As I opened the heavy outer metal door to my apartment, my face was instantly greeted with the awareness that the chill of winter was quickly creeping in on us.  Living in the mid-west, winters can be bitter and fiercely cold. This day wasn’t that type of coldness but it was enough to stun my still sleepy self.

Although I was tempted to return back into the safety and warmth of my blankets inside, I braced myself and walked out into the chilly morning with the door slamming quickly behind me.

As I am walking out of my humble abode, as I typically do throughout my day, I struck up a conversation with God. I started with the usual, “Lord I invite you into this day,” and that is where the conversation abruptly turned. Every step I made on the pavement toward my car was a simple, yet divine, new revelation of the God’s (Yahweh) heart. He quietly said, “I want to be your day. I am your day. I am your awake time and I am your sleep. I am everything.” Those words are simple and yet they offer profound truth.

God encompasses us fully and completely, that is the benefit of being known in true Beloved Identity in Him. I realized at that moment I don’t have to re-invite Him into a place that He never left. We don’t have to continue to ask God over and over and over again to come and be with us, when He is with us always.

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matt 28:20b

We can walk in assurance that He has and never will leave us. I believe that there is this unsaid pressure from the Christian arena that says that if you are experiencing doubt, haven’t done your morning devotions (PS you can break free from religion’s mandates and do your Bible study at night as well. There is no set rule in God’s kingdom on when to seek Him, it just says, “Seek Him.” ….ok, I digress…),  and haven’t followed the 5 step program to getting closer to God, that He sees you as not measuring up and doesn’t want to be as close with you and somehow found another address to live at for awhile until you start acting “good” again. My friends, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Where could I go from your Spirit?
Where could I run and hide from your face?
If I go up to heaven, you’re there!
If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too!
If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there!
If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting!
Wherever I go, your hand will guide me;
your strength will empower me.
It’s impossible to disappear from you
or to ask the darkness to hide me,
for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night

Psalm 139: 7-11 TPT

You will just have to face the hard truth, you cannot escape God. He loves you, right now. He loves you in this exact moment. Yes, in this moment that you just yelled at your husband. This moment that you just screamed at your kid. This moment that you are finding it hard to forgive. This moment that you think you can figure this life out with God’s assistance. This moment of dishonoring. This moment when you want to take matters into your own hands. This moment where you are seeking other things to fulfill you (friends, relationships, food, shopping, sports, social media etc….) other than God.

Yeah, He sees you and is already well aware of what is going on, it is no surprise to Him. He isn’t mad or angry. His constant motivation is to love. He always desires us to be so aware of our Beloved Identity that our life response is to live solely from that belief.

We don’t have to earn God’s love. It’s not about if we do “A, B, C and D” that it will somehow move Him to love us more or that we now have stepped back into a place of receiving love BECAUSE we have done our “duty.” We can never earn something that is free.

When we grow in, and become so aware of our Beloved Identity, we can freely walk in His unconditional love that no matter what we have done or haven’t done, His love remains consistently the same.

So don’t let shame and guilt take over and spread the lies in your mind that you are missing out on a level of love due to something you did or didn’t do. You are worthy of love, period. I implore you, don’t let the heavy weight of religious rituals press you into a proverbial corner because you have been “bad.”  News flash, God isn’t up there keeping score on your day.

Now, for the record (and all of the religious spirits that may be squirming), I will say this….even though God’s love never changes and is consistent, there may be times when you feel “distant” from that love for several reasons: comparison, un-forgiveness, jealousy, pride, selfish ambition, outbursts of anger, rage, gossip…(etc…). Notice I said, “feel” distant. You really aren’t distant in proximity it’s just that there is something that has become an impostor on your true identity as a beloved son and daughter. Of course acting out on any of the reasons I mentioned above are not advisable and definitely reap some pretty crappy consequences when utilized, but knowing that those things are not our true nature as Beloved causes true grace to be exposed in our hearts to quickly remind us who we are. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful for that constant IV drip of grace!

So, as we enter into the beginning of a fresh new year, remember:

•you’re worthy of love

•you can’t escape God

•God is ALWAYS near

•you don’t need to earn something that’s free

•Grace can bring us back to reality of Beloved Identity

Happy New Year!

2020 is going to be a great year!

Have a joy filled day!