Joyce Meyer daily devotional July 12 2022 :
What we all want more than anything else is to be loved and accepted unconditionally. If we have not received that by the time we are teens or young adults, we have wounded souls and are unable to function the way God intended. He created us for love and acceptance, not abuse and rejection.
The good news is that if we did not get what we needed and should have had from the people in our past, we can get it from God now, and it will heal us. My father, who abused me, told me he loved me, but his kind of love hurt, so I grew up needing, but being afraid, of love. I didn’t trust people who said they loved me, and it was difficult for me even to learn to receive God’s love because I felt as if I were damaged and not worth being loved.
When I finally let God into my wounds, one of the first things He began teaching me was that He loved me unconditionally. I finally accepted that He loved me, but I still felt it must come with conditions, so I worked hard at being perfect so I could deserve His love. You may have experienced or perhaps are experiencing the same thing. If the people who were supposed to love us didn’t, then we are convinced there is something wrong with us that makes us unworthy of love. It actually took me a few years to become totally convinced of God’s love for me to the point where nobody and nothing could take it away from me.
This never-ending, perfect love of God is available to you and me, and it is the most wonderful thing we could ever have. God’s perfect love sets us free from fear (see 1 John 4:18). If you are anything like I was, you have many fears in your life, but you can be free from every one of them through learning to soak in God’s love on a regular basis. You may feel fear, but if you know God’s love, you won’t have to obey fear. You can move forward even if you feel fear because you know that no matter what, God will always be there for you. If you make a mistake, He will help you recover and keep moving forward.
God’s love is the healing balm we need for our wounded souls. Study Scriptures about God’s great love for you and learn to speak them aloud over your life. Before long, you will start believing the truth of God’s Word, and it will heal you.
Prayer Starter: Thank You, Lord, for loving me unconditionally. Help me to not bow down to fear and look to You to protect and vindicate me.
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Author : Joyce Meyer
Source: Joyce Meyer ministries / joycemeyer.org