JOIN US THIS SUNDAY 10.30AM
ng
10
Apr '19
What Does God Think of Me?
10
Apr '19
Have you ever wondered what God thinks when He looks at you? You can find out the answer to that by taking a look at what He tells us in the Word…let’s check out what the Bible says in Zephaniah (yes, that’s really a book in the Bible!!):
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
Sometimes it can be all too easy to slip into thinking that God is disappointed with you, or angry, or just couldn’t possibly love you because of all of the things you’ve done wrong in life … or all things you’ve not done. But friends, lift up your eyes today! Because of your faith in Jesus, He looks at you with LOVE because He sees you in Christ!
How good is that news? Jesus demonstrated His unending love for us on the cross — when He took the punishment, shame, guilt and condemnation that we deserved because of our sins. He did that because He loves us. His act of love satisfied the demands of justice for sin. And now, legally, we can say because of Jesus the only thing between me and God is: LOVE! There is no condemnation or shame. This gives us the freedom to experience His love and this gives God the freedom to take delight in us — just like Zephaniah says! The Lord rejoices over YOU!
>>Take a moment to pause, close your eyes and truly picture how God looks at you. He adores you, looks at you with love…He delights in you and rejoices over you!
Let’s read the verse again, but this time in the Amplified translation:
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17 AMP)
Being quiet in His love doesn’t mean that He isn’t actively present in our life and communicating things to us…what this refers to is His quietness in not mentioning past sins. As believers, our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), when we make Jesus the Lord of our life. He does not see our shortcomings, failures, past sins, issues…that is covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He sees YOU — the real you — the one He knit together in the womb.
And He rejoices over you with shouts of joy! So come on now, it’s time to get stirred up in His love for you! Even if you don’t feel it, even if you’ve never experienced great love on earth, today choose to stir up the truth of God’s love for you! I encourage you to speak the prayer below OUT LOUD and keep on saying it as often as needed to keep your heart focused on His great love for YOU!
Say This and Pray This Out Loud: “Father, thank You that You rejoice over me! You created me, You gave me a purpose and plan in this life, and You gave me Jesus Who paid the ultimate price to cover and cleanse me from my sins. Your Word says You shout with joy over me because You love me so much! Lord, may Your love for me become more and more real in my life every day, as I choose to set my heart on Your great love. Thank You Father for turning my captivity and restoring all things in my life! Thank You for thinking good thoughts and thoughts of restoring and refreshing my life! Thank You for overflowing my life with Your goodness, Your mercy and Your unfailing love! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
Sometimes it can be all too easy to slip into thinking that God is disappointed with you, or angry, or just couldn’t possibly love you because of all of the things you’ve done wrong in life … or all things you’ve not done. But friends, lift up your eyes today! Because of your faith in Jesus, He looks at you with LOVE because He sees you in Christ!
How good is that news? Jesus demonstrated His unending love for us on the cross — when He took the punishment, shame, guilt and condemnation that we deserved because of our sins. He did that because He loves us. His act of love satisfied the demands of justice for sin. And now, legally, we can say because of Jesus the only thing between me and God is: LOVE! There is no condemnation or shame. This gives us the freedom to experience His love and this gives God the freedom to take delight in us — just like Zephaniah says! The Lord rejoices over YOU!
>>Take a moment to pause, close your eyes and truly picture how God looks at you. He adores you, looks at you with love…He delights in you and rejoices over you!
Let’s read the verse again, but this time in the Amplified translation:
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17 AMP)
Being quiet in His love doesn’t mean that He isn’t actively present in our life and communicating things to us…what this refers to is His quietness in not mentioning past sins. As believers, our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), when we make Jesus the Lord of our life. He does not see our shortcomings, failures, past sins, issues…that is covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He sees YOU — the real you — the one He knit together in the womb.
And He rejoices over you with shouts of joy! So come on now, it’s time to get stirred up in His love for you! Even if you don’t feel it, even if you’ve never experienced great love on earth, today choose to stir up the truth of God’s love for you! I encourage you to speak the prayer below OUT LOUD and keep on saying it as often as needed to keep your heart focused on His great love for YOU!
Say This and Pray This Out Loud: “Father, thank You that You rejoice over me! You created me, You gave me a purpose and plan in this life, and You gave me Jesus Who paid the ultimate price to cover and cleanse me from my sins. Your Word says You shout with joy over me because You love me so much! Lord, may Your love for me become more and more real in my life every day, as I choose to set my heart on Your great love. Thank You Father for turning my captivity and restoring all things in my life! Thank You for thinking good thoughts and thoughts of restoring and refreshing my life! Thank You for overflowing my life with Your goodness, Your mercy and Your unfailing love! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”