Tag Archives: love

Only God’s Unconditional Love Can Satisfy the Deepest Craving of my Heart

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“As long as I keep running about asking: “Do you love me? Do you really love me?” I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with “ifs.”  The world says:  “Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy.  I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much.” There are endless “ifs” hidden in the world’s love.  These “ifs” enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them.  The world’s love is and always will be conditional.  As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain “hooked” to the world – trying, failing, and trying again.  It’s a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart.” ~Henri Nouwen~

I am so thankful for having come across this quote tonight. It both whispered gently and firmly shouted truth into my soul.  This was me for so long – addicted to trying and failing and trying again to satisfy my deepest craving through the world and myself.  I was “hooked”!  I just feel led to pray right now and if this quote speaks truth to your soul then I invite you to join me…

Father,

In the name of Jesus and through the power of Your Holy Spirit I humbly approach your throne of grace and mercy tonight and confess that I have been hooked and addicted to seeking satisfaction for my deepest craving for unconditional love and acceptance from the world and myself which offers merely a false substitute of what only You alone can provide.  I ask for your forgiveness and receive it in faith knowing that Your Word says that You will forgive my sins if I repent and confess.  Lord, I ask that you free me from this bondage as I surrender myself to You.  I ask that You take Your rightful place and be seated in the throne of my heart so that You will forever be my King and that I will worship no other.  I acknowledge that I am completely loved and accepted unconditionally by You and that Your love is more than enough.  Lord, please help me live out this truth daily resting in the assurance that I am completely safe to be the person you created me to be and that  I am free to live a life that isn’t driven by fear but by the power of Your love.  You are awesome God and I thank you for the freedom that You have provided for me through Your Son Jesus.  My heart longs to fall deeply in love with You, to trust You and follow You wholeheartedly all the days of my life and forevermore.

Love Always,

Your precious daughter

Amen ❤

Isaiah 61 reads:

The Year of the Lord‘s Favor

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
    they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and in their glory you shall boast.
 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
    instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    they shall have everlasting joy.

 For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
    and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
    that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations.”

My Greatest Dream: True Love

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WoW! Where do I begin… I could write a book to share this story, but I’ll do my best to keep it short & sweet 🙂

As long as I can remember I’ve always dreamt of finding true love.  I was for most of my life a hopeless romantic looking for love, acceptance and security in all the wrong places.  I hurt myself and others along the way trying hard to get my fill.  On this quest to find true love I thought a man was the answer, my knight in shining armour, my prince, my hero.  When failed relationship after failed relationship and feelings of rejection and abandonment resurfaced over and over I started to look elsewhere.  I needed answers and at the time the world was giving me the wrong one by telling me that the answer was ME… I had to first love myself before I could really find true love or that true love was loving myself?? huh?? So I tried to love and accept myself and provide myself a false sense of security that I so desperately needed.  I failed miserably! Who am I apart from God who is Love Himself to be able in my own strength to provide anything for myself.  I am an imperfect human being created to be loved and cared for by my Creator.  Only I was so lost so far away from the truth, yet He never failed in His pursuit for me.  I was so far gone, so far from Him but I was desperate for His love.  I was lovesick in need of a Saviour and a cure.  In fact I was so lovesick that I became mentally sick. Aside from having suffered with undiagnosed anxiety and depression most of my life, I then developed a mental illness called Psychosis for which I was hospitalized on numerous occasions for having had multiple episodes and relapses for which now the diagnoses is Schizoaffective Disorder.  Unlike most people with this disorder, I am high functioning and by the grace of God doing well and relapse free for almost 3 years.  Undergoing these psychotic episodes was the most terrifying experience of my life.  I literally thought that I had died and gone to hell….but Jesus!  Yes, Jesus came to my rescue!  I cried out to Him and called on the God of this universe and begged Him to rescue me and He did.  He answered and my life has never been the same since.  He was the answer to my greatest dream and my greatest desire to be loved, accepted, and secure.  He is True Love.  True Love found me!  I came across a passage of Scripture today from Psalm 12:5 that reads,

“FOR THE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR, FOR THE SIGHING OF THE NEEDY, NOW I WILL ARISE,” SAYS THE LORD, “I WILL SET HIM IN THE SAFETY FOR WHICH HE YEARNS.”

That’s me! I was the oppressed poor person sighing in need to be rescued – to be loved and secured.  God performed His word and He did rise up and set me in the safety for which I yearned.  You see God is so faithful, even when we aren’t, He is.  It has been 3 years since True Love has found me and I’ve wandered so many times still looking for love in all the wrong places, but He never gives up on me.  He pursues me daily bringing me back to Him – my first love.  I feel like finally now I’m waking up to the reality that it isn’t just a dream anymore – now it’s a dream come true and I am safe and able to fall freely in love with my Saviour, my Hero, my Knight in shining armour, my Prince…

Thank You Jesus… I love You 🙂

Disclaimer: Please know that I’m not discounting the importance of human love and affection. In fact it’s the second greatest commandment which is to love one another.  I’m just acknowledging God as the primary source of love since He is Love itself and we cannot love or be loved without first getting it and giving it through Him.  First and greatest commandment is to love God:)

P.S.  I’ve included a worship song that is dear to my heart and in keeping with the theme of this post. I hope that you enjoy it! If you have already been rescued by our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ then my prayer is that you will continue to fall in love with Him more deeply and follow Him more closely.  If you happen to be reading this and you haven’t personally called out to Jesus to rescue you then I encourage you to take a leap of faith and call out to Him and He will answer and rescue you. You are loved and accepted! God Bless 🙂