"There is no fear in love, because fear has punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us." -James 4:18-19

The more I understand God's unconditional love, the more free I become. One of the strongholds the devil had been using for years to keep me prisoner came tumbling down recently when God snuck up on me with His unconditional love.

For years I kept falling down or tripping over the same issue which was rooted in fear. I finally identified the problem, but I still struggled with it. It would manifest in weird and frustrating ways in my personal and work life. At one point I was in tears, wishing I could be like a caterpillar that just hibernates for a season and then pops out of the chrysalis as a butterfly. But it never seemed to happen. I just stayed this ugly caterpillar struggling and wishing I could be a butterfly, but never becoming one.

Finally, God broke through my defense and rescued me. The weapon He used to tear down this stronghold was His unconditional love. UNCONDITIONAL. I knew in my head that God loves us all unconditionally, but the truth of that was not penetrating every part of my heart. Rick Renner puts it well:

"The 'strongholds'...are lies that the devil has ingrained so deeply in your mind and belief system that they now exert power over certain areas of your life.... Although you may know logically that the lies the enemy speaks to your mind are untrue, these lies still wage war in your soul, attempting to sabotage your sense of self-worth and your self-image."

Even though I knew what the Bible said about God's love, my brain wouldn't accept the truth that God loves me unconditionally. There is nothing I can do that will cause Him to love me less. There is nothing I can do that will cause Him to leave me. So often we keep looking for the catch. There is no catch.

While we were yet sinners Christ died for us! - Romans 5:8
God will never leave you or forsake you. - Hebrews 13:5
You are accepted in the Beloved. -Ephesians 1:6

Listen! Your life was a mess when you gave it to God. (If you haven't given your life to God, you need to. Don't let excuses stop you.) He won't reject you for not being perfect. He already knows all about you. We are messed up human beings, being perfected. Big difference. We are being changed into the image of Christ, yet we all spill milk occasionally (literally and figuratively.) God isn't bothered by our mess; He wants to clean it up if we'll let Him. Stop pushing Him away. Accept the truth of the word.

Honestly, it may hurt a bit when He starts to work. When He broke through my fortress I was sobbing at my kitchen table, but it was the lancing of a wound that had become infected. Strong emotions came to the surface, but I didn't avoid them. I looked them head on and asked the Holy Spirit to show me what was broken and to fix it.

God wants to set you free from the stronghold you think has been protecting you, but that has actually imprisoned you. Only the Holy Spirit can do it. Let Him work. It's good.