Mom Heart Moments #269

Fervently love one another from the heart.

OUR FEELINGS ARE A GIFT FROM GOD. Our feelings of love, compassion, mercy, sympathy, and tenderness are a part of our glory as women. When we exercise our feelings of love toward those whom God has brought into our lives —our friends, children, husbands, acquaintances —we bring great encouragement and strength to them.

But as deeply emotional beings, we are also very susceptible to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, fear, and insecurity. These negative feelings can grip us and build a stronghold in our hearts. They can keep us captive to the dark voices we often hear, either from others who have wrongly influenced our lives or from our own feelings of failure.

Loving generously and deeply is a beautiful mantle for a woman to wear. Jesus said that Christians would be truly known in the world by our love —unconditional, redeeming love for one another.

We must understand that Satan, the archenemy of God, knows how very powerful the love of Christ through us can be. He would do almost anything to keep us from understanding our great value to God. Satan just hates for us to know that we are anointed with favor from a God who delights in using normal people to accomplish great things. He whispers to us that we are not worthy in hopes that he can keep us from living a story worth telling through the days of our lives!

We cannot be free to love as long as we are dwelling on ourselves —our own inadequacies, bitterness, or lack of forgiveness for ourselves or for others.

Do you understand that loving yourself is a part of your spiritual worship of God? What do you need to address in your life so that you will love yourself as you are?