Love in the Now

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us...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. I John 4:16 & 18

Those are some power-packed words. Words that will help us with our Impostor. Words that will enable us to come under the authority of love in Christ, accept who we are where we are, and believe that this love will free us from what has a stranglehold on us.

If you believe in Christ and have made Him your ruler then you have the very Spirit of God IN you. With that being said, you know House the Love of God. You house Love. And in that love there is no fear and no punishment and no condemnation (Romans 8:1).

There is no fear.
No punishment.
No condemnation.

And here's why. When Jesus died, He took all of that. The fear of separation from God, the punishment of sin which is death, and the condemnation we deserve. He drove out fear because when we fear we are wincing at the possibility that we are going to get smacked by God--punished.

So, what do we do? We try and try to get it right. We fight ourselves, our lusts, our desires. We chastise ourselves for all our issues, attitudes and imperfections and wait for the hammer to fall. But the only hammer that falls is the one we use on ourselves.

Now, now, before you hear me sayin' that God doesn't "punish" us, I'm saying that the punishment of sin is taken care of. Discipline is a whole different issue, but still, discipline from God come out of Love.

I've said this a bazillion times: If you walk around in condemnation (guilt, shame, pity) you are not hearing from the Spirit of Christ. However, if your heart is panged in conviction for a particular action or attitude, then you are hearing from Christ and you need to humble yourself to His leading and authority, repent, confess and get on with it.

Condemnation is not of Christ. Conviction is. There is a difference. Ask Him to help you differentiate between the two.

So, where does this leave us with our Impostor? Where does this leave us when we look in the mirror and see the Ugly and Prideful? It leaves us at the feet of Love. Great and merciful Love.

Even now, I can sense the Father's approval and the nod of God as I type this. He is not out to "get you!" He is not out to check off the list all the good and bad you did today. He is not offering you your world on a platter. He does not bow to your needs and desires and greed.

He will envelope you in His love.
He will give you the applause of His holy hands as you humble serve Him.
He will lift your gaze and kiss your face.
He will guide you into all truth.
He will transform you by the Living Spirit in Him as you humbly offer all things to Him.
He will shatter your idea of what is the best plan for you and give you a better plan in Him.
He will rebuild your broken places.
He will fulfill every desire.

He will do it because He loves you. All of you. Your inability to "get it right." You overwhelming need for the applause of man. You desire to please every one. You pain. Your shame. Your dreams. Your envy. Your self-loathing.

He loves us.




He loves us.




Rest in that.



I want so much to say, "He loves us enough to not let us stay where we are." Well, yeah, okay. But, does He just love me for me? Not where I am or where I've been or where I will be? Doesn't He just love me right now?


Yes. Right now.


And in that moment of "right now" there can be no other time for Him to love you. Now is the time of the Lord's Love. Now is the only time there is. In that love we can't help but be changed.

In that love we love ourselves and our "Me's" disappear into the darkness. Oh, she'll peek back out, but when she does just rest in His love again...and again...and again...until Me cannot take over again.

Rest in His love....now.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.