You're Worth It!...God Loves My Heart!

Well as you all know by now I went to the "Living Proof Live" event this past weekend in Knoxville, TN. I just have to say something about Beth Moore...she is amazing. I was a little hesitant. Is she going to be preachy? Is she going to be lofty? 'Cause this lady is smart! What I found was a gifted, witty, desperately funny, grounded, strong, capable woman who has a heart of gold. She didn't make you feel like you were in a soldout arena, a number among thousands, she made you feel like you were having dinner in her living room. "Oh you precious souls!" "I got a darlin' letter!"...no matter what event I've been to never have I felt more comfortable with someone. I want to read more of her stuff, and I want to go to more of her conferences. I had forgotten how parched my soul had been, what good praise and music could do, and the simple act of swaying back and forth with my hands raised could do for me. I was filled with so much, and I realize I NEED more of this!!! Complete and total salve to my soul!

I also got to spend some sacred time with my best childhood friend Jennifer. Now, she is the most amazing woman I have the pleasure of knowing. She brought me out of my shell. I used to be quite stuffy and old for my age...she literally helped me to bloom. We just get each other. We can look at each other and understand volumes. We have the same sense of humor, it is AWESOME! The girls in her Sunday School class were looking at us like we was CRAZY!

Well, it is also important to note that she is pregnant. Her first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage...Cayen Joseph now looks over the family! A little over a year ago they had the most beautiful man alive Caleb come into their lives. Friday night she was very sick, up and down all night long throwing up. This is how she was with her first pregnancy and so it terrified her. Around 5:30 in the morning I told her I would drive her back to Georgia. She was so thankful, and girls in her Sunday school class came prayed over her and then I drove three hours to Georgia and then another six hours back home to KY. I was so exhausted.

You know what she is totally worth it! However, what Beth was talking about was allowing God to love us, and I couldn't help feeling cheated, like now once again I had to put myself on the backburner and love someone else! I wasn't mad at her, not at all...I would have done it again in a heartbeat, in fact I would have done it with anyone that I had the opporunity to do so, but I felt cheated by God...I was like, I need this Lord, but in the end there is a reason for everything and I will just relish the truth I derived from Friday night, so let me share some of that with you now...

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Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world 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.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 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.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4: 7-21

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I'll stand to my feet only if I can stand in your grace!...

HIGHTLIGHTS OR HEARTBEATS:

- God measures maturity by the way we love (Am I loving more than I can...beyond my ability to do so!)

- When we love beyond our capacity...He manifests Himself through the way we love.

- God has come to minister to our weary stressed out hearts...stitch us up a little!

* We as women do not just sit back and let God minister to us, which is what He desires to do, more than anything! (God I ask you before I minister to anyone else, I ask you to minister to me...before I burn out! (this is not being selfish, that is a lie straight from the pit of Hell!))

* To withstand this culture we will begin to bind up our heart just to deal instead of allowing God to bind and heal our hearts. We bind our own wounds with ducttape instead of allowing God to heal our heart. "Oh! I don't want to hurt again!" Thus, leading us to a hardened heart!

- This culture teaches self love! We want to look out for ourselves. Spare ourselves from hurt. We thus spare oruselves from loving people, because opening up always gives others the right to hurt us!

- There is a deep seeded lonliness in the midst of our hectic busy lives! (We are not alone in this ladies!)

WHERE IS MY HEART?

- Do I know how to share real intamicy?
We've quit expressing love on a heart level and placed it on a verbal intellectual level. We talk a big talk!

- Am I intimite with 10 people?...in this culture of cell phones, email, pagers, IM, Blog, Forums, etc...relationally speaking we are 10 miles wide and an 8th of an inch deep! (That cut deeply for me!)

HEARTACHES...FOR SOMETHING MORE:

* We will never be able to truly love unless we are able to have Him love us first!

Question: How do I really feel when I hear that God loves me more than anything on this Earth and desires desperately to share His inner heart with me? He is passionate about me and wants to pour big heaps of His love upon me !?!?

Answer: I'm so worthless! I can't think of anything but about myself and how others see me! I want to fall into Your arms...My Lover and be consumed, but I keep hitting a brick wall and I can't see the forest for the trees and I can't see the beauty!...Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE WE ARE TO LOVE

1. Joy: those that are a joy to love (like all of you!)
2. Testy: we all have 'em!
3. Foe: those we hate! (we must be honest about this one!)
4. Far: the stranger we have never met
* When God looks down on me which one am I to Him?

FOUR CONFESSIONS IN LOVE:

1. God is perfect love (1 John 4: 16, 18)
2. Nothing can separate me from God's Perfect love (Romans 8:39)
3. God pours His perfect love into my Imperfect Heart (Romans 5:5)
4. Accessed, I can love anyone through anything (Luke 6:3, 1 John 4:12)

MORE TRUTHS...HEART JOYS:

- He won't give through us what we won't allow Him to give to us! (We will not love well until we feel well loved!)

- Do I recognize God's love? We can't just acknowledge it with our minds, but we have to experience it with our heart!
***I LOVE THIS***HE DOESN'T JUST LOVE ME, HE LIKES ME...HE THINKS I'M FUNNY!

Why do I lack Faith? (He loves me...He loves me not...HE LOVES ME!)

1. Love is who God is!
2. Love is a part of God's Godness!
3. He can't love you less because it is an expression of His Godness!...it is just Him being Himself, it is who He is!
- when we live in fear we are not letting God be Himself in us!
- Being hampered by insecurity or anxiety is a representation of immature love! (How many times do I think God just tolerates me?)

*My level of anxiety (1 being least, 10 being a ballof anxiety) is a 7 or 8...I gotta lot of faith to work out in my life!

* Insecurity and anxiety is unbelief and is roote in pride!

YOU KNOW WHAT...JESUS REJOICES AND SINGS OVER ME WITH LOVE! (AND HE DOES THE SAME FOR YOU!)

WE ARE SO WORTH IT!!!

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I cannot tell you how these truths resonate with me! I hope you are blessed by them as well!

Comments

Bar L. said…
Melissa! Thank you for sharing all of this, I hung on every word. I hope Beth Moore comes to my area soon. And your friend Jennifer is blessed to have you - just as you are blessed to have her. It sounds like you two are quite the pair!

These are valuable insights...I am so blessed! You should share your post with Beth! I wonder if she has a blog!!!
jettybetty said…
You did a great review of the conference! I took my notes around the office on Monday I was so excited. A few people even listened to me. LOL

I find it's a small, small blogging world. I found you because I blog searched for someone who went to the same conference that I did--then I discover we have at least 2 common blogging buddies--Gayla and Well Woman!!

Thanks for the great review! I think my daughter is going to write a post tomorrow on her blog.
JB
Carol said…
I love Beth's teaching! I'm currently in "Patriarchs" and love looking at Abraham et. al. through Beth's eyes.

Thank you for sharing this. There is a Beth Moore simulcast in my area weekend after next. I will be chaperoning a Jr. High retreat and can't go. (pout)

Your post almost makes up for it.
Holly said…
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this!! They are having a simulcast of Beth Moore at my church and I am unable to attend, so thank you for sharing what you learned, and possibly what we can learn from! I am learning so much about being a woman, spiritually. It has been a revelation over the last few weeks, since I started attending Bible study with an older group of women. Even though they are surprised by my being there, I am learning that no matter the age we can still fellowship and gain more than we thought! They are truelly a blessing, so faithful to God, it is an inspiration!
Pilot Mom said…
Thank you, Melissa, for posting! What a wonderful conference...but then, I've never been to one of hers that isn't! :) She explains things so well. Isn't it neat how we can gather around His Truth no matter where we are? :)
Melissa said…
Gayla - You are always a blessing to me, and I LOVE that you threadjacked my blog...I'll start saving my pennies...it will truly be a miracle if it works on my hair!

Wonderful Kat - I hope my "alright" cooking satisfied the hunger in your belly...you just bless my soul beyond measure...get your Pooh PJs ready...gosh, here I go oversteppin' again...HEE! HEE!

Layla - sweet woman of my soul...I am blessed to have my dear sister Jennifer in my life truly...God revealed so many truths and I'm blessed He did the same with what you read! - Gosh I'm not sure if she has a blog, I do want to write her though and tell her what she has meant to me...maybe I will do that!

Carol - I'm going to try once again to get on your blog...I wasn't able to the last time...I'm glad my post almost makes up for it!

Holly - Sister just rock, there is no way to describe what sisters in Christ can do for a hurting soul...we are so deep, so profound, so amazing...and you know what being a woman in the Kingdom of God is an awesome thing, and it is awesome to share it with people like you. You are so welcome, I couldn't not post this!

Pilot Mom - Gather around His truth no matter where we are indeed. I just want you to know I'm going to add you to my bloggin' fam, I really enjoyed visiting on yours. Thank you for comenting on my blog again.

I love all of you delicious and fine ladies...good night!
Melissa said…
No! Kat and I have established a friendship for a while now. I had met her way back when in the summer, and I took her to get her wisdom teeth out...she is precious! You guys will have a delightful time together...I'm soooo jealous! (But happy for the both of you!

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