Ever wonder why it’s so hard to feel God’s delight in you? How can God possibly delight in any of us? Some days it takes a lot of faith just to believe that He can love and forgive us. But that He actually delights in us, rejoices over us, has passionate affections for us, and is constantly devoted to us—this really seems too much to ask!
First, let us identity the enemy’s strategy: he and his kingdom have been continuously at work on us since we were born making it seem that God is angry with us, or that He is pulling away from us, or that He is losing patience with us—whenever we think, say or do something wrong. It is true that our sins cause a separation from God and that the enemy will take full advantage of those separations to come in with accusations against us. However, if you are a Christian, the FEELING of this separation is entirely on YOUR side: It is not at all true of God.
See Yourself from Heaven’s Perspective
God was in Christ getting His own Great Heart right with you at the cross and ever since you repented, turned to Him and asked Him to save you from your sins, He has entirely separated you from them. On HIS SIDE of the relationship, God is always relating to you as if you have no sins at all, even when He is helping you recognize and deal with them!
This is what it means to be once and for all time justified by faith. He no longer sees you as you see yourself by your past training and conditioning. His thoughts, ways and feelings are radically different from ours—thank God!
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
The truth is that we all have a spiritual sense cultivated in us by the enemy which his kingdom has used to slander God deep in our hearts. This body of lies makes us feel condemned and rejected by God, a disappointment to Him, displeasing and grievous. It makes the Father seem stern and distant, unaffectionate, even unhappy with us. All this empowers our latent feelings of insecurity and inferiority. We cringe in fear and draw back.
The Truth Is Always Liberating
Happily, the truth is the very opposite of these spiritual feelings. Unhappily, many times we let those old thoughts and feelings rule over us anyway—in direct contradiction of the gospel. We may cherish our spiritual sense, but the truth is it is lying to us if it is making God seem in any way against us, or that He is anything other than the great-hearted, joy-filled Father of prodigals that Jesus reveals Him to be. This body of lies must be cast down!
Let us vigorously challenge the false claims of that sinister spiritual sense by bringing ourselves to believe—in mind and heart—the blazing truth of our heavenly Father’s delight in us. (See “Seven Solid Reasons Why God Delights in You” at our website for healing.)
The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:14-17 GW
Believe it. Embrace it entirely by faith. Trust that it’s true. Then, the good feelings can come…
About the Author: Steve Evans
For over a decade Steve Evans and Healing Streams have been helping people recover inner peace and freedom. Find out how to gain mastery over negative emotions and live with childlike freedom of spirit by taking his completely free "eCourse for Healing" at healingstreamsusa.org. Get started now!
