Many of us have often wondered why is love so painful at times?  Why am I not worthy of love, why am I not accepted?  Are you feeling heartfelt pain, dealing with rejection, feeling unworthy or dealing with brokenness?  Are you feeling abandoned or all alone? Have others made you feel this way? 

This may sound shocking to you but the very fact that you are able to feel hurt is because you desire love, seek love and are able to love.  Talk about a paradox and a roller coaster of emotions that flood our hearts and minds.  A hardened heart is unable to put the thoughts, hearts and intentions of others first and is often self-centered operating in a mode or method of “self protection” which inflicts and causes pain to others.  The simple fact that you desire love from your family, siblings, friends and others is because of your ability to love and desire to feel loved.  Oh how the human heart desires love, intimacy and spiritual awakening and nourishment.  The bible tells us to guard our hearts above all.  So how do you love those that hurt you and guard your heart at the same time? Isn’t this what all of us believe we were actually doing; yet the pain continues and our hearts are filled with unhealthy thoughts and emotions.  Don’t confuse what is true with the TRUTH.  It is true that you feel hurt but the TRUTH is you need not feel that way.  To guard your heart you must abide in Christ Jesus and He must abide in you.  Jesus must become your primary source for love, truth and intimacy.  You must learn to walk in the Spirit of The Lord.  

Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

The heart is the very “treasure chest” that feelings, emotions, pain, suffering and passion flows from.  The very hurts, wounds, scars and emotions that this world and daily life create can corrupt, distort, pervert and attempt to block the purity, sovereignty, glory, intimacy and healing power of real love only found through Christ Jesus and the Father.  The simple truth is that man is inherently evil and that the world (earth) is of spiritual darkness.  To overcome we must focus and stand on the Living Word and Christ Jesus.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  The love of Christ never fails for He never changes.  We are truly blessed that in a world that constantly changes that the Lord never changes and His word will not return null and void.  He is the “Rock” and “Cornerstone” and when we abide in Christ Jesus we will be able to stand in His Truth, His Righteousness, His Holiness and walk in the fruits of the Spirit.

Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Mark 7:21 (NKJV)

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Oh how a child so wants to feel love from their parents, siblings and friends yet we can only obtain pure uncorrupted and Godly love from Christ Jesus and the Father.  We often feel persecuted by the very people we seek love from.  We so want to be accepted, embraced and loved from those we hold dear to our heart but the very people we are seeking love from may very well be suffering from their own burdens and feelings of inadequacies of perfect love.  We can only obtain perfect love from He who is perfected, He who redeems us and reconciles us and through His grace sanctifies us in His grace, mercy and love.  

Oh how humanity longs for perfect love yet seeks it in a dying and corrupt world never to feel fulfilled, complete or embraced in the measure or divine love that only Christ Jesus can give us.

I often reflect on the proclamations Jesus made in Isaiah 61 that He was here to set the captives free and exchange mourning for gladness, mending the brokenhearted and open the hearts of the imprisoned.

Isaiah 61 (NKJV)

The Good News of Salvation

61      “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2      To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3      To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

4      And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

They shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

5      Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,

And the sons of the foreigner

Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6      But you shall be named the priests of the LORD,

They shall call you the servants of our God.

You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,

And in their glory you shall boast.

7      Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,

And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.

Therefore in their land they shall possess double;

Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

8      “For I, the LORD, love justice;

I hate robbery for burnt offering;

I will direct their work in truth,

And will make with them an everlasting covenant.

9      Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,

And their offspring among the people.

All who see them shall acknowledge them,

That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.”

10      I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

My soul shall be joyful 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 with ornaments,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11      For as the earth brings forth its bud,

As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,

So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Have you ever stopped to realize that humanity crucified Jesus Christ Who IS perfect love?  We didn’t recognize, embrace or appreciate the perfect love of Christ Jesus even when He stood before us as God in the flesh.  Jesus bore the sins of the world and the wrath of the Father for our behalf.  Jesus endured persecution, rejection, chastising, beatings and abuse unto death on our behalf.  (Isaiah 53)

Romans 3:24–26 (NKJV)

24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Oh how the hearts and souls of mankind yearn for perfect love yet we seek it from the wrong places, from a dying and dark fallen world of hurting and troubled people.  We seek earthly pleasures to compensate for genuine undefiled love yet we are left feeling incomplete, inadequate often still feeling unloved. The simple truth is that only Christ Jesus can fulfill the love, intimacy, soul and spirit that our hearts long for.  Earthly possessions will never fulfill the essence of our original created state of being, the very image of God and Spirit.

Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

I have traveled across this nation witnessing the pains, hurts and troubled hearts of humanity that is longing for a love that will edify, sustain and complete the essence of our original created being, the image and likeness of God who is perfect love. I have ministered to the hearts of hurting people longing for uncorrupted and undefiled love, a love that is true, genuine, sustaining and beyond earthly perception.  There is only “One” that is perfect love and that is Christ Jesus.

While counseling is often helpful it may still leave us with feelings of emptiness, still feeling a void and yearning for acceptance, genuine undefiled and pure love that is only found in Christ Jesus. Humanity embraces programs and methodology over biblical principles, truths and Jesus Christ.  We unknowingly and unintentionally, often out of desperations seek the wisdom and counsel of men/women when we truly need the Godly undefiled counsel, truth and life through Christ Jesus.  The worldly methods often leave us constantly coping rather than overcoming.  Jesus overcame the world and through Christ Jesus we too can overcome the world.

John 16:33 (NKJV)

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””

John 14:6 (NKJV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The soul (self-will/flesh) of humanity will always battle with the Spirit until the soul (self-will/flesh) becomes surrendered or overcome by the Spirit of The Lord.  We must not let emotions or feelings rule our thought or actions.  We must focus on the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross and resurrection of Christ Jesus.  We must be “born again” living in the Spirit of the Lord giving our hearts to the Living God Jesus Christ, truly make Him Lord of our lives leading us into conviction, repentance, redeeming and restoring us through His grace and mercy.

Romans 8:7 (NKJV)

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

I’d like you to take a moment to reflect on John 2:19 and Mark 14:58 to seek revelation and insight from the Lord.

John 2:19 (NKJV)

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Mark 14:58 (NKJV)

58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ”

Here we have Jesus Christ, God in the flesh crucified and resurrected.  Even God in the flesh had to be crucified as man and resurrected, why are we any different that Jesus?  Have you ever considered that we too must fully die to the flesh and that the very trials, tribulations, hardships and emotional scars must die fully to be resurrected fully, being transformed into a new creation through Christ?  Have you ever considered that the measure of pain and suffering that Jesus suffered is a direct correlation to the very depth of His love for us?  Now let us reflect on our own hurting hearts bearing the inflicted pains from others and realize that the very fact that we feel pain is a direct correlation to our ability to love and desire love.  Longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit which many do not teach upon, but it is the very spiritual strength/substance of Love that embraces and desires undefiled genuine love, seeks/stands in righteousness through a hurting and spiritually dying world. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a brother or sister, love bears all and forgives a multitude of sins.  This can only be accomplished through abiding in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

John 15:13 (NKJV)

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:5 (NKJV)

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

May the Lord bless you with revelations of His love, grace and mercy and may you embrace your imperfections so that you may surrender them in humility to Christ Jesus.  Share the depths of your heart; surrender the hurts, pains, and brokenness with a full barren and open heart so that The Lord may bring healing, fullness and restoration.  

Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

6      For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Imagine how people desire to be loved perfectly yet these very people torture, crucify and persecute perfect love.  We seek love through imperfect people who are also processing their own shortcomings, hurts and the pressures of earthly influences.  The only way to overcome is with a life surrendered and abiding in Christ Jesus.  A life of abiding in Christ transforms you into His very essence and persona. God is love, God loved us first and God desires us to love Him.  Give yourself the greatest gift of all to yourself, the gift of eternal and everlasting life only obtained through abiding in Christ Jesus, make Jesus the Lord of your life by abiding in the Lord so Jesus can abide in you.  

1 John 4:7–10 (NKJV)

Knowing God Through Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

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