For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 is one of the most well known Bible verses in the world. Perhaps you already know it by heart. I’ve had it memorized for a long time. But for years I had a problem:

The truth of that scripture wasn’t penetrating into my soul. I had head knowledge but not heart knowledge.

Whenever I had a bad attitude, skipped my devotions, or sinned, I felt so guilty and was certain God was angry with me. I felt like I had to slink around Him, and sometimes I even avoided my Bible for a few days -which made me feel even worse!

God Loves You

I had to learn the truth that God’s love for us is not conditional. It is not based on our behavior, on what we do or don’t do, on how long we read the Bible, or how often we pray. God loves us because God is love. That is His nature and character. When we accept Him as our Savior, He becomes our Father, always and forever. His love for us does not change.

It can be hard trying to break a faulty mindset we’ve had for a while, but that’s what we need to do when what we’re thinking doesn’t line up with scripture. How can you get the truth that God loves you into your heart? 

5 Ways to Accept God Loves You

1. Make time in your day to spend with God. Pray. Read your Bible. The more this becomes a habit, the more His love will seep into you.
2. Pick one scripture about God’s love and meditate on it. Read it over several times, emphasizing a different word each time. Take notes on what stands out to you about the verse. Put your name in the verse and read it aloud. Ask God to show you what you most need to understand about this verse and then listen for Him to respond. Write that down too.
3. Memorize your verse. Write it on a card or use a digital app like Verse Locker. 
4. Monitor your thoughts. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about God not loving you, self-correct. Affirm what is true by speaking “God loves me, and I am His child.” Then recite the scripture you’re memorizing.
5. Keep it up! The enemy will try to discourage you, but keep practicing the above steps.

Want More Teaching?

If you’d like more teaching on this topic, Mary and I have written a two-week Bible study about God’s love for us called be loved, Beloved. Click on the link for more information. If you’d like a sample of the study, click on Sample Day to download a day’s work of the study to try it out!

Our prayer is that your heart fully knows and grasps how much God loves you! Please let us know any tips or questions you may have about living fully in God’s love.

Re-Advent Your Life

Are the hectic holidays derailing your devo time with God? If so, we’d love to have you join us in our new digital Advent study called Re-Advent Your Life. We know you’re busy, so we’ve designed it to take only 15 minutes a day. This downloadable (immediate access) PDF works on any of your devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It’s fillable, so you can type with your keyboard or write with a smart pencil directly in it. And for those who prefer paper, it’s also printable.

28-Day Advent Devotional

Join us on our 28-day journey of small daily steps to life transformation. Each day in the Advent devotional you’ll answer three questions and choose one small step to take toward your ultimate Re-Advent Your Life goal for the study. We’re hosting this study at our new sister website Spaces of Grace.

More Information

For detailed information about our Advent devotional, click on the button below. We’d love to have you join us as we journey through Advent to Christmas together.

MORE INFO

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34: 17-18

I get the broken heart thing. If you’ve lived on planet earth for more than a few years, you do too. Unfortunately we’ve all been there before, and probably will be again. The good news though is that God meets us in the middle of our broken heart and trauma. He promises. Cross His heart and hope to die. He is near to those who have a broken heart.

How near is the Lord?

The original Hebrew word used in this verse is qarowb which means near of place, time, and personal relationship. God takes your broken heart very personally. He will comfort you in very meaningful specific ways if you draw near to Him when He draws near to you.

Broken

The word broken used in this verse bears studying. From the original Hebrew, broken transliterates as shabar which means to rend violently, to crush, to be maimed, crippled, shattered. Strong words for a deep hurt.  But within the violence and devastation of shabar is a glimmer of hope. This word which speaks of destruction also means to bring to birth. Can it possibly be, in some instances, that a broken heart is the beginning and birthing of something new and meaningful? Only God can do that.

But God’s not done yet

Go back and read the verse again. It also says God saves those who have a contrite spirit. But what is a contrite spirit? What does contrite even mean? Like myself, I think you’ll be surprised.

Contrite in the original Hebrew (dakka’)  means very much crushed, crushed to dust or crushed literally to powder. My heart has been very much crushed and literally crushed to powder. This kind of brokenness is broken beyond repair.  It reaches past I need to get the Elmer’s so I can glue it back together broken. There is no glue that repairs dust. This is hopelessly broken. But …

The Lord is near to the contrite

Psalm 34 promises God saves those whose who have a contrite spirit. Let’s say the verse out loud using words from the definition: God saves those whose spirit has been crushed to dust. You see dust is one of God’s favorite creating mediums ( see Genesis 2:7).  He fashions very good things from dust. God dives in with His holy hands and creates a new spirit from the dust and ashes of broken dreams, relationships, and failures.

A final word

The Hebrew word for save used in this verse is yasha’ which means, to save, to deliver, to free, to liberate, to be victorious. You will be liberated from the pain of your broken heart and shattered spirit.  Give Him your heart and trust Him to redeem, restore and recreate your life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

If your are struggling with brokenness, please leave a comment below. I’d love to pray for you.

By Mary Kane

All rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Resources on Brokenness:

Re-purposed

The Blessing of Brokenness

With all that’s going on in America this year, have you ever felt discouraged about the state of our nation? I know that Mary and I have. In the late spring, and into the summer, we were feeling stressed. Truth be told, we’d felt like that for a few months. We both had a lot of changes going on in our lives, even without Covid-19, the election, and the chaos in our cities.

Called to Hope

However, as the summer progressed, God was drawing us back to the basics, and one of the things that meant was back to our Only By Prayer website. We did a major revamp of the site and went into a planning frenzy. As we sought Him for what that looked like, God reminded us that Jesus calls us to be people of hope and to faint not. One powerful tool that we always have when we need to fight the enemy and his schemes is prayer. Rather than despairing of ever seeing things change for the better, God reminded us to be a catalyst of change for the better.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The lord is my portion,’ says my soul. ‘Therefore I hope in Him.’

Lamentations 3: 22-24 NKJ

Pray for the USA

Patiently, He impressed upon us the importance to stop moping and to start praying for the USA more and to mobilize others to pray too. With that said, we’d like to give you an update on what’s in the works here at Only By Prayer so you can join us if you’d like. 

1. Facebook prayer group. We revamped a Facebook group we started four years ago and renamed it Pray for the USA. We then launched an event called 5 Days to Fast and Pray for our Nation in August. To our surprise, as of October 2020, God has brought over 800 people to the group to pray. Thank you, Lord! We’d love to have you join us as well. It’s a non-partisan group, and we do not allow any political arguments on the page — just praying.
2. October Event. We are ramping up for our next event on Pray for the USA: 5 Days to Pray for the Election. This is another virtual prayer event held on October 28, October 29, October 30, November 2, and November 3. We are adding 24-Hour Prayer to this event in addition to our daily prayer topics. Be sure to check out the details. 
3. Pray for the USA Prayer book! As we were organizing the prayer group, we realized how hard it can be sometimes to pray specifically about issues that are happening in our country. Mary felt God leading us to write a 31-day book of prayers targeted to culturally relevant issues of our day. Again the Lord came through. We recently finished this short book called Pray for the USA, and it’s now available for sale on Amazon. You don’t have to have an actual Kindle tablet to read it. You can download the Kindle app for your phone or computer and read it that way. We think you’ll find it helpful to pray through the relevant issues of our day. It only takes about two minutes or so to pray each prayer. If you happen to be a member of Kindle unlimited, you can actually read Pray for the USA for free. If you do purchase it/read it, we’d love if you’d leave us a review on Amazon.
4. ThanksLiving event. In November we are hosting our 12 Days to ThanksLiving event. It will run from Friday, November 13, to Tuesday, November 24. It will be held entirely on our website and is completely free. Details to follow soon.
5. Advent devotion. In late November through December, we will be leading a group through our Advent devotional (also published on Kindle) called Advent-urous: Seeking Jesus in the Season of Advent . This starts on Sunday, November 29 and runs through December 24, with a bonus week after Christmas. 
6. 3 Weeks to a Healthier You. In the works for January 11-29 is a new venture we are starting called 3 Weeks to a Healthier You, Body, Soul, and Spirit. More information to follow on this, but we are excited because the body segment will include an exercise program developed just for our group by certified fitness trainer Sarah Lewis. Sarah is also available for online training in these Covid times if you’e interested.

Join Us

Finally, we thank you for your support. We hope you join us for Pray for the USA and however many of the other events you wish. We’re excited for the upcoming months and how God is working in each of our lives during these difficult times. We pray He is encouraging you and your families too. Let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below. May God bless you!

I schlepped my suitcase in the door and dropped it on the floor. “Are you done retreating?” Erik asked me as I came in the house.  His question stopped me in my tracks.

My sister and I went on retreat for a few days to plan for a prayer event. We felt the need to get away to the country so we could focus on hearing from God. While on retreat we prayed, worked, planned and had a sweet time studying God’s word.

When our retreat was finished, I walked in the door and my son greeted me with  Are you done retreating? which he followed up with the equally stunning Good, now it’s time for you to advance.

It’s time for you to advance.

Spine-tingling. Profound. Prophetic words from my son. They felt like a direct message from God.  So I asked myself his question, Am I done retreating? Am I done hanging back, hanging around and hanging on? Am I ready to advance with God for the next thing He has for me?

Sometimes we have to retreat to advance.

Maybe it seems your life is in retreat.  Your hoped for promotion turned into what seems like a demotion. Your big house downsized to a tiny house. Your full nest has turned into an empty nest. Perhaps God is fine tuning your focus and calling you to retreat so you can advance in your relationship with Him.

We’ve all been retreating.

Since Covid blasted on the scene in March, we’ve all been on retreat—from our jobs, from entertainment, from church, from our friends and it seems from life. But what an opportunity the quarantine provided for an at home holy huddle. But now some of our restrictions are lifting. We are beginning to see some return to normalcy.

So. It’s time. Pick up what you have learned on your retreat and advance. Take a step of faith and move forward with God. Advance in your relationship, in your calling, in the work God wants you to do for such a time as this.

“For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.” Psalm 18:29

Are you done retreating?

How are you advancing with God? Please leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with with.

by Mary Kane

all rights reserved. copyright 2020

Resources:

How to Get Unstuck and Move Forward with God

Your Dot and Your Dash

Let’s take 5 minutes and study about a good work from the word of God. Now, please get your journal and a pencil and lets get started! 

 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

Philippians 1:6-10

What does God promise to do for you in verse 6?

I am very happy God is not finished with me yet. Be assured, who we are today is not who we will be next year or even next month. God constantly works to make us over into the image of Christ! And you are a good work! Amen!

According to verse 7, what does God give us?

Grace! Grace to believe all things, hope all things, bear all things, and become all things through Christ Jesus!

What does verse 9 say must accompany our love for Christ?

Why does love need knowledge and all discernment (see verse 10)?

How will knowing what is excellent keep us blameless until the day Christ returns?

As you finish your study time today, take a moment to thank God for all the excellent things you have in your life. Pray and thank God for how He is continuing His good work in you until the day of Christ Jesus.

Resources

Want more information on Philippians 1:6-10? Click on the links below to access an article or a podcast:

The One Who Began a Good Work

By Mary Kane

all rights reserved. copyright 2020