Category Archives: Love

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God is love


God is love.

God is good.

Your experience might currently be contrary to these statements. I can’t know what is happening in your life, but I know that these two statements are true even when I don’t understand. They aren’t just true because they are in the bible. They aren’t just true because I, and perhaps you, have experienced the truth of them.

I have and yet I didn’t think I did.

There have been times when I experienced His provision or protection, or healing and I was so sure that He is love and that He is good.

But then there were other times that I didn’t. And I felt alone and forgotten and forsaken. I’m not going to lie. Those times were very hard and very confusing. I wish I could say that I never lost my faith and hope but I very much did. Maybe not lost but it seemed very small and shriveled like it would never recover. I drew very far from Him because I was angry and hurt that my prayers weren’t answered the way I thought that they should be and the way that I thought that He would. It took me several years to recover from the time that I felt thrown away.

4 years ago, I was at a bible school that very much believed in healing and operating in the gifts of the Spirit. They frequently taught on and had guest speakers that operated in the gift of healing. I saw people healed.  I had previously been healed of cervical pre-cancer, so I fervently believed in Gods power to heal. I guess I forgot about His omniscience, immutability, and sovereignty.  I forgot that sometimes the answer to prayer is not now, or even no. God knows the end from the beginning. He knows the plans He has for me and how He needs to help me achieve the level of maturity to be able to consistently and unwaveringly walk in all that He has for me.

I can look back over the last 4 years and see His hand moving in many areas of my life. While during that time He and I didn’t have the same level of intimacy and communication that I previously had, I can now see that He was calling me into another level of trust in Him and a deeper level of intimacy. Offering me the opportunity to overcome my disappointment and use it as the floor to my next level with Him. To “level up” as it were.  

Isn’t that what a good Father does? He loves us into new levels of maturity. So that we can walk in the confident assurance that He is good and that His love never falters or fails.

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He first loved us…


1 John 4:19-20 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

There are countless scriptures about love. Well, not countless, but a lot! I checked my concordance and there were over 500 times that love is mentioned in the old and New Testament. Do you think there would be so many if we “got” it? If we understood how important love is? I have found, in my bible research, that God repeats Himself when the topic is dear to Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that if you do great things for people but aren’t operating in love it’s counted for nothing. That’s strong…

I knew I wasn’t operating in love when I did things for other people or in my interactions with people, so I starting praying about it. Each day I ask God to 1) show me how much He loves me, 2) show me how to love Him the way He loves me, and 3) show me how to love people the way He loves them. He has definitely softened my heart in that area but I’m not going to stop praying those prayers yet because I still have a very long way to go. I’m still way too selfish and self centered.

It is easy to love the people you are close to like your friends and family. You know, nice people. The people you have picked and choose to be around. But what about the people that grate on your last nerve? What about the surly cashier, the guy who cuts you off in traffic, or your boss? Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who use you.” Wow! Just WOW! Is He kidding?! No I don’t think He is.

So, how do we do this? Good news…we can’t. Not in our own strength or our own wisdom. So we pray and ask Him to fill us up with His love. He has an infinite supply and daily He gives us what we need for that day if we ask Him. We can’t give what we don’t have.

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He brings us out to bring us in…


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Deuteronomy 6:21-23

“We were slaves of pharaoh in Egypt, but The Lord sent signs and wonders-great and terrible-on Egypt and pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land He promised on oath to our ancestors.”

What are you a slave to? What burdens are you laboring under? What lie has the enemy told you that has caused you to doubt the love and grace of our Father and His Son Jesus the Christ?

I was enslaved in 2010 and the beginning of 2011. I was living, in Pensacola, in an abusive relationship with a man who was not my husband. I had been unemployed for 16 months and the repo man was looking for my only transportation. I was basically estranged from my three children because of the choices I had made. Even though my life was awful I felt like it would be impossible to leave.

Then The Lord began courting me. He began reminding me of my true identity in Him. He quietly but persistently pursued me. I picked up my bible for the first time in years and was reminded of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24. I was the prodigal, as I looked around I realized I had to find a way to get out of the pig pen I found myself in.

So I packed my stuff in my car and came back to the Spanish Fort area. I was basically homeless and on public assistance but I was out of the pig pen. Then God started restoring me. I got a job and an apartment. I repented to my husband and my children for my behavior. When my car was repossessed God provided me with the funds to pay cash for a vehicle. I was desperately lonely so God lead me to a singles group at Bay Community Church. They loved me back to life.

In the last two years God has done so many miracles in my life it would take a book to recount them all. The most amazing and the one I treasure above all the rest is that my relationships with my children have been restored. But not just restored, they are all better than they were before. I am so thankful to my Abba Father, my Redeemer who has brought me out to bring me in…to an unbelievably blessed life full of peace, joy and hope.

The best part is that if He did it for me He will do it for you! Isn’t that good? He does not play favorites. He loves you just as much as He loves me and wants to bring you out of whatever bad situation you have gotten yourself into so He can bring you in to the life He planned for you before the creation. All you have to do is let Him. He stands at the door and knocks, but He is a gentleman, you must ask for Him to come in and take over.

So what are you waiting for? The best is yet to come if you give your control away to the One who knows you, the One who created you. Go ahead, open the door.

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Who is like The Lord?


Exodus 15:11 “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Deuteronomy 3:24 ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?

Sometimes I wonder if we are too familiar with the way we speak to and/or about the Trinity. I know that things changed when Jesus died for our sins.
When He shed His most precious and completely Holy blood for us on the cross.
When He bridged the gap between mankind and God.
When Jesus made a way for us to enter into the holy of holies and approach the throne of the Most High God.
When He BECAME sin in our place.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s go back to the 6th day of creation when mankind was created.
(Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.)

I think, of course, it was a joint decision. I believe mans body was fashioned, but before the breath of life was breathed into man I think God turned to Jesus and said, “Are you sure you want to do this? You know they are going to sin against Us, you know they are going to break Our hearts…they will seek after everything under the sun to satisfy that longing deep in their hearts. You know You will have to be born as one of them, live an uncomfortable life, be ridiculed by them, die a horrible death, be buried and resurrected, and then walk among them in Your glorified body to prove Who You are. He waited for Jesus’ answer and all of heaven stood holding their breath. Then came Jesus answer “I love them. I will do whatever it takes for the fleeting moments of joyous fellowship and communion. I wait anxiously for my beautiful, spotless bride and the day she comes to me in fine linen made ready for our union and the marriage supper.” There was a collective exhale as all of heaven breathed.

Thank you Jesus for loving us so much and wanting an intimate relationship with each of us.

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Love…actually.


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God loves me. It’s true He does. I’ve known it for a long time but I’ve never really acknowledged it. God loves me. Jesus loves me. Just like the children’s song…you know it…we have all sang it as children growing up in church.
“Jesus loves me this I know. For the bible tells me so. Little ones in Him belong. We are weak but He is strong…”
How is it that you can know something and not “KNOW” something? Like knowing water is wet, fire burns, and you don’t lick a metal pole when it’s below freezing outside. I knew God loved me. It was just something that IS. Did I feel loved… Did I act loved… Did I reciprocate… Not often and definitely not consistently. You would think that if the Creator of everything that is loves me and I know it I would take better care of myself. Not be so cavalier with myself. Not be so self destructive.Not only does He love me, He has a plan for my life. It has been told me in a variety of ways in the last 14 years. I am to preach and teach. Ok so if God loves me, Jesus loves me, and They have a specific plan for my life aren’t I special. To Them I am. So if I’m special to them shouldn’t I, at least be special to myself? I don’t treat myself special. I have a hard time forgiving myself. I don’t take care of myself. I don’t monitor what I eat very well therefore I have gained 30 pounds in the last year. I don’t get enough rest. I don’t spend enough time with the One Who loves me unconditionally. There are specific things Debbie, my counselor, has told me I need to do to get better. Why am I not doing them? All I can figure is that I’m not ready to be well. Is that true? If that is true it has to change today! I can’t continue this life the way I’m going.It is like the man by the pool that Jesus asked “do you want to be healed?” Well, Marianne, do you want to be healed? Do you want to be set free to accomplish that which the Creator of everything has set for you to do? Yes I do. I want to be happy, healthy, whole. I want everything that God has for me. So what do I do now? Well, I guess I should start by doing the things that Debbie says will make me better. I am physically getting better after the cancer. Now its time I start taking better care of myself. Lord, I know you love me so please help me to recognize things that I do that are harmful to me. And once I recognize them help me to act according to Your will for my life. I realize that I can’t do this on my own but I also know that I’m not on my own. You are with me. You never leave me or forsake me. You are unchanging.  And Your love is unconditional.

thank your Lord.