[pull_quote_center]Ephesians 1:6
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.[/pull_quote_center]
At the Jordan river, Jesus heard His Father say to Him, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Later, in the wilderness, Jesus heard the devil say to Him, “If You are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:3)
Notice that the devil not only questioned Jesus’ sonship, but he also dropped the word “beloved” when he said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God…” You see, the devil cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved because when you know this truth, whatever he wants to bring against you will not succeed!
Many girls are giving away their virginity because they need to feel wanted and loved. And young boys join gangs to feel accepted because they have been rejected and made to feel worthless by others.
But when you know that you are God’s beloved, no temptation can succeed against you, not even the “giants” who may taunt you. Consider David who slew Goliath. “David” in Hebrew means “beloved”. It takes a David to knock down a giant. In other words, it takes someone who knows that he is God’s beloved to win the fights of life!
You are God’s beloved not because of what you do. Christ did everything. He is God’s Beloved. But God put you in Christ. That is why you are “accepted in the Beloved”. And what God said to Jesus, He says to you today: “You are My beloved son. In you, I am well pleased.”
So if the devil tells you, “Hey, you call yourself ‘God’s beloved’ after what you just did?” have the assurance that it is not based on whatyou have done, but what Christ has done. And you are still God’s beloved because you are in Christ!
When you say that, I believe the devil screams in frustration because he has no power over you when you are conscious that you are God’s beloved. There is truly a place of safety when you know that you are His beloved.
My friend, we are not being proud when we call ourselves God’s beloved. How can we boast when we know that it is God’s grace that has made us accepted in the Beloved!
Joseph Prince is Senior Pastor of New Creation Church. He is a leading voice in proclaiming the gospel of grace around the world through his teaching resources and television ministry. He is known for teaching God’s Word in a fresh, practical and revelatory way that always unveils Jesus. His daily television program, Destined To Reign currently reaches millions of homes across North America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Israel on both secular and Christian networks. Subscribe to Pastor Prince’s Daily Grace Inspiration HERE
