Closing the Gap Between What You Know is True and What Feels True Right Now

Beloved Siblings in Christ, let’s armor up against the enemy by taking a deep dive into the fact that nothing can separate us from God’s love because GOD IS LOVE. We’re going to spend a couple of days in 1 John 4:7-21 so take a few minutes to review it below or grab your favorite version or concordance and review it there.

1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 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.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Sweet friends, I wish we could sit down at my office table with hot coffee, some crisp ginger cookies, and a set of highlighters and talk about these verses together. If you imagine we are, here’s the first set of highlighting I would share:

• Love comes from God (v.7).
• God is love (v.8, 16).
• God loved us first (v.10, 19).

Dear heart, rejoice in this: God tells us in Romans 8:38 that nothing can separate us from His love. Then, in 1 John 4 we learn that love comes from God and that God IS love – soooo – not only can nothing separate us from God’s love – but precious Sibling, nothing can separate us from God Himself because God IS love.

If you joined in for the “Thankful for His Many Names” series, we discussed that one of God’s names is El Olam, the Everlasting God, and another is Yahweh-Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. Because God is everlasting, His love and therefore He Himself is with you every day, all day and nothing can separate you from Him. Because He is the Lord of Hosts, we know that He intends to be the Lord of all people, so nothing will change His desire to call you His Own. He loved us first – knowing how many times we would run or hide or buck His will – still, He loved us first.

My pastor frequently shares this realization and it fits today to a T so I’m sharing it with you:

There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less. God simply loves you because He IS love.

Beloved, the next time the enemy catches you in temptation and leads you to rebellious thoughts or sinful actions, remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God, not your thoughts or your words or your deeds. When Holy Spirit makes you aware of a problem, slap the enemy in the face by running straight to God in repentance knowing His arms are wide open to receive you.

If you find yourself going about the Father’s business more than you are going to the Father, practice a purposeful pause and settle into His arms and His Word for a good long talk. Nothing sends the enemy packing like a Son or a Daughter who has learned to abide in the Father.

When the enemy belittles and berates you, remember that you are a child of the Everlasting God, the Lord of Hosts. God loves you just as you are and He also loves you too much to leave you that way. He is continually working on you and in you and HE LOVED YOU FIRST – knowing everything you would think, say, or do – knowing exactly when and where and why you would break His heart – HE STILL LOVED YOU FIRST and that means He loves you no matter what. Beloved you stare that slippery snake down and tell him, “God loved me first and He loves me no matter what!”.

Today’s Reflection – Consider sharing your thoughts in the comments to start a conversation around the “table” together.

1. What does reading Romans 8:38 in the context of 1 John 4:7-21 reveal to you about God? about how God interacts with us?
2. How does diving deeper into understanding God’s love better prepare you to meet the enemy in battle when he tries to tempt you into sin, distract you with busyness, or beat you up with past or predicted failings?
3. My pastor shares that there is nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less. We’ve seen the evidence of this in yesterday’s and today’s reading. As you reflect on this, take the time to release old mistakes, missteps, or sins that the enemy brings back up to torment you. God’s love is everlasting and so is His forgiveness. If you’ve asked forgiveness, He’s forgotten what you did and it never – not for a second – changed His love for you. Let it go friend and destroy the enemy’s ability to use it against you.

Allow Me to Pray Over You

Father God, You are endless love because You are the Everlasting God. Your love is for all people because You are the Lord of Hosts. Your love amazes me Father and there is freedom in the realization that nothing I can ever do will cause You to love me any more or any less, nothing can separate me from Your love. Lord my heart is filled with an aching for my Brothers and Sisters who – much like this Daughter of yours – have a tendency to focus more on their failings than on Your infinite love and forgiveness. Lord Who Heals, touch the troubled hearts of my Siblings and mend up old wounds, wash away the guilt and shame that has been clung to for far, far too long. Tear down the strongholds from which the enemy attacks and set my Sisters and Brothers free with the freedom that only comes from Your love. May we each remember Father that You loved us first and that means You will love us always. May we continue to grow in Your love and to show Your love to ourselves and then to others. For God we know that cannot give others our best until we learn to embrace the fullness of Your love. For all things we give You thanks and in all things we desire to bring You glory. Amen.