God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.

1 John 4:16 (NIV)

 

God’s nature and character reveals His perfect love.

Without learning to rest in God’s all-encompassing love, an unanswered prayer or a closed door breeds a deep-seated distrust and suspicion of God. Left unhealed, this lingering wound festers into a painful sense of abandonment and rejection.

Nothing teaches us more about God's perfect love than discovering the truth and richness of our own identity. An imperfect understanding of who we are and what we have in Christ prevents us from entering deeper into intimacy with our Heavenly Father. As a result, rather than acting like sons and daughters, we continue to behave and function as unloved orphans. Intimacy is not a goal or agenda to receive something in exchange for our efforts. Intimacy is the inflow and outflow of our love from and for our Father God. This allows us to love God and others freely, without fear or exploitation.

Intimacy invites us to heal. It releases us from all fear, guilt, and condemnation, moving us forward towards our common calling to holy living. Holiness affects wholeness. If we allow God to transform us into the image of His love, we will not recognise ourselves afterwards. Even though we appear to be the same on the outside, on the inside we have changed from glory to glory. This is because God's pure love perfects the beauty He sees in us.

When we are secured in God’s love, we don’t have to fear when something goes wrong or what evil we experience because God will be there for us in all situations. We become bolder and more determined to trust God without hesitation. We can have victory because Jesus has overcome the world. We can have faith because Jesus has conquered sin, death, and hell. We can have hope because Jesus has come and is coming again.

What is God saying to me here and what must I do?