God is taking me out of my comfort zone this week. I was asked to speak to a young man who is dealing similar issues I did growing up. Immediately my heart said no, but I promised to pray about it. I can write about what I went through easily. Speaking it is a different story.
I know the most powerful way to defeat lies that Satan or anyone else is to replace it with the truth.
Sometimes life can feel like you’re at a carnival. Like you’ve waited in a long time for cotton candy, watching it swirl away in the hands of others before you, and the spinner breaks, or the ingredients run out, as soon as it’s your turn. Regardless of your patience or even the money you have for it, you’re denied the sweet reward.
Any one of us can be faithful, forgiving, and flexible and still end up with empty-handed rejection or pain. When that happens too many times, it’s hard to wonder if there’s enough love for us.
After years of wading and waiting through the lies I’ve been told, I put up the walls of defense to keep the pain out, not realizing the walls also kept out many good things as well.
Growing up it was easy for self-condemnation to fit into my baggage. I thought that was supposed to keep shoving it inside, to keep it hidden.
When we don’t feel loved from the start we become an easy target for the author of lies (satan) to come into our thoughts. Whether it’s the number of years we’ve believed them or the number of “loved ones” who’ve hurt us, pain can fool us into feeling utterly unloved.
The truth is, our feeling unloved is the biggest lie of all. If you’re feeling unloved, it’s the one thing you need to unpack and never take with you.
People will hurt us, they may say nasty things, steal, lie, or even humiliate us. That’s part of living in an imperfect world, but we have the power to not let it define who we are. The one thing we can do is own our identity.
We were created by God who is love, so we are loved. There are truths we can stand on to release all the lies we’ve been told.
There are scriptures that we can stand on. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us:
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and Spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Meditating on what God says, and not what the world says, was my way out of that chronic loneliness I felt even when I was surrounded by others. Hearing and believing what the One who made me was the umbrella in my storm.
There were truths that I stood on that changed my life. When we feel lonely or struggling through a crisis, alone time can feel loveless. God from the beginning of time spoke of who He is in our lives.
He is not angry with us, no matter what we go through, no matter what the enemy tries to put in our mind God’s love is boundless. What’s more, He remains faithful always.
God will love us forever. Psalm 136:23-24 promises us,
“He remembers us in our low estate, for His loving kindness endures forever, and has delivered us from our adversaries, for His loving kindness endures forever.”
God has not forgotten us when we’re feeling unloved. When our soul is dry with longing. Psalm 136 is particularly powerful because of its repetition.
We are never alone. Isaiah 43:1-2 tells us,
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.”
He is with us when life gets deep, or our hearts get burned. He will not let go and will not let us be destroyed.
Our enemy likes to remind us of the lies people tell us, or we tell ourselves. In the world, it’s easy to get distracted and not pay attention to who God says we are in Him. We are never alone when we have God in our corner.
God will rebuild you. Jeremiah 31:3-4 reminds us,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again…”
We have to recognize that God wants what’s best for us. He doesn’t want us to suffer. He will rebuild us, even when all kinds of plans shatter and leave us feeling unloved.
God is kind and His love is everlasting. He is both the architect and the One who rebuilds us by the power of His love.
God will restore us. Joel 2:25 promises us,
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, My great army, which I sent among you.”
This promise is to restore abundance and satisfaction after a period of devastation. 1 Peter 5:10 tells us,
“May the God of grace, who called you to His eternal glory by Messiah Yeshua, after you have suffered a little while, perfect establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
The God who calls us by name, loves us always, and can rebuild us from disaster. He is the maker of miracles. He has the power to restore what’s missing in us. To mend what’s broken, and find what’s lost.
This one is one to hold onto if you’re ever feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under you and don’t see what remains to be rebuilt. God can restore the strength that’s been missing and even revive dead things we thought were gone forever.
We always have life to give. Letdowns come into every life, and feeling unloved is human. But staying there can stifle our power source. It’s beautiful to receive love, but it’s also a gift to give it. This is why Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves -even our enemies as ourselves.
Regardless of whether people have made any love deposits in our accounts. God has deposited His love into us. When we find it hard to show love because we are feeling unloved it actually helps to show love to others. It opens our eyes to the truth even though we feel lonely sometimes, we can still choose to show love anytime.
God never cuts off His love supply. The enemy can make us forget that. When we remain open to receiving love our cup can overflow.
From Pity to Praise 