Peter's Transformation

Peter is Called to be a Disciple

We first meet Peter in John 1:42 when Jesus prophetically speaks a new name over him, “you will be called Cephas (which is translated Peter)”, which means ROCK.  Yet throughout the Gospels we see that Peter way anything but a rock, he was impulsive and unstable, selfish and prideful, yet there was something about Peter, a willingness to follow God that Jesus to use to help him overcome all of his weaknesses.  Jesus never lies, He knew something about His ability to transform a life.  Luke 5:1-11 gives us more insight into the calling of Peter to be  a disciple Here we find Peter after a long night of fishing without having caught anything, but when Jesus asks Him to let down the net (verse 4), Peter immediately obeys (verse 5) and they catch such a large number of fish that their nets began to break (verse 6).  Peter left that incredible catch of fish behind (it would have been worth a lot of money) and followed Christ!  Peter had a willing heart, Peter had an obedient heart…we will see today how Peter was very immature, selfish and prideful, but Peter desired what was right and obeyed.  God can do much with a heart like that!  

Peter's Faith...or lack of faith

Most of us are familiar with the story of when Jesus walked on water in Matthew 14.  The disciples were frightened but Peter tests Jesus, "Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water"

Jesus agrees.  Peter then has the courage to get out of the boat and walked on the water towards Him…what faith!  But verse 30 tells us that Peter became afraid of the wind and began to sink, calling out for the Lord to save Him.  Jesus does save Him.  Peter is learning, this is a victory, even though Peter ultimately failed, he still had more faith than those that remained in the boat and didn't even bother to try! 

We can`t let our past failures keep us from trying again

Peter's Confession of Christ 

In Matthew 16, Jesus questions the disciples, “who do people say the Son of Man is?” We see Peter getting the answer right as he confesses that Jesus is Christ, son of the living God!  Peter is commended for this wisdom which so clearly came from the Lord!  Jesus goes on to say, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”.  Peter must be feeling pretty good about himself right about now.  But if we keep reading, we'll see that Peter still lacks understanding.  

Look at verses 21-23, From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

What on earth is Peter doing here? Correcting a teacher was rare in Jewish culture; Peter was out of order!  The Devil had influenced Peter`s thinking so that his values were not God`s. In verse 23, Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Whoa!  What rebuke by the Lord.  Jesus exposed Peter`s satanic thinking. Peter had missed the entire purpose for Jesus coming to earth. Peter was using his own thinking, Peter wasn`t thinking what God was thinking.  Yes, Peter recognized Christ as the Messiah, but he still had worldly, clouded thinking.

Peter at a Foot Washing

When Jesus is washing the disciples feet in John 13, Peter objected to having His feet washed by Jesus (v. 8-9), Peter didn't understand.  This shows pride and selfishness that is at the very heart of sin, as Peter is working from a worldly view.  His desire to have his hands and head washed again shows his religious enthusiasm yet with a strong element of self. He is not receiving with humility what Christ is saying and doing. 

Yet Peter had a GOOD HEART

If we keep reading in John 13 we come across more info that tells us something special about Peter.   Peter desperately wants to follow Christ, he wants to lay down His life for Jesus (verses 36-38).  His desire is RIGHT, but He just needs to mature a bit before He can really be used by God in a powerful way, Jesus knows that he will deny Him that very night.  Peter makes a passionate zealous statement, “I will lay down my life for you!”  It must have been extremely difficult for Jesus to burst Peter’s bubble of zeal and to tell Peter the truth about his character.  Peter thought he loved Jesus enough to lay down his life for Him but the fact was that Peter still lacked character,  he was still selfish and immature.  But it was still love…Jesus doesn’t reject Peter’s love but rather desires to see Peter’s love mature and grow.

Peter is still learning, Jesus is gently teaching him important things that he needs to know in order to be useful in the Kingdom of God.  This is Jesus being good to Peter, growing him, stretching him, loving him

Peter’s response is what is going to determine his future in the Kingdom!

Peter Denies Christ

In John 18 we read of Peter's denial of Christ in verses 17, 25 and 27.  Peter denies any association with Christ.  This is Peter's darkest hour, the same man that just boasted of how he would die for Jesus...has weak flesh.  He was unable to live out the sincerity of his heart.  He couldn't follow through on his devotion to Christ.  His spirit was willing but his flesh was weak.  But this was not the end of the story for Peter.

Peter Goes Back to Fishing

In John 21 we find Peter on a fishing boat.  Why?  Do you think he felt like a failure?  Is he giving up? Do you think he may feel a bit embarrassed that he couldn't follow through on his devotion and love for God? So, Jesus goes and meets Peter where he is at. (verse 5). That’s the goodness of our God, Jesus went to Peter, Jesus initiated the conversation. Christ did not give up on Peter!  

Jesus Restores Peter and Predicts Peter's Martyrdom

Also in John 21 we find Jesus reinstating Peter as a shepherd of God's flock.  Peter denied Christ three times  and now three times, Jesus asks him to reaffirm his love for Christ (verses 15-17).  Jesus is not asking Peter these questions for his own sake but for Peter's sake.  Jesus is forgiving and commissioning Peter to be a shepherd, a leader of Christ's flock.  Then, Jesus predicts Peter's martyrdom (verse 18).  In our Western mindsets we often forget how precious martyrdom is, we do almost anything to avoid pain, yet Peter had the right mindset and Jesus is going to commend him for it.  It is important to understand that Peter wanted to die for Christ, this was a passion of his, he had promised that he would do this for Jesus (John 13:38).  Peter had promised this and had failed just a few nights previously.  Now Jesus is telling him that that is not the end of the story…you will be the courageous man that you desire to be, you will die for me! Jesus is giving Peter a gift here, he is telling him, YES, I will strengthen and mature you so that you can become the thing that you desire most, YOU WILL DIE FOR ME!  Next time, you will PASS the TEST! 

Peter Matures

The book of Acts is full of stories about Peter.  After the Day of Pentecost, Peter becomes the ROCK that Christ predicted.  Notice how in Acts 2:38, Peter is the first one to jump up and address the crowd after Pentecost - REPENT believe in JESUS!!! The guy who completely failed Jesus in Christ’s greatest hour of need is the first one to preach the resurrection of Christ at Pentecost. Isn't that amazing!!! The same Peter who had completely failed Jesus, now boldly proclaims that HE IS RISEN, REPENT! And THOUSANDS respond (verse 41). If you read through Acts you will find Peter as a pillar of the early church, He performed many miracles in the name of Jesus and was called to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles – he was led to do this through visions and other supernatural events.  

Peter’s allegiance to Christ was tested a number of times through suffering and imprisonment (see Acts 12) but Peter stood strong, he never denied Christ again!  Peter had learned, he had grown, he had matured!  Peter had changed - thanks to JESUS!  

The records of the early church tell us Peter followed through on His desire to sacrifice all for Christ.  Peter remained in Jerusalem as a leader of the church for some time. Eventually, Peter traveled to Rome to minister. Nero determined to have him executed, but the disciples there urged him to flee the city. As Peter was nearing the city gate, he felt it was his time to die in the way that Jesus prophesied   So, Peter returned to the city and was captured and sentenced to be crucified.  Then, Peter announced that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same position as his Savior and requested to die on the cross upside down. The Romans honored his request. Peter knew that one day he would face death for following Jesus, because Jesus had told him he would. He knew that following Christ would cost Him his life, but he never flinched from the call to follow Him anywhere and do whatever God called Him to do. 

Conclusion

What happened to this man that He was changed so radically from a selfish, proud, spoiled, immature man into a passionate person who sacrificed all for Christ? There is only one right answer – Peter was transformed by the power of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Peter knew that he was a sinner, he knew that he was broken, he knew that he was a failure but he ALSO KNEW A REDEEMER who could transform HIM, cleanse Him, grow character in him, root out his selfishness/sin, and free him from his past. That same transforming power is available to you and me.  

One of the biggest questions I get on a regular basis is from ladies who are concerned about their husband’s walk with God or for their children’s walk with God.  My answer is simple - there is no witness like the power of a transformed life! You don’t have to preach ONE WORD to your husbands and kids, you just have to seek JESUS, crying out for Him to transform your life, to free you from bondage, to heal your emotional hurts and relationship wounds, to grow in selfless love and devotion to Christ, His church and His people.  When you live a transformed life your family WILL NOTICE.  

You may have a willing heart, a heart of obedience, like Peter. You may have a deep desire to love God and serve Him, but like Peter, you may find yourself falling short again and again. Like Peter, you may clouded by worldly thinking, you may struggle with pride and selfishness. You may relate to Peter’s religious enthusiasm, zeal and passion yet kick yourself when you can’t follow through on your devotion to Christ. Peter had all the right desires, he even wanted to die for Christ, but he had weak flesh and was immature and selfish throughout most of the Gospels, but though the Jesus Christ, Peter was transformed into the Rock.  

The question isn't whether or not we will fail but rather, what do we do when we fail? Do we pick ourselves back off the ground and continue pursuing God wholeheartedly, or do wallow in self-pity or worse yet, quit? Ladies, it is time to STOP being in bondage to our past faults and failures and to START looking at JESUS for transformation.  He meets you where you are at!  He does not give up on you!   And when you genuinely repent, He forgives and restores and desires for you to do ministry to others.  He also strengthens you so that you CAN follow through on your devotion to CHRIST!  Don’t give up on yourself, JESUS DOESN”T!  COME TO JESUS!  

Journaling and Prayer Questions:

1. Ask the Lord to show you areas where you can relate to Peter.

2. Now ask the Lord to show you characteristics about WHO JESUS IS, that you need to accept for yourself and trust about Him today, in order to grow and mature in your walk with Him.  

3.  Jesus transforms lives! Write a prayer of thanksgiving to Him for this.  Pray that you would NOT give up on yourself but run to Jesus and let Him transform your life.  Pray that you would learn to follow through on your love and devotion to Christ. 

Those who SEEK Him will FIND Him!

Last week we focused on the cross, we meditated on what Jesus did for us on the cross when He sacrificially gave His life for us. For us the cross brings FREEDOM and LIFE, but what do you think the disciples were thinking after Jesus died? Imagine the devastating effect the crucifixion must have had on the disciples. They thought the Messiah would reign forever and this would be impossible in light of His death. They must have thought they had wasted the previous three years of their lives…but did they?

The resurrection turns a catastrophe into a victory! In fact, without belief in the resurrection there would be no Christianity at all. The resurrection is at the very core of the Christian faith.  The birth of the church is dependent on Christ’s resurrection from the dead. A living faith cannot survive a dead Saviour!  Jesus rose again and is ALIVE today!  

Who would you choose to appear to first if you were Jesus? 

• Perhaps Herod?
• Pilate?
• The Sanhedrin or Pharisee’s?
• Caesar?
• Or maybe your disciples
• Your family
• Or the ones who would write the New Testament and be the pillars of the early church

Our lovely King is so different from us, Jesus doesn't work that way! Jesus chose the weakest one who had found life in His presence and that is who He revealed Himself to first! The one who was SEEKING Him.  

Mark 16:9 … he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

Mary Magdalene had been forgiven much and learned to love much. He longed to visit the most fragile among them, the one who would have been the most devastated at His death. Mary Magdalene had seven demons and most likely had lived a life of prostitution before Jesus delivered her and changer her whole life

Her thoughts after the Crucifixion must have been, “Was any of this real; did any of this change anything.” She was absolutely devastated. Jesus must have said to Himself, “I’ll go to her, I think I’ll see her” This decision is a theological statement of what your God is like – “I want to see Mary, I want to see the weakest among them.”

Let's look a bit closer at John 20

Vs. 1 - Mary went to the tomb to pay her respects to the Man whom had transformed her life.  She was on her way early in the morning, it was still dark when she noticed the stone was rolled back from the entrance

Vs. 2 - Frightened, she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, “they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb” Mary assumed someone had stolen the Lord’s body

Vs. 3-4 Peter therefore went out with the disciple whom Jesus loved and ran to the tomb.  The other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first

Vs. 5 - The other disciple did not go into the tomb, he just looked in and saw the linen clothes lying there but Peter goes right in (vs. 6), O that Peter, always rushing into things…

Vs. 10 – The disciples decided to go home

Vs. 11 – This left Mary alone outside the tomb, weeping, she was devastated, she wanted to know where His body was (she was SEEKING).  

Vs. 13 – Angels asked her why she was crying.  Why was she crying?  Because she loved Him and He’s dead and they've done the absolutely worst thing and taken His body so she can’t even pay respect and honor Him!

Vs. 14 – it is then that she turns around and sees a man, the gardener??? Interesting enough, Jesus asked her the same question as the angels but extended it further.

Vs. 15 – Jesus asks her, "why are you crying and who are you looking for?" You see the thing is that Jesus actually knows the answers to both of these questions.  So why does he ask?  This tells you something about Jesus character.  He wants to talk with her, He wants to hear her say it, He wants to know what she is feeling, He wants to be desired. It’s the same way with us; He loves to know that we desire Him. He longs to hear you say it.  He knew Mary’s heart.  He knew everything, but He longed to hear her say it. 

Some people don’t like talk about their feelings and desires to Jesus, they avoid telling Him what is in their heart and they avoid saying, “Jesus, I love you." ”They think - Why do I have to say it out loud?  You don’t have to, but there is something about saying it out loud that moves God’s heart in a way unlike any other.I often pray silently, yet something happens in my spirit when I pray the words out loud and say, “Jesus, I love you…Jesus I want more of You, Jesus desire to know you…”

What is Jesus doing with Mary?  He is drawing out the longings and desires of her heart and in doing this He is awakening a greater measure of His love.  Jesus was drawing Mary into His heart, enticing her.

Vs. 15 - Yet, she thought he was the gardener.  Yet, I wonder what her tone of voice was when she replied to Him.  Was it begging? Was it hopeful? Or was it, “I’ll break your legs, gardener, if you don’t give me back His body!!!”? Think about Mary, she was a rough gal, I wonder how it was, we’ll have to ask her one day

It is then that He disclosed Himself to her in response to her level of desire to be with Him

PRINCIPLE: You are not going to find more of Jesus then what you are looking for!!!

Vs. 16 - He broke in, “MARY” He couldn't take it any longer, hide and seek was over, He wanted to be found by the one who longed for Him so. Her longing was NOT based upon future aspirations of ministry and selfish desires, HER ONLY MOTIVE WAS LOVE.  She missed the one she had come to love and hope in.

Vs. 16a – He called her name, “MARY”

Vs. 16b - Immediately she recognized Him

Vs. 17 – yet Jesus told her not to cling to Him but rather to GO and tell the others! 

In the moment of rejoicing, Jesus required of her to not cling to Him but to GO! Jesus had drawn her out and now He commands her to GO!

Vs. – 18 Mary obeyed! 

His command to you is similar today. Yet many women feel stuck, like they can’t do anything for the Kingdom of God.  Why?  Often for a variety of reasons, many of which we nailed to the cross last week!

But what does today’s account of Jesus and Mary Magdalene tell us of Jesus? Who would Jesus reveal Himself to first?  The future pillars of the early church. NO! The writers of the New Testament? NO! 

Or a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who had learned what forgiveness and love was all about and who stood outside His tomb seeking Him?  YES!!!

That’s the key – to learn what forgiveness and love is all about and to SEEK JESUS!  

Last week, we pinned all sorts of things to the cross.  We left them there for Jesus to take care of.

This week He is asking us to walk away from our old lives and to be transformed by God to live a NEW life.

PRAYER SHEET:

1. Thanksgiving Prayer – Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God based on the revelation that He has given you of Himself today.  Spend some time worshipping Him in this prayer.  Declare who He is in this prayer and tell Him that you LOVE Him in this prayer. 
2. Listening Prayer – In what areas is God asking you to walk away from old patterns of behaviour and attitudes and walk in new life in Him?   
3. Personal Prayer – Ask Him to give you a deeper revelation into the forgiveness He offers you if you have genuinely repented of your sin.  Ask Him also to give you deeper insight into His love for you and how He accepts your love.  Ask Him to give you a word, thought, picture or verse about how He is transforming your life.  

PRAY FOR YOURSELF:

• Ask the Lord to give you a desire to seek Jesus
• Ask the Lord to give you a heart that is passionate about the Word
• Ask the Lord to help you walk out the forgiveness and love found in God
• Ask the Lord to transform your life
• Ask the Lord for healing in any of the following areas - physical, emotional, mental

References:  The Excellencies of Christ by Allan Hood

For God so LOVED the World...

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

I was so blessed to worship the Lord with a group of incredible women today at cell. As we have been reading through the Gospel of John together we have done more than just study it theologically.  We have let the Lord speak His truth into our lives as we have applied it to our lives and let Him love on us.  Today we focused on John 17-19; the Passion of the Christ.  What a privilege to thank Him for His sacrifice, to tell Him that we love Him, to lay our burdens at the cross and to ask Him to take them, never to take them back.  Thank you Lord for not just saving me but setting me free and being the Lord of my life.  I choose to obey and serve you out of a heart of thanksgiving and LOVE!

Isaiah 53:5  He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by HIS WOUNDS we are HEALED!  

What is Love?

When you read John 13-16 did you notice how many times John uses the word LOVE or LOVED? I counted them – 29x!  Plus more if you go into John 17! This passage is Christ’s FAREWELL DISCOURSE.  He is warning them of coming persecution and He is giving them a strategy to make sure that they don’t fall away.  I think we should listen to what He is saying here! 

Think about the importance of LOVE in your life:

• Parenting – you can teach a kid to behave, to be hard working, to obey, to be nice to people, to be kind to their sister/brother but without LOVE it is nothing!
• Marriage – you can buy the groceries and cook meals for your husband, you can wash his clothes, fold them and put them away, you can complement him, respect him and take care of all his needs but without LOVE it is nothing!
• God – you can read the Bible, go to church, pray regularly, serve in the church, go to cell but without LOVE it is nothing! 

You can’t fake love, you can’t mechanically just start loving God or people more.

There are lots of self-help books, even Christian ones, that try to help us in this department.  They teach us that:

• If you do this _____________you’ll respect your husband more and he will feel more loved and you will have a better marriage.
• If you do this _____________your kids will obey you and turn out to be good citizens and love you more.
• If you do this _____________in your relationship with God you will be a better Christian and love God more.

SUMMARY – if YOU change YOUR behavior (“do” something) then you will see the change you want (in you or others).

Psychology shows us that often these approaches work; I have seen many relationships grow by doing these things, often because the stuff that we are “doing” is based on Godly principles (honesty, respect, kindness, etc.).  We stop sinning and choose to obey the Word.

It’s great to grow strong in your marriage, in your parenting and in your relationship with God but I don’t want a strong marriage…I want a SUPERNATURAL marriage, I want to be a  SUPERNATURAL parent, and have a SUPERNATURAL relationship with God.

The problem with these approaches is that they all about YOU changing YOUR behavior to make things better– it’s all SELF-FOCUSED.

We want to be GOD-FOCUSED!

We can’t just be satisfied with scratching the surface in these areas, we must go deeper. We can’t create LOVE based on “doing” this or that. There is a better way…we’ll get to that soon.  

Question:  WHAT IS LOVE?

• Psychology tells us that love is a force of nature i.e.) you cannot control love.
• The dictionary says love is an intense feeling of deep affection or a feeling of deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone i.e.) I love Mark (my husband).
• Some say love is having a great interest in something i.e.) He loves football.
• Some say it’s something you find pleasure in i.e.) I love chocolate.
• The bible says God is love (1 John 4:8), let’s look a bit closer at what today’s passage teaches us about love.

John 13:1-5 – Jesus showed the full extent of His love by washing His disciples feet.

Washing the disciples feet was MORE than an act of SERVICE, it was an act of LOVE!  When we love others, serving will come naturally. You can serve without loving but you can’t love without serving. This is what God Himself is like, He washes feet, even the feet of the one who will betray Him – what love!!!

John 14:15, 21, 23 ,24 – obedience

The love that Jesus is speaking of is not simply a feeling. It is clear to see here a link between love and obedience. The obedience that Jesus is referring to is acting in accordance with His teaching. His teaching is not just interesting thoughts about God and the world. To obey His teaching means that we adopt God's pattern of life. But the condition for such obedience is LOVE for Jesus. The commands of Jesus are not a set of rules like a traffic code; they are a description of a pattern of life that reflects God's own life transposed into human circumstances. Jesus has modeled this sort of life—only doing what He sees the Father doing and only speaking what He hears from the Father. The same pattern is to be true of the disciple!  

Most people stop here – they wrongfully conclude that as long as you are serving and obeying you are doing OK in the LOVE area.  YES – All Christians must serve and obey, I’m not saying you shouldn't do these things.  But these things aren't a FULL test of your love…because you can do these things without LOVING Him. I’m talking about having your LOVE FOR HIM drive your service and your obedience. If you think you love Him merely because you serve and obey Him then this goes back to being all about “DOING” again…, its’ SELF FOCUSED.  We want to be GOD-FOCUSED!

Let’s look at two more passages of Scripture and then make a conclusion:

John 13:34 – Love one another as I have loved you

In this passage Jesus is commanding them to love one another as He has loved them.  We need God’s love in us to do this! The key to this command is that it is in keeping with Christ’s  love for them. Think about this for a minute – He’s saying something profound about LOVE!

 John 15:9 – as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you…remain in my love

Jesus love for you = the Fathers love for Jesus!  That’s a LOT of love! He asks us to remain in this love – to KEEP OURSELVES in this LOVE!  Remain means to abide, continue, to not depart from His love.  Once again, Jesus is saying something profound about LOVE.

Concluding Question:  HOW DO WE GET THIS LOVE IN US?

PRINCIPLE:  You can only love others as much as you feel LOVED by God

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.  (NIV)

You are absolutely and completely loved by God and your role in life is to receive that love, return it to Him and pass it on to everyone around you

Mark 12:30-31 clearly teaches that the Christian's number one priority in life is to LOVE GOD and then to LOVE OTHERS.  Our secular culture has a distorted view of love because they have tired to capture love without seeking out its ORIGIN - GOD!

1 John 4:8 God is love

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.  (NIV)

God is a lover, He continually loves us!  Our relationship with God is to be sustained by His love!  The problem is that many of us spend all our time and energy trying to love Him as best we can instead of stopping to let Him love us.  When we stop and let Him love us then we have more love to give back to Him and others!  

Jude 21 Keep yourself in the love of God 

We are to be continually filled with His love for us.  His perfect love comes into us and we give it back to Him, that’s the way we are to love.  It is a glorious cycle – God takes the initiative and loves us, and we return that love to Him and pass it on to others (spouse, kids, friends, enemies).  Yes, we OBEY and SERVE out of a heart of LOVE because He LOVES us and we LOVE HIM back.  When we are filled with God’s love then serving and obeying come naturally.  To love God MORE, we must begin to FEEL HIS LOVE FOR US MORE (His love for us never changes, it never increases or decreases, it is constantly the same, it’s just our ability to FEEL His love that changes)

Love is the currency of Heaven!  We must make a determined decision to pursue being FILLED with God’s LOVE as a #1 priority in our lives.

Application: 

1. Our relationship with God is to be sustained by His love.  The problem is that many of us spend all our time and energy tying to love Him as best we can instead of stopping to let Him love us.  We are to be filled continually with His love for us and give it back to Him and to others.  Mediate on this for a while, what does God want to say to you about your love relationship with Him?   
2. You are absolutely and completely loved by God.  Love is the currency of Heaven.  Jesus loves you in the way that the Father loves Him.   Ask the Lord to show you what it means for you to keep yourself in the love of God.  How will this transform your relationship with Him?
3. Write out a prayer asking for a supernatural enabling to receive God’s love for you and to return that love back to Him and to others. Confess, as necessary.  Then, write out a declaration that speaks the truth about how the Father feels about you: 

Example:  “Jesus, please enable me to receive more fully Your love for me.  I confess that I have not believed fully that You love me and I have not received this love.  I want this to change.  I want to feel Your love and have that love change our relationship.  I ask You to supernaturally enlarge my capacity to feel Your love.  I declare that I am Your beloved, Your favorite one. I am a disciple whom You love. Your delight is in me. You feel about me as the Father feels about You. I belong to You and You are mine. I am loved by You and I love you therefore I am successful.”