Elizabeth Brooks posted: " Recently I was praying with the Lord, and He presented me with a gift in the spirit. I opened it, and it revealed a bracelet with the inscription "beloved" on it. I ended my prayer, and went on my journey to discover the meaning behind the gift. Bel"
Recently I was praying with the Lord, and He presented me with a gift in the spirit. I opened it, and it revealed a bracelet with the inscription "beloved" on it. I ended my prayer, and went on my journey to discover the meaning behind the gift.
Below is my rabbit trail of discoveries!
"You are Beloved" - Devotional by Pastor Bobby Schuller
As believers, we need to get to a place where we can let go and let others see us. The ability to connect deeply with others is one of our greatest human needs. And to be able to connect deeply, we have to train ourselves away from our usual behaviors of withdrawing and pretending. We can't simply try harder.
We need a process, a method that allows the knowledge that "I am loved by God" to move from our head to our hearts.
Developing a personal creed did that for me. I based it partly on a sermon from theologian Henri Nouwen and on some of the writings of my friend and mentor Dallas Willard. I added a little more to it, called it the Creed of the Beloved, and then memorized it and said it multiple times every day. Eventually, it became my prayer.
I was astonished to see how above any other spiritual discipline I employed, this Scripture-based creed utterly changed my energy level, my feelings of joy, and my outlook on life. After practicing saying it several times a day for a few weeks, my relationship with God reached new depths, and it was incredible. I began to place healthy boundaries on my life, and I was actually able to open up more to my wife and friends. Other people even started noticing a difference as well! I could see how shame, chronic guilt, and a sense of unworthiness had pervaded my life. Furthermore, I could see how it was getting in the way of my relationship with God and the people I love.
The irony is that the more I reinforced and meditated on the idea that "I'm not what I do, what I have, or what people say about me," the better these things went in my life. I was more moral, I acted decently toward people, I was less irritable, and suddenly, I had tons of energy. God was blessing me. And I noticed people were beginning to have a better opinion of me.
This creed taught me that by letting go, you actually receive. By being more vulnerable, you become stronger. By not being so busy, you become more productive.
It's all based on the Bible. Align your mind and your heart with it, and I promise you'll never be the same.
CREED OF THE BELOVED
I'm not what I do.
I'm not what I have.
I'm not what people say about me.
I am the beloved of God. It's who I am. No one can take it from me.
I don't have to worry.
I don't have to hurry.
I can trust my friend Jesus and share his love with the world.
"The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom" - Henri J.M. Nouwen
This was by far the best audio book that I've ever listened to! It was as if he plucked out my inner most thoughts and feelings and wrote them down. Everything that I have processed through, or am currently working on in my spiritual journey was there. I started listening to the audio book down below on YouTube, but realized it wasn't the whole thing, so I bought it on amazon. I've listened to it several times already, and and I can't put it down! I glean something new from it every time!
"Being the Beloved" - Henri Nouwen at the Crystal Cathedral
This sermon came across my Youtube feed the following morning! It's so GOOD! It was recorded in 3 parts, and the sound quality isn't the best ... but it is worth the listen.
"BELOVED"
Later that night, I was sitting on the couch, and glanced at a sack of devotionals I had on my coffee table. I noticed that one of them was titled "Beloved". I then recalled that I had read a devotional the other day from it, and had taken a picture from it.
GOD IS SO GOOD
"to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen"
Ephesians 3:19-21
I am blessed, called, healed, whole, saved in Jesus name, highly favored, anointed, filled with his power for the Glory of Jesus name.
"You are Beloved" - Devotional by Pastor Bobby Schuller
Did you used to smile more? The average adult smiles twenty times a day, but the average child smiles four hundred times a day. What happened? Has life been so hard for us all that we can't smile like we did when we were children? Jesus said, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Could part of that change be reclaiming the joy and laughter of our childhood?
You are a joyful person; believe it and release it. You are full of energy and life. Let it come out. Let go of your pride. Let go of proving yourself to others. God takes pleasure in you and wants you to take pleasure in the gift of life.
Everyone is looking for love, but when you make mistakes, you may wonder:
"Am I really worthy of love and belonging?"
"Does God really love me?"
"Do people really love me?"
Out of fear of being unwanted, rejected, or forgotten, it's easy to find yourself in the exhausting trap of trying to prove your value. And it only gets worse when you are embarrassed by your mistakes and shortcomings. You wonder, Will I ever be enough?
You are not what you do, what you have, or what people say about you. You are the beloved. You always have been, and you always will be. Know that you are loved, and build your whole life as a response to that one truth.
God wants you to know there's always a home for you. You are His beloved child. He knows you by name, and He cherishes that name. There's no amount of messing up that can take that away. You can always come home, and He will be right there at the portals of heaven waiting, with open arms, to embrace you.
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