choice has provided. Lift your head high and remember … because of the Son’s blood and your choice to agree with Him, this pain no longer has any power and can no longer be used against you. Ever.

NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!

Self-Reflection

These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.

This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take the truths you discover about yourself and hold them up to the Light to evaluate them against who God says you are.

We covered a lot of questions in the body of this blog post but I’ll put them all here so you can have them in one place:

• As you sat quietly, were you able to receive God’s love?
• Did something invade your thoughts that did not agree with God’s love for you?
• Did that thought/feeling seem judgmental?
• Did you experience a flash of something that inserted a “but” or “if only” or any other word/emotion that seeks to steal your truth, kill your identity and destroy your hope?
• What kept you from enjoying the flow of God’s presence/love?
• Why did it keep you from enjoying the Father’s presence/love?
• What position have you given this thing in your life that it has the power to separate you from the love of God?
• What’s the one thing you won’t let yourself off the hook for—that you beat yourself up over every time your mind wanders there?
• Write down what plays over and over in your mind—that thing you’re still talking to yourself in the mirror about.
• What are you letting someone else beat you up over because you don’t feel like you have a legitimate defense?
• What is your biggest fear?
• Why is this your biggest fear?
• What do you want God to do about it?
• Where do you need God to pour His grace and mercy, to saturate you with His love?

Take Action

Use God’s word to take control over the traumas in your life.  Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises in His word.

Here is a scripture for you to print, cut and carry with you and/or post in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”—1 John 3:1 NIV

When you read God’s word say to yourself: I am God’s daughter. I have direct access to a Father who wants to lavish His love and affection on me. My Daddy’s power and authority are found in His deep, wide, vast love, and He chooses to pour out His affection on me. Even though this world will never see my full value, my Daddy in Heaven knows it well and treats me according to His great love for me.