Ask, Listen, Respond Week 1 day 3 of Living Loved





Have you ever wanted to know God’s will and plan for your life and truly experience it? As I  read Ephesians 3:16-21 today, it became very clear to me that I was reading our Heavenly Father’s perfect will for every one of His children. The Apostle Paul said in verse 14, “When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I bow my head and pray,” and then inspired by the Holy Spirit He prayed that you and I would really come to know and believe the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God. Besides John 10:10, Ephesians 3:20 is the only other place in the whole Bible where the Greek word that describes the abundant life that Jesus came to give us is found. It is in this passage of Scripture we discover that it is in receiving a revelation of His love that God is able to bring to pass His plan for us and do superabundantly far over and above all that we dare ask or think- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desire, thoughts, hopes or dreams. This is the life Jesus came for us all to live. This is what our Heavenly Father dreamed for us all along.

In today’s lesson I share how when I asked the Father, “How do I receive a revelation of your love? How do I learn to live loved by you and truly experience this abundant life?” He responded with three simple words, “Ask, Listen, Respond.”

Jesus said, “Ask and keep on asking and you will receive (Luke 11:9).” Wow! My whole life began to change when I simply began to ask, “Lord, show me the truth that will set me free.” Give me a revelation of your amazing love for me.” How simple is that? Just ask!

Do you desire a deeper revelation of your Heavenly Father’s love? Do you really want to experience the superabundant life He has planned for you? Begin today asking Him to show you the truth of His great love. Listen as He begins to reveal to you who you truly are in Jesus. Respond by thanking Him for what He has done for you. Your life will never be the same!

Living Loved Week 1 Day 2

Nothing makes me feel more alive than to hear my Heavenly Father speak His words of love to my heart through His Word. His love brings me such peace. As I was reading the Scriptures out of today’s lesson, I stopped for a moment to let the truth found in Colossians 2:9 & 10 penetrate deep within my heart: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God… So I, Connie, am complete through my union with Jesus.”

I am keenly aware that it is when I embrace this truth that I experience the love of Jesus on a deeper level and the abundant life He came to give me. In knowing this, I understand why the enemy is constantly tempting me to believe that I’m not who God says I am-that I lack in some way.

As I was reading page 21 of Living Loved, Living Free, I was reminded again that the root of every lie is “you’re not who God says you are.” As I read through the list of lies, the one that stood out to me the most was “You’re inadequate.” How many times has the devil tempted me to believe this lie? How many times has my heart been discouraged as I pondered on whether or not this was the truth about me? But as I took my eyes off the lie, and moved across the page to focus on the truth that sets me free, my heart was overwhelmed once again with my Heavenly Father’s great love for me and His opinion of me in Christ. Hebrews 13:21 says that in Jesus, God has equipped me with everything I need to successfully accomplish His will for my life.

I truly am complete in Christ. Through my union with Him, I lack nothing! I have His wisdom, guidance, strength, provision, resources, approval and favor. I have everything I need in Jesus. Ephesians 1:11 & 13 in the Message Bible says: “It’s in Christ that I find out who I am and what I am living for. It’s in Christ, that when I hear the truth, and believe it, I find myself home-free!”

I find my true identity in the One Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I don’t have to listen to the devil’s lies. When I feel a sense of lack within my heart, I turn to the One Who loves me, and remember the sacrifice He made to make my heart whole and complete. When I receive His love, I live free.

Have you ever believed the devil’s lie that you lacked in some way? Be aware that he’s just trying to deceive you into believing that “you’re not who God says you are.” When you feel a sense of lack, look to the One Who loves you and say, “Father, I know you love me,  and what you say about me is true, I am complete in Jesus! I lack nothing in You! When you hear the truth of who you are in Christ, and believe it, you’ll find yourself truly free!

Created to be loved: Week 1 day 1 of Living Loved

I'm so excited about doing Living Loved Living Free again as on online Bible study. I love being on a journey with so manymen and women who desire to know Jesus and to live free in His love. Today, as I read the first lesson, Created to be Loved," tears began to stream down my face as I was reminded once again that my Heavenly Father created you and me to be the focus of His love, to be made whole and complete by His love-to lack nothing in Him.

Why does this truth touch me so deeply? I think it's because I know what it feels like to live with a broken heart. I lived so many years of my life believing the devil's lie that I am not who God says I am. Just like Adam and Eve, I believed that I lacked in some way and so I looked outside of my relationship with Jesus to meet the needs of my heart and the result was shame and brokenness. My husband, my children, my parents, and my friends cannot satisfy the need that God has placed within me to be valued, accepted, approved and loved. Some how when I look outside of Jesus to meet my needs, I end up disappointed and discouraged.  But when I bring my heart to Jesus and believe what He says is true, every need of my heart is completely satisified in His love. When I am willing to lay down my own opinion and the opinion of others and embrace with all of my heart what my Father says about me in Christ, I experience true freedom. When I value His opinion of me more than the world's, I live loved and I live free. Ephesians 1:4 says that He loves you and me and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. He sees us as very good because we are in Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21).

One day as I was taking a walk with my granddaughter, Ryann, I began telling her how much I love her. I said, "Ryann, you are a very good girl." She responded by saying, "Yes, I am, grandma." I laughed with joy as she received my love and embraced my good opinion of her. She believed that what I said about her was true and it made me so happy.  At that moment the  Father spoke to my heart and said, "Connie, I love you, and you are very good." Just like Ryann, I confidently responded by saying, "Yes, I am, Father, because everything you say about me is true." I felt Him smile as I received His love, just as I did when Ryann received my love for her.

When we embrace the Father's love for us in Christ, our hearts are healed. We live free from all shame and brokeness and finally we are empowered to live the abundant, full life that our Heavenly Father intended for us to live all along. Today, listen with me as our Heavenly Father says to each of us, "I love you! I chose you in Christ to be holy and without fault in My eyes. I approve of you completely! You are very good!

How will you respond to Him today?

We can live free in our Heavenly Father's love! WOOHOO!

Join me as we journey through Living Loved online Bible study. You can watch week one this series by attending our online study at http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=231933273504993

Living Loved Living Free

I am so excited about my new Bible study, Living Loved-Living Free. It will be back from the printer just in time for Bible study to begin Wednesday, September 15th. I have grown so much as I have studied and written this study. The revelation of God's love brings such peace to my heart. I see God working in my heart and in my life as I continue to agree with what He says about me. It is exciting to know that Jesus really did come to give us abundant life and that life is found in living loved by Him. One of my favorite passages of Scripture in the Bible is Ephesians 3:16-21. This whole study is based on these verses and the understanding that when we live in Jesus and agree with the One Who loves us, He is able to bring to pass His plan in our lives and do superabundantly far over and above our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes and dreams. I hope you will join me at Abiding Harvest in Broken Arrow as we journey together into the heights and depths of our Heavenly Father's great love for us. If you're unable to join us in person, you can join us online. I will be blogging as I teach each week. We will also be videotaping each lesson and a podcast will be available each week through my website Becauseofjesus.com. I would love to hear how God speaks to your heart as you go through the study and I will share my heart with you also. Let's grow in Jesus together!