We Are Fully Accepted In The Beloved
“Many times when we approach the Lord, we are afraid of Him. Not a Godly fear –the Fear of the Lord- because He is so awesome, but a fear of our own unacceptability. In Immanuel, we often find that the answer to the question, “What’s in the way?” is that fear. But the love of God does not flag. It cannot be earned nor discredited. He knows our hearts and where our struggles come from. He is gentle and kind as well as light and truth. We are safe with Him. We are accepted in Him” Pastor Patti Velotta
What a difficult thing to get my head around…I am perfectly accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). I live so much of my life with a wall up between God and me. It is not a wall that He has erected that’s for sure. Instead it comes from the wounds and sins and lies in my heart that prevent me from fully allowing Him in.
In my life, I find myself so easily slipping back into life-long patterns. Even after all of these years of Immanuel work, I am aware that when I face a difficulty I tend to withdraw emotionally. Then I beat myself up…”You call yourself a Christian.” Then I find it harder to connect with Jesus…”Why would He want to be with me?” Ugh!!!
But Jesus (don’t you just love those words!) is never saying those things over me. In fact, while I tend to focus on all the things I do wrong, Jesus continually reminds me of all the things I am doing right. When I feel disconnected and withdrawn and I finally get to the place of being able to look for Him, He is always there and always happy to be with me.
That is why it is critical to keep doing regular Immanuel sessions. I set aside an hour or so a week with my coach to intentionally connect with Jesus and talk to Him about those things in my life that are troubling me. I bring to Him those moments where I withdrew, felt disconnected from Him, etc…And I connect with Him there. Then He takes me back to those places in my life where that emotional disconnect started and heals me by being with me in those places too. It is that intimate connection that brings life change. It is through that intimate connection that I am transformed.
Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!