The Father's Love

SHOW NOTES:

EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode, I share an excerpt from the introduction of my new book, Living Perfectly Loved, which is focused on our heavenly Father's perfect love as the starting place for our journey from living gripped by anxiety and fear to living perfectly loved. To gain access to the Father's love—a love with the power to drive out fear, according to 1 John 4:18—we must believe in Jesus and have made Him Lord and Savior of our lives. 

CONNECT WITH KELLY:
I’m your host, Kelly Ann Snyder, a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher. Grateful to God for rescuing me from the grip of anxiety and fear, I created this podcast, started a blog, launched a small group for women at my church, and wrote my first book titled, Living Perfectly Loved, to encourage, equip, and inspire Christian women to live free from fear and full of joy, secure in God’s perfect love. I enjoy fresh flowers, nature walks, decorating my home, sipping tea, and studying God's Word.

Visit my website at kellyannsnyder.com to learn more about me and Living Perfectly Loved Ministries, including information that can help you take the next step forward in your faith journey.

By signing up for my email list today, you’ll get blog and podcast episodes sent directly to your inbox, and be given the opportunity to learn about other Living Perfectly Loved Ministries offerings made available only to my subscribers. Here’s a link to a free resource I created for signing up: 40 Anxiety-Reducing Self-Care Tips for the Weary

You can also purchase my new book on Amazon today: Living Perfectly Loved: A Christian’s 12-Step Journey to Freedom from the Grip of Anxiety and Fear

Find me on my Facebook Page @kellyannsnyderauthor and on  my Facebook profile @kellyannsnyderofficial, as well as on my Instagram account @kellyannsnyderofficial. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

DISCLAIMER: The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. This podcast is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this podcast. The podcast host makes no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies she has offered, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The use of this podcast implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

For additional help or resources, I recommend you consider reaching out to a professional Christian counselor or a pastor at a church for guidance in your next steps. 

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
I'm Kelly and Snyder.
Welcome to Living PerfectlyLoved, the podcast created to
encourage, equip, and inspireyou to live free from fear and
full of joy, secure in God'sperfect love.
If you're longing to stand firmin Christ amidst the storms of
life with a faith deeply rootedin God's perfect love, stop

(00:24):
anxiety and fear from stealingyour joy and controlling your
life, shine brightly and lovefearlessly, confident in who God
uniquely created and called youto be, then this faith-inspiring
podcast, full of practical helpand spiritual tools, is for you.
You're listening to Season One,Episode One, The Father's Love,

(00:46):
brought to you by LivingPerfectly Loved Ministries and
my soon-to-be-released book,Living Perfectly Loved: A
Christian's 12-Step Journey toFreedom from the Grip of Anxiety
and Fear.
For all recommended resources,products, and freebies discussed
in this episode, please see thenotes for this episode.

(01:07):
I'm happy to announce that ineach of the following 12
episodes this season, I will besharing an excerpt from my book
containing each of the 12 stepsthe Lord used to deliver me from
the grip of anxiety and fear.
In this way, you'll be getting asneak peek into my book, Living
Perfectly Loved.
I'm so glad you've decided tojoin me.

(01:28):
Subscribe to my email list [e-mail] and you will
be kept in the loop with allbook and ministry-related
announcements I make, and beeligible to receive all free
resources I create and sharewith my subscribers.
Visit my website atkellyandsnyder.com to learn more

(01:48):
about Living Perfectly LovedMinistries, including direct
links to purchase my book andinformation that can help you
take the next step forward inyour faith journey.
If you haven't yet listened tomy podcast trailer, I'd like to
invite you to do so afterlistening to this episode.
All right.
Let's get started! To begin ourjourney to growing in faith and

(02:13):
living perfectly loved, Ibelieve we must start with an
understanding of our heavenlyFather's love for us.
The following is an excerpt fromthe introduction of my book,
Living Perfectly Loved, calledThe Father's Love.
There are many different fearspeople struggle with, and so
many people are struggling withfear today.

(02:34):
Fear of abandonment.
Fear of rejection.
Fear of failure.
Fear of intimacy.
Fear of death.
Fear the future.
Just to name a few.
Fear says I cannot trust God tokeep me safe.
Fear says I must take control ofmy life.
Fear causes us to shrink backand hide, resulting in missed

(02:54):
opportunities and unfulfilledGod-given destinies.
Fear causes anxiety, depression,increases our risk of developing
health problems, and more.
Fear is a liar.
These issues are like heavychains, binding and oppressing
those who have not yet come tounderstand the depth of their

(03:15):
heavenly Father's love for them.
Lacking an understanding oftheir heavenly Father's love for
them, so often people believethe lie that if they can do
more, perform better, workharder and sacrifice enough to
be accepted by others, the voidof love they feel in their lives
will be filled by others' loveand approval.

(03:36):
The reality is, striving for theaffection and approval of other
people can not complete us.
This is because no human beingis capable of filling the
God-shaped hole in our heartsonly His perfect love can fill.
What began for me in 2011 as adesperate cry for deliverance
from anxiety and fear, became ajoyous hope-filled journey

(04:00):
deeper into the Father's openarms of love.
During this time, God revealedto me that His perfect love had
the power to cast out all fear,according to 1 John 4:18 which
says,"There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fearbecause fear has to do with
punishment.
The one who fears is not madeperfect in love." Having

(04:23):
struggled most of my life withgeneralized anxiety and fear, I
suddenly realized this onerevelation from Scripture could
completely transform my life andthe lives of anyone who might
also be struggling with anxietyand fear.
It made me realize, it wasn'tthat I needed to live more
perfectly to earn God's perfectlove that had the power to drive

(04:45):
out fear.
I simply had to believe His lovewas for me and learn how to
receive this most precious gift.
All fear gone?
The biblical truth that perfectlove and fear cannot coexist
both intrigued and baffled me.
In one sense, realizing thatbecause perfect love had the

(05:05):
power to free me from the holdanxiety and fear had on my life
was liberating.
But I was already a believer.
This caused me to wonder, couldI be a believer in Jesus Christ,
be saved for eternity by Hisloving sacrifice, and yet, not
have the perfect love of Godrooted and established in my

(05:25):
life?
It became clear to me that Ineeded to understand more about
what it meant to live perfectlyloved.
Maybe right now, you'restruggling with feelings of
hopelessness.
You may feel completelyoverwhelmed by your life
circumstances.
Maybe you doubt you will everexperience freedom from the grip

(05:45):
of anxiety and fear.
But I am here to tell you thatfreedom is possible here in now.
You have a Father in heaven wholoves you perfectly, and He is
longing to take you on ajourney, deeper into His perfect
love, where fear is renderedpowerless and you were free to
become who He created you to be.

(06:06):
He sees your pain.
He knows the depth of yourstruggle and He wants to meet
you right in the middle of it.
In the hard and dark places ofyour heart that feel void of all
hope, joy, and life.
And in the deep down, hiddenplaces where shame, doubt,
anxiety, and fear like to hideout.

(06:27):
He will never leave you norforsake you.
He will see you through tovictory! However, there is only
one way to the freedom found inthe promise of His perfect love.
Jesus said,"I am the way and thetruth and the life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through me," John 14,

(06:47):
verse six.
Once we were separated from thelove of our heavenly Father
because of our sin, but becauseof His great love for us, our
heavenly Father made a way forus to be reconciled to Him,
through belief in His Son JesusChrist.
So, this is where our journeyout of living gripped by anxiety

(07:08):
and fear towards livingperfectly loved must begin, with
Jesus.
The Bible tells us in John 3,verse 16,"For God so loved the
world that he gave his one andonly Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but haveeternal life." If you have yet

(07:28):
to decide to make Jesus Christthe Lord and Savior of your
life, maybe you are ready totake that step of faith now and
start your journey to livingperfectly loved with Him.
If so, you don't have to wait.
You can invite Jesus into yourlife by praying the following
prayer out loud or in thequietness of your own heart:

(07:50):
Dear Jesus, I need you.
I've made choices in my lifethat I regret.
Sin has separated me from yourperfect love and the freedom you
have wanted to give me.
I want to start living my lifefor you now.
I believe that you came to thisearth to die on a cross to pay
the penalty for all my sin andfor the sins of the whole world.

(08:14):
I believe you rose again, threedays later and conquered death
forever.
Lord Jesus, please come into mylife, forgive me for my sins,
and make me the kind of personyou want me to be.
Help me to become so deeplyrooted in your perfect love that
anxiety and fear can no longerhave a hold on me, in Jesus'

(08:36):
name I pray, Amen.
If you just prayed to receiveJesus, all of heaven is
rejoicing with you now! You havejust made the best decision you
could ever make in life.
Now you're ready to get startedon your journey toward living
perfectly loved as a newcreation in Christ.

(08:57):
Whether you are just nowbeginning your relationship with
Jesus, or you have already beena follower for a long time,
regardless of the degree towhich you are currently
struggling with anxiety andfear, I believe God wants to
deliver you from the grip ofanxiety and fear.
You can begin your journey toliving perfectly loved by simply

(09:18):
calling upon the name of theLord for help.
God is calling you to trust.
To take your first steps on ajourney toward living free from
fear in His perfect love.
You may feel unsure, but Godknows what you can truly handle
with Him.
Jesus will be with you to guideyou every step of the way.

(09:38):
His Holy Spirit, empowering youand encouraging you to keep
putting one foot in front of theother.
Some days you may take two stepsforward and one step back, or
one step forward and two stepsback.
It's okay.
God will be there to catch youshould you start to fall, or to
pick you up and put you back onyour feet those times that you

(10:01):
do.
He will not scold you for makingmistakes.
He will be there to cheer you onall along the way until you
finally arrive in His lovingembrace, no longer anxious and
afraid.
2 Samuel 22 verse 7 says,"In mydistress, I called to the Lord.
I called out to my God.

(10:22):
From his temple he heard myvoice.
My cry came to his ears." Let'spray.
Heavenly Father, I pray for thewoman listening right now, who
is desperate for Your love.
She's overwhelmed by anxiety andfear that has gripped her and
needs to know You are near.
Please Lord, show her You arewith her in the darkness that

(10:45):
surrounds her, that You have notleft her, that You are right
there with her commanding thedarkness to flee, ready to lead
her into the light of Yourperfect love, to restore her
peace and bring back joy andhappiness.
God, she wants to feel happyagain.
I know what that feels like.

(11:06):
I pray that You will begin togently lead her to the
opportunities for deliveranceand healing You've already made
a way for.
It's in Jesus' mighty name Ipray, Amen.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of the Living Perfectly
Loved podcast.
While it's true that God is loveand we are perfectly loved by

(11:29):
Him, we all struggle at times tolive like this true.
While we should strive to growin Christ likeness, we can rest
in knowing God loves us becauseof who He is, not because of who
we are or anything we could everdo for Him.
In Jesus Christ, we are enough!Remember, you don't have to be

(11:50):
perfect to live perfectly loved.
You have always been and willalways be a completely forgiven,
fully accepted, deeply loved,daughter the King.
Beautiful friend, His grace isfor you.
Please subscribe to my podcastnow and stay tuned for another
episode of Living PerfectlyLoved.

(12:13):
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May He shine His face on you andbe gracious to you.
May He turn His face toward youand give you peace, in Jesus'
name.