I AM LOVED.

Hey everyone! It’s your girl Julie, back with another segment of “Salty & Lit.” We are in our last segment in our “She’s Lit” series, and let me tell you, God did a lot this season. I just want to say thank you to the One who helped in the process, God, and to you for reading. Let’s get started.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for writing. Thank You that people will be blessed through the writing. Amen.

I had a friend who struggled in her relationship with God. She struggled with receiving the forgiveness of God all the way. On one hand, she knew that God forgave her, but she acted in a way that showed another thing. Condemnation is a thing, and condemnation doesn’t work where love is because the Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). It’s very easy to condemn ourselves in our thoughts, but it’s another thing to recognize that we are loved, even in the midst of our errors.

Love tells us “Yes you made that error, but you are still loved. Enter into my love again.”

And the story that I think about is the Prodigal Son. In that story, we learn about a son who decides to take his inheritance from his father and squanders it in reckless living. When in a famine, he realizes that he’d be better off going back to His Father as a servant. Getting ready, he humbles himself, and His dad receives him well, essentially saying, “Get the fattened calf! For this son of mine was dead and is now alive!” (Luke 15:11-32)

When reading this story, it touches me because oftentimes, I think of myself in the older brother, upset that the Father is throwing a party, while I have been “obeying” the rules for the longest time. Yet I realized, I can be the Prodigal Son, after I sin. Thinking I have to be a slave to my emotions, saying, “I don’t deserve to be in Your Presence God,” which is true, but it’s different when it’s the motive behind it. The Bible says, “We all fall short of the glory of God.” That means, God knows that we are human and He knows we’ll fall and sin. What we’re not going to do though is act like it’s okay to diminish our worth and value because we sinned. We just need to confess what we did, accept His forgiveness, and move on.

I’m not saying it’s easy to do it, but you literally have to train yourself to do it if it’s not something you did before. You literally have to stop yourself before you start condemning yourself, and most of the time, it’s not even you condemning, it’s the devil condemning you but he’s trying to take it as though you’re the one doing it, so be mindful of that when that happens. 

A core value of “Salty & Lit” is love. One thing I hope you noticed with “Salty & Lit” is that every time I end a post, I say “you are loved, salty, and lit.” God was the one who gave me that ending, and as of late, I’ve begun to understand why. When you’re loved, you act differently.

For example, in my blog, I know that I’m loved because God tells me this all the time, but it’s converting to heart knowledge, meaning it’s taking some time to register completely in my heart. 

Let me give you another example:

When Jesus first got baptized, a dove descended on Him, and a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I’m well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17).

What does this mean for you?

You are loved before you do any work for God. The same way Jesus was affirmed before He did a work in ministry is the same way you’re affirmed by God too. Scripture (God’s Word) says, “But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). So even while we were sinning and didn’t know God, God demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. So what does that mean for you? [insert name here], you are loved! God loved you before you were born and chose to love you, even now. Accept His love.

You can receive the love the Father offers freely and recognize yourself as a daughter (or son).

Romans 8:15 (NKJV) says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

You’ve been adopted into God’s family, and being His daughter or son, you can call Him “Abba, Father.” 

What does that mean for you?

You have access! The same way the Prodigal Son had access to his father. You have access to your father. The older brother had some tendencies like the Prodigal Son: He didn’t realize he had access to his dad’s riches, and I want to say the same thing to you [insert name here]. You have access to God the Father, not to treat Him however you want, but to recognize that you have full rights as a child of His, so treat yourself as that, royalty that is. You are a daughter/son of the Most High King! That means, you can’t take certain behaviors because that’s not how God wants His children to be treated. 

You are royalty. Walk in that truth. 

Be loved. Let God love you and show you how He wants to love you.

Be free by walking in the Spirit of Adoption. You’re not a slave! You’re a daughter, and your identity of being a daughter/son won’t change because of your error! Walk in that truth.

So how do you do that, Julie? I’m glad you asked. Let Him know how you’re feeling. Let Him know that you’re struggling to see Him as a Father and see yourself as His child. Spend time meditating on His Word, knowing His identity for you, as well as His plans. Thank Him for showing you the truth, and then do it all over again. It’s like a cycle because it’s never-ending. You’ll learn more about God the more you spend time in His Word, so trust that He’ll meet you there. 

To me, the Bible is one big love story, and I see God wooing me when I hear some of the words He writes. So to wrap up, remember this truth: you are loved. The Bible says you are loved, and we need to take the Bible because it’s imperative to walk the way God wants you: loved. You’re loved [insert name here]. 

So with that, don’t forget you are loved, salty, and lit. I pray you also enjoyed the series “She’s Lit,” where I talked about our identity.

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Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your day, evening, night, whatever it is when you’re reading. Talk to you soon! Bye! 🧡