A TBYT reader wrote me recently that they have a hard time believing that God loves them. More than once, someone has written me about this same issue.
I think I know the reason why someone would have a hard time believing God loves them.
Because they believe that God’s love is performance based.
Many times, they have had a parental/authority-figure relationship in which that person made it clear that love would be diminished or taken away if the child didn’t do what the authority figure wanted.
So the child grows up into adulthood insecure, with their eyes trained on their own weaknesses, shortcomings and past sins.
They may feel that love is something you must earn.
Even though they may accept Jesus Christ as Savior intellectually, He doesn’t reach their heart.
Why do I say that? Because the whole basis of our salvation is John 3:16 –
”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
If you don’t believe the ”For God so loved…” part, then you will have a hard time believing the rest of it!
God’s love is not performance based. He loves you because He chooses to love you. It is based not on what you do but on what Jesus has already DONE.
So if you struggle in this area, then meditate on the following scripture and allow it to sink into your spirit:
”But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”
Keep ”chewing on it” over and over again until the joy of its truth bubbles up within you.
He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah! (Okay, I slipped a Beatles reference in there).
We are children of the most High God and accepted in the Beloved. Just typing that makes me so very grateful to God for all He has done.
He LOVES us with all of our faults and scars. And that is cause for celebration!
Kimberly Taylor
Author of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. Are you struggling with the challenges of emotional eating? Many people with eating issues know what to do but have a hard time doing it. That is where you need a community that supports each other!
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Click here to confirm the Take Back Your Temple program is right for you.
Hi Kimberly, this part about we are children of the most high, I liked it when I repeated ‘I am His Beloved’ to myself, it does make me feel special and His sweet child 🙂
Thanks for this article.
Amen, Christine – the gospel isn’t called “The Good News” for nothing! To experience the fullness of our relationship with Jesus, it’s important that we deliver the Living Word to ourselves every day. We treasure it as much as our necessary food 🙂
I know God loves me, I’m His favorite. No matter what I done His love for me will never ever change. My pas, my present and my future. There isn’t anything that I could do will ever change His love for me.
Amen, Renee – wonderful truth!
I love this! Meditate until it bubbles up in your spirit that GOD LOVES YOU! Whewww that’s some truth for you. Awesome article as always!
Thank you, Taris – I appreciate that confirmation that this is the right word at the right time 🙂
Hi Kimberly. I wrote you a comment a year ago about my hard heart, and you sent me the link to this page. I keep seeing that our salvation is not based on what we do, our performance, and I understand that. But what about our heart? What if we don’t love God, don’t love Jesus, don’t love righteousness, don’t care about eternal life, don’t like the way God does things, don’t like that God says we deserve hell, don’t even like the gospel itself because it implies that we deserve punishment? What if I don’t like ANY of it? What if I’m indifferent to or repulsed by ALL of it? Can I believe the gospel and still be saved in spite of all that not changing, or is my heart/mindset proof that I am not saved?
Hi Tiffany – Thank you for writing! I just prayed that the Lord open up your eyes to the truth. Only He knows about the hurt, anger, and pain that has led you to this point. Only a relationship with the Lord gives answers to the 5 questions of the human heart:
1. Origin: Where did I come from?
2. Identity: Who am I?
3. Purpose: Why am I here?
4. Morality: How should I live?
5. Destiny: Where am I going?
Without that, there is only a life of confusion, fear, and futility. A couple of years ago, I decided to write down why I decided to follow Jesus. I pray that this will enlighten you and bring understanding to you: https://takebackyourtemple.com/13-reasons-why-we-follow-jesus/
Hi, I am interested in your program because it appears to be a Biblically based program. Can you advise me where to find the cost of the program, please?
Cindy, thank you for your interest. We ask that prospective members assess whether the TBYT program is the right fit for them first before revealing the program amount. The confidence questions are here for your review: https://takebackyourtemple.com/cq. We ask the confidence questions because we want to ensure our members have the best opportunities for success.
You have no idea how much I needed this! I know that God loves me, but I have always felt so unworthy it’s hard for me to accept that he would love me!
It’s a beautiful truth that God loves us not because we are always good, but because HE is good! When you accept that as the truth, there is only 1 appropriate response: Live grateful 🙂
Thanks Kimberly you are so right on. I think I have an easier time believing God love ❤️ me than that I can love myself. Loving myself seems to need outside reinforcement. I am reading a book called praying the truth which is a good reality check. I believe if I really loved myself I would not burden myself with 65 extra pounds to drag around 24-7. Thank for all your insights about scripture and how it works for you. Glad I joined the program.