If I had Only Known You Loved Me this Much...

Ever wondered about the profound impact of truly understanding God's love for us? This episode explores the transformative potential of fully grasping His love, and how it can dramatically shift our perception of ourselves and our identities. 

Chapters

• 0:05 God's Love and Our Identity
• 7:12 Focus on Loving God

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

A phrase that a good friend of mine, zach Hensley, said recently was If I had known you loved me this much, I would have lived my life very differently. If I had known, god, that you loved me this much, I would have lived my life very differently. My friend Zach was talking about a conversation that he might have at the judgment seat when he meets Jesus on that final day. If I had known that you loved me this much, I would have lived my life very differently. The reality of how much God loves us is incredible, but what is equally as challenging and alarming is how much we don't necessarily love ourselves. John, chapter 15, verse 9, says this is Jesus talking to his disciples. It says that the same way that the Father in heaven loves me, jesus, that's the same way that I love you. How much of your life, from your wake up time to your go to bed time, whether you're with your family, whether you're at work, on your commute to work alone in a studio, writing music, worship, pastor, whatever your occupation, how much of your day is spent thinking to yourself if only I had this, if only I had done this. I'd feel so much better. If only I hadn't have done this. If only I had that person over there's situation if only, if only, if only in all these, if only just continually flood our mindset, especially if you're on social media. Just the simple scrolling. I've really gotten into following a bunch of food accounts because I love cooking and it's kind of a hobby. The simple thing of just wanting to see how some guys made up their steaks or whatever it is, can just bombard you suddenly with this onslaught of if only. Not so much with the steak accounts, although sometimes I do, like man, if only I had that kind of grill. Or if only I had this I'm talking about other accounts that kind of muck up the waters of my food scrolling on my Instagram. If only this, if only that, if only this.

Speaker 1: 2:24

And we operate from this place, not of being deeply loved by God. Of course we know that mentally and we know that in our heart at times. But I'm on a mission ever since Zach said this. I'm on a mission to operate and to walk more and more in this reality of the depths of God's love for me, because when a child truly feels love from a parent, they're empowered like no one's business. They're empowered to just be who they are act the way they're going to act, with no reservations, no hindrances, no walls. And I want to operate from that place of sonship and identity with my Heavenly Father and to know the reality of Justin. I love you so much. I have given you the stamp of approval. You are seated with me in heavenly places right now.

Speaker 1: 3:21

Why in the world are you operating and thinking like a pauper? My friend Corey Russell says it this way. He says you have like a billion dollars living inside of you, called the Holy Spirit. Yet we're so content to live on these five and 10 cents withdraws every single day. We mostly just don't even look in there to see the glory of what God has given us and we live on the fringes and on the outskirts of these temper realms.

Speaker 1: 3:51

Of 2 Corinthians, chapter 4 says I fix my eyes not on what I can see but on what I can't see. And he continues he says because what is seen is temporary and fading, but what is unseen is eternal. Are you walking today in your calling, in your family life, in your business, whatever it is? Are you operating and walking in a realm of sonship and the identity as being a child of God, or are you walking in an orphan spirit or from a place of poverty, of the if only, or like one day, if I hustle, if I work hard enough, one day I'll arrive here and I'll just feel this bursting pleasure of God.

Speaker 1: 4:37

You know, one of the things in this Eden's Twilight film that we wrote, this musical film, adam has this, this concept and give away a little bit of the plot here, you know, because he's obviously kicked out of the garden for disobedience and One of the great ideas that that someone plants in his mind is to, hey, why don't you actually just go make your own garden? Just just go make your own? And then he takes it a step further, says you're right, if I make my own garden, maybe I'll impress God enough and he'll say wow, adam, you did a garden out here too, come on, come back into my garden, bro. It's all good. And that, like you know, the work for approval thing we have starting, you know, right away post-fall. Obviously that's that's a made-up fictional conversation, but I think it's it's just if it's super interesting to think about. I think that very likely may have happened.

Speaker 1: 5:26

He was thinking, in my opinion, of any way possible To get back behind those walls, to be back in the fullness of the presence of God. But are we walking as sons and daughters in that identity? Again, I'm not talking about just a spiritual construct, you know out there like well, of course, justin, I'm a Christian, I've I've been a son of God for, you know, all 35 years of my life. Okay, awesome.

Speaker 1: 5:49

But in the Practice, in the actual outworkings, in your business, in your family, in your life, in your ministry, in your dreams, are you operating from a place of confidence and identity? And if you find yourself mostly in that, if only mentality, those, if only thoughts, or if you mostly feel like I just have to work harder, I have to get this deadline, I have to meet this quote, I have to have this much income, I have to send my kids to college, I have to do this, have to. You know again, all wise things that we want to do, but is the main identity Sonship? If I had known that you love me this much, I would have lived my life very very differently.

Speaker 1: 6:29

If you have a few minutes, I want to send you off today by playing a song that came out spontaneously. Many, many years ago. I was leading a set, the International House of Prayer, just before the Lord ministering and and this song just kind of came out. It's called about you. It's on Spotify so you can stream it or you know wherever you listen music on YouTube. But if you have a few minutes now, just if you're on your commute or wherever you're at, just to to kind of sit before the Lord, this song came out of a place in my heart of really dealing with this Drive and this strive to make something for the Lord, and the Lord just kind of came to me in this place and the stillness of leading this solo devotional Inside the prayer room, and just began to speak to me about it's. It's not about any of that stuff, justin. Your life is about me and you, and that's truly His first thing to me and he wants that to be my first thing to him. This is called about you. I.

Speaker 3: 7:28

Want to love you, lord, with all of my heart. Remove all of the things Tear us apart. I want to love you, lord, with all of my heart. Remove all of the things Tear us apart. It's not about my ministry or the fruit I do or I do not see. It's about you and me. It's not about my ministry or the fruit I do or I do not see. It's about you and me. I want to burn for you, to set my heart ablaze. Remove all other motives that get in the way. I want to burn for you. So set my heart ablaze. Remove all other motives that get in the way. It's not about my ministry or the fruit I do or I do not see. It's about you and me. It's not about my ministry or the fruit I do or I do not see. It's about you and me.

Speaker 3: 10:25

Take the world, give me Jesus. Take the world. Give me Him. Take the world. Give me Jesus. All I want is Him, all I pray. Take the world, give me Jesus. Take the world, give me Him. Take the world, give me Jesus. All I want is Him. I was made for you and you alone. Help me to love you more. I was made for you and you alone Help me to love you more.

Speaker 2: 11:59

Lookin' on the inside. Lord here's my heart.

Speaker 3: 12:14

You're lookin' on the inside.

Speaker 2: 12:20

Lord, here's my heart. You're lookin' on the inside, Lord, here's my heart.