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‘I am loved by God’

PROFESSIONS OF FAITH

I want everyone to repeat after me: I am loved by God.

Please say it again, but louder this time. I AM LOVED BY GOD!

If we can get this deep in our “knowers,” there is nothing that we cannot accomplish for God. We will literally become super Christians. We will shatter the forces of darkness with this mighty battle cry — “I am loved by God!”

The legendary superhero, Superman, was reputed to have been faster and more powerful than a bullet and a locomotive. He was said to be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. It was also said that he had x-ray vision.

Listen to me carefully, my beloved readers. He had absolutely nothing on us as super Christians.

Read what the Word of God says about us in 11 Samuel 22:29-30, “For you are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.”

Pretty powerful words, aren’t they? They will have power in our lives when we can believe with all of our hearts that we are loved by God.

God made each and every one of us different. We have different looks, different personalities and different ways of expressing ourselves. There is one way we are not different. He gave each and every one of us the ability to believe. First of all, the ability to believe that He alone is the one, true God. He is Creator of all. Secondly, he gave us the ability to believe in ourselves. We are one of the wonders of His hands. He fashioned us out of His great love, to love and to be loved.

We have all heard it said that God doesn’t make mistakes, so let’s not make the mistake of not believing who we are in Christ. We are the accepted in the Beloved. He is the Lover of our souls, and He wants us loving Him, loving ourselves and loving each other. At the risk of sounding like the character Repeat Smith, I am going to repeat myself over and over. Here goes: I am loved by God. I am loved by God. I am loved by God.

Now say it louder: I AM LOVED BY GOD!

We have all come up against things in our lives that have hurt us deeply. For more than a year now, someone I used to call a friend has spoken things that are exaggerated, have been taken out of context or have been outright lies. I have tried to keep it before the Lord in prayer. I have had times of success, but I have also had times when I have failed in doing this. Those have been dangerous times.

The enemy wants to be the winner. I cannot afford to let him be successful. He’s the thief, and I must choose to keep him from stealing. He’s anti-love. I must keep remembering that I am loved by God. This stops the thief dead in his tracks.

I speak the truth of God’s love with greater force nowadays. I will not be stopped because I am loved by God, and my God has a plan for me. He has a divine plan that He laid out for me before He ever gave me breath. I have been crying out for what I call my “apportioned portion.” Love will stop the thief. God will have His divine way. I am committed body, soul and spirit. Lock, stock and barrel. I am loved by God, and I know this. That’s how I can say to all of you that no one will ever love you the way God loves you. I can say it because I believe it. We must trust God and believe in this great love.

I will finish with scripture and a song. Let’s go back to 11 Samuel 31, and read as follows, “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of God is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

Let’s believe in God’s love and stop the thief by really elieving that we are loved by God. The more we repeat it, the deeper it will penetrate into our “knower” and then become so firmly entrenched, it will be impossible for the thief to steal it.

And now the song: “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. Could we with ink the oceans fill or were the skies of parchment made. Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whol, though stretched from sky to sky. O, love of God, how rich, how pure, how measureless and strong. It shall forever more endure the saints and angels song.”

Remember, nobody loves you the way God loves you, and I love you, too!

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Barbara Mannino is a pastor, including at of Hand of Grace at Grace Covenant Church, Lewistown, where she ministers at 9 a.m. the second and fourth Saturday of every month. She also is available for family home ministries and to speak at church events. Contact her at (717) 242-1274.

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