Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love

Abi Stumvoll

 

Prayer:

Abi - God we love you and we love to love you and we invite Unconditional Love to come and shake us up from the inside out; that you would come and wreck our lives with your love; that everything we think we know would be changed in the light of the power of your goodness and your kindness towards us. 

 

Justin - I want to welcome my best friend Unconditional Love. Love is not an "energy" it’s a person. I invite Unconditional Love into the places where there is self-criticism, self-judgment, and performance. In this house, performance, self-judgment, and shame will not and cannot stand. I welcome the power of Love to shatter walls that have been built inside of people’s hearts; that walls that people are hiding behind would begin to crumble down as a message of love comes out; and that the beauty of who we were created to be would begin to be revealed right now. So, God, I thank you for every son and every daughter and how much you love them. Amen

 

Abi’s story:

• As a child, Abi felt like she had less significance than her friends had over their lives. She felt like she was meant to be in the background. 
• When you curse things they die
• The accuser is a liar and will try to get you to agree with his lies and curse yourself.
• The spirit of self-criticism is the spirit of death
• “I don’t have what everyone else has” I am a failure and I don't have what it takes
• That is speaking death over yourself.
• Love can break off any area of smallness that you have lived in!
• Abi prayed, “God if you could teach me how to love myself, I’ll change the world.”
• Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.”
• Self-criticism is not humility. Self-criticism is disobedience from the commandment of God that we would love what he made (us).

 

Encounters with God that Changed Abi’s views about herself:

• You are at war with yourself: Every house divided against itself will not stand. When you're at war with yourself you're hindering the person God created you to be
• You need to reconcile with yourself:
• I’m sorry for expecting you to be perfect
• Start to thank God for YOU and YOUR BODY
• What you believe about yourself, others will pick up on!!!

 

Speak truth to yourself OUT LOUD

• Say it when you don't feel it
• Say it when the lies feel stronger than the truth

 

Story of the Guardian:

Abi tells a story about a starving boy whose guardian would not allow him to be fed. Several times a day, loving missionaries would try to feed the boy but the guardian refused to allow him to eat. The boy would make mistakes throughout the day and in an effort to change the boy’s behavior, his guardian would punish him by continuously deny him the food he needs to survive. The Lord revealed to Abi that she is like that guardian and she is starving herself of essential nutrients needed to thrive.

 

• God gave Abi a catchphrase: “Is it worth abusing yourself or starving yourself for?” If you are refusing to let the little boy eat, it doesn't matter how much food God is bringing you.
• Conditional love is: I love myself when I’m perfect.
• Unconditional love is: There will not be a moment when I allow that boy to starve
• Unconditional love is: I love myself
• Conditional love is: would’ve, could’ve should’ve

 

 

 

Abi gives an invitation for those who struggle with self-hatred.