God Loves You With An Everlasting Love -...

God Loves You… With an Everlasting LoveCopyright © 2004, Patricia K ing

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other—except for brief quotations

in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author.

Scripture quotations marked NASB, unless otherwise specified, aretaken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © TheLockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973. Allrights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from The Holy Bible, King JamesVersion. Copyright © 1977, 1984, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King JamesVersion. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982. Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in PublicationKing, Patricia, 1951-

God loves you with an everlasting love / Patricia King.ISBN 0-9735400-2-8

1. God--Love--Biblical teaching. I. Title.BT140.K56 2004 231'.6 C2004-903477-4

Distributed for Patricia K ing by

www.extremeprophetic.com

A note from the desk of Patricia King

Dear Reader,

There is nothing better in life than knowingbeyond any doubt that you are unconditionallyand perfectly loved! Countless individualsspend their entire lives attempting to satisfy thecries of the empty and lonely places within—theplaces that long for the comfort and securitythat only love can provide.

Where is such love and satisfaction found?Can you really experience that kind of securityand well-being? Is it actually possible to under-stand the value of who you were created to be?

This booklet is designed to introduce you tothe greatest revelation anyone could everreceive. It is the revelation of God’s uncondi-tional love for you—the love that was perfectlytested and proven at the Cross, 2000 years ago.

There is no one like you. You were createdas an object of His affection, acceptance, andlove. It was never God’s desire for you to expe-rience rejection or abandonment; you weremade to be a recipient of His bountiful graceand favor.

May you drink deeply of this revelation andcome to a full realization that

God loves you with an everlasting love!

Patricia King

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The God Kind of Love

“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowedupon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John3:1, KJV, emphasis mine).

What manner of love would motivate a perfect,holy, and righteous God to offer a sinful and rebelliousperson the opportunity to become His very own dearchild and heir of all that He is and all that He has? Itsounds extravagant, doesn’t it? This, however, is indeedthe very manner of love the Father has shown to eachand every one of us. Nothing throughout the history ofmankind has ever been able to make Him withdrawthis love, although we have all put His love to the test,over and over again. The demonstration of this love isunchangeable because He is unchangeable.

Many individuals regularly waver in their feelingsof assurance of God’s love and continually questiontheir right standing with Him. This lack of assurancebreeds insecurity. They might ask, “Am I worthyenough? Do I love God enough? Am I performing wellenough? Am I serving Him enough?”

My own faith constantly wavered before I under-stood the clear revelation of Christ’s work on the Crossthat demonstrated His eternal, unchangeable love for

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me. During those years, I always questioned my valuein His sight. This produced striving, tension, andunrest. Without the assurance of His unchanging love,one is never free to be. If not free to be, one will neverbe free to do. It is the revelation of His love that pro-duces fullness, freedom, and fruitfulness in life.

First John 4:16-19 (NKJV) teaches us that “Welove Him because He first loved us” and “There is nofear in love.” When you understand the unconditionallove of God, the fear of not being accepted and lovedby Him is eliminated. You know deep within thatyou're His precious one, and you’re assured of yourplace in His heart forever. When you have that assur-ance, you feel secure, even when everything in yourlife is unsettled. Love gives you an unshakable confi-dence that He will work everything out and keep youin perfect peace.

Romans 8:32-39 informs us that the love theFather has given us is greater than any other force. Itconfidently assures us that nothing can separate usfrom His love. In fact, you can never be separated fromthe love of God that is in Christ Jesus—never. InChrist, you are forever sealed in His holy love. Oh,how wonderful!

You (like most everyone else) probably weren'tloved unconditionally in your childhood, so from timeto time lying thoughts might have assaulted your mind,I'm not lovable. I'm not accepted. I haven't been ableto accomplish enough. I have no value. I can't succeed.

The Word, however, says that you are perfectlyloved and that nothing at all can ever separate youfrom the source of that love. When you really start to

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understand this truth, you will be able to cast down thetormenting lies of rejection, inferiority, and insecurity.The power of God’s love and favor will prevail,causing the lies to fall. Then you will experience whatyou were created to be from the foundation of theworld—an object of His deep love and affection.

God wants you to feel so secure in His love thatyou will be able to go anywhere, do anything, face anyspirit of rejection, and overcome any obstacle. You willbe able to say with confidence, “I am a precious, lovedchild of God. I am His favored one.”

Love is God’s mark on our lives. Not only are weto know His love for ourselves, but we are to extrava-gantly share it with others. Once you know you are aloved one, His love in you will spill out all over theplace and touch others—you won’t be able to help it!This type of love doesn’t come from an inward strivingto be a loving person. It comes from knowing who youare as a perfectly loved child. Then His powerful graceflows through you like a river and offers refreshing tothose around you.

A Personal Testimony

I remember clearly what life was like withoutChrist and the revelation of His love. I was a youngcareer woman, a wife, and the mother of two boys,yet totally unfulfilled and broken. Most of my bro-kenness, however, was hidden to the onlooker. I worean invisible mask of well-being because I was afraidto let people see the real me. What if they rejectedme? How could I ever cope with that? I lived behindthe many disguises that concealed the guilt and shame

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plaguing my heart. I was in an invisible prison, and Icouldn’t escape.

I tried everything to become free. I attendednumerous self-help courses and joined new age/occultenlightenment groups, hoping to find some answersfor my distressed soul. I regularly imbibed in a varietyof addictive substances in an effort to find comfort andrelief. I also attempted to find meaning for life throughmy career and taking extra college courses. Everyeffort failed to offer any liberty. I became increasinglyunstable emotionally, with no way to get a grip onthings. The more I tried, the more I failed. The more Ifailed, the more discouraged and bound I became. Thetentacles of fear, shame, and guilt wrapped themselvesaround me, strangling any tinge of hope. I was con-stantly plagued with a sense of powerlessness in life. Iwas a mess, totally out of control! I desperately neededhelp but didn’t know where to turn.

God hears the cries of our heart, and He definitelyheard mine. It was following a near-death experience,at the lowest point of my life, that the Lord sent awonderful man to share the gospel with me. He wasan Anglican minister named Reverend Ron Hunt. Iwill never forget the first evening I attended a littlehome Bible study at his invitation. Although I wasnervous to step into that unfamiliar environment, Iwas pleasantly surprised as I witnessed a sinceregroup of people who obviously knew God in a verypersonal way. One after another that evening, theyshared testimonies of how Jesus had changed theirlives. They claimed that He forgave their sins,cleansed them from guilt and shame, and offered

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them a brand new life. Wow! That was exactly whatI wanted—but was it possible?

Returning home, I knelt on my living room floorand cried out to this unseen God for help. “Jesus, Ihave nothing to offer You except my brokenness. Ihave made a big mess of my life, but I would really likeYou to come into my heart and make me new, just likeYou did for those people up the street.” I felt so evil, Ididn’t know if Jesus would want to come into my lifeor not. I had no confidence that He would be able tolove the likes of me.

To my amazement, He didn’t hesitate to enter myheart. I hadn’t even finished praying when I literallyfelt the presence of liquid love come into my being. TheOne who knew every wicked detail of my life didn’thesitate, even for a moment, to show me His extrava-gant mercy and acceptance. I literally felt the pressureof my sin leave me along with all the guilt and shame.It was as though a prison door had been opened and Iwas allowed to run free. I felt lovely and beautifulinside for the very first time.

All I could do was cry. In fact, I cried all nightwhile I worshiped Him. No one had to teach me toworship; when you are deeply touched by His love,worship is a normal response—the only response!Everything in you is thankful, so very grateful. I knewbeyond a shadow of a doubt that this gift of love hadnothing to do with my own ability to fix myself. Myendless failed attempts had proven that I was “unfix-able.” This was a free gift of life—His gift of ever-lasting, unbendable, unchangeable, unshakable andunfailing love! Yeah, God!


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The next number of years were deeply fulfilling forme as I daily experienced increased revelation of HisWord and ways. His love healed, delivered, and estab-lished me in a brand new life. It had nothing at all todo with my efforts. This new life is His gift. It is a giftthat can’t be earned, and it is available to everyone. Itis available to you!

I began to serve the Lord with passion. I never fora moment felt pressured to serve Him—I served Himbecause I love Him. It’s what you do when you’re inlove. My entire life changed. I had new friends, newinterests, and new desires. I wanted to spend my entirelife serving the One who had loved me so perfectly.One year after my rebirth, my husband began fol-lowing Jesus. Year after year was filled with a con-tinual unfolding of His goodness.

As a young Christian, I never tasted “legalism,” theattempt to secure right standing with the Lord throughobedience to the Law. I was first introduced to thistype of religious bondage when our family served theLord on a foreign mission field. The leaders of the mis-sion center were very passionate for the Lord, and Iknow they meant well. Unfortunately, they did notunderstand that the Lord’s unconditional love is a giftand cannot be earned through our works. As a result,they taught those they worked with to perfect them-selves through self effort in order to please God. Theleaders themselves lived under this burden.

I experienced performance pressure daily on thismission field. In all my striving to do well, I believed Iwas constantly falling short of what was expected. Iwas convinced I was disappointing God, and the more

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I tried to please Him, the more I failed. The more Ifailed, the more I strove within. The cycle continuedwith increasing despair and pressure, taking me rightback into the torment and bondage I had experiencedprior to knowing Christ. I was plagued with the sameguilt and the same shame, simply wearing differentclothes. One was a cloak of unrighteousness, and theother was one of self-righteousness. Both bore thesame fruit of devastation and were deadly.

After six months of serving on that mission field asfaithfully and diligently as I could, I finished our termfeeling spiritually bankrupt. I had even lost assuranceof my salvation. I believed I had totally failed the Lordand that He would never have any use for me again. Ibelieved that I was no longer a precious child to Him—I had disappointed Him too deeply. What a deceptionI had stepped into!

On our return home, friends helped me to rightlydivide the Word and to trust that the Lord still lovedme. The healing and restoration did not comeovernight. At times I was still plagued with the fear ofbeing rejected by God. I constantly battled self-con-demnation and cried out for relief. All I wanted was tofeel close to God—to feel worthy of His love and toknow I was pleasing Him.

It was years later that I received a revelation of theCross. This revelation delivered me from the tormentand fear that had bound my soul, and became ananchor for my faith forever. The revelation of theCross and the covenant Christ made with God on ourbehalf is the foundation for understanding His uncon-ditional love. The day I received this revelation, I wept


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for hours on end, completely in awe of His lovingkindness, completely amazed at His grace.

It is one thing to be touched by the love of God andenjoy the experience of it, like I did as a youngChristian. It is another thing, however, to be fullyanchored in the unshakable, unfailing revelation of thedoctrine of His unconditional love. Jesus said, “Youshall know the truth, and the truth shall make youfree” (John 8:32, NKJV). The day the revelation of thedoctrine of the Cross filled my heart was the day Iknew I would walk free forever. Regardless of circum-stances surrounding my life, regardless of condemningthoughts assaulting my mind, I now have an eternalplace to stand. I was anchored forever in His lovewhen I understood the truth of it! I am blood boughtinto an eternal love covenant that can never be broken.What freedom this truth brings!

This booklet will introduce you to this life-changing, life-sustaining doctrine. May you come toknow the revelation of this truth so deeply within yourheart that your entire being will forever be filled andanchored in it. Walk through the following pages withexpectation and focus as the Holy Spirit unfolds themost profound and life-altering doctrine in the entireBible—the Cross and the Covenant. This doctrinereveals God’s true heart of unfailing love. He loves youwith an everlasting love—He really does. You will see!

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God wanted you! You weren't a mistake,regardless of the circumstances that surrounded yourbirth. Perhaps you weren’t planned by your parents oryour conception was the result of an unfortunate inci-dent. You need to know that, even in cases as sad asthese, God had you in His heart from before the foun-dation of the world. He planned you. His ultimatedesire was for you to be conceived and brought forthin a beautiful, pure atmosphere of parental love andaffection. Tragically, everyone has fallen short of Hisperfect ways because of our sinful, imperfect nature.God planned for you to come forth into the realm oftime and fulfill His eternal purpose for your life.Exploring His potential in you is fun!

God actually wanted to have a family. That's whymost folks desire to have children; that desire comesfrom Him. Mankind has been created in His likeness,and therefore, when you find yourself longing to havechildren, you are simply identifying with His passion.He wanted children, and that's why you do, too(unless you've been emotionally wounded or have aspecial call to remain single).

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God Chose You!q y

In the beginning, God created trees, flowers, birds,fish, animals, and a host of other earthly and celestialthings. He loved everything He created, and each dayHe said, “It is good” (Genesis 1:1-25, KJV). Eventhough He was very pleased, He still longed for a pre-cious creation made in His likeness—an object of Hisaffection to fulfill the longing of His righteous heart.

My husband Ron and I did not have children inour first year of marriage. We did, however, have twodogs. Although we enjoyed our dogs and they werelike family, they did not satisfy our longing for chil-dren. The dogs were nice, but not that nice. Therewas something inside us that said, “Children, chil-dren, children.” That longing was a small taste ofwhat the Lord felt in His heart for us. Dogs, andother creatures, were not enough for Him, either.Although He took pleasure in them, they did not sat-isfy His desire to have you! Passionate desire for youwas burning inside His heart. Envisioning you, Hesaid, “I long for you; I desire to pour out my deeplove, kindness, and goodness upon you.”

God deeply desired children; yet, before man wasever created, God knew we were going to blow it. Hewasn’t caught off guard—He is the all-knowing One.As a result, before He even created us He initiated aplan to rescue our lives from the power of sin. TheBible calls this act “redemption.” He actually tookcare for the problem for us before we had even actedout the problem. “The Lamb [was] slain before thefoundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, KJV). Godhas never been caught off guard by mankind’s fail-ures—and that includes yours!

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Years ago, I said to the Lord, “I wouldn’t choose tohave children if I knew ahead of time they were goingto rebel, betray, and dishonor me. I would be muchhappier without that type of child! Why, then, did Youcreate us?”

He spoke this clear word to me: “My plan was toprove to mankind that My love would withstandevery resistance. I allowed My love to be tested sothat you would know it would always stand andnever be withdrawn. I am Love. When anyonechooses to come into relationship with Me, they willnever, ever need to doubt My love for them. KnowingI passed every test, they will feel completely secure—and that is My desire.”

That's how much He loves you. Isn't it amazing?“Behold, what manner of love” is this? (1 John 3:6,KJV).

The Cross and the Covenant

God’s plan is for you to have an eternal relation-ship with Him that is established through a covenant.A covenant is a legally binding agreement betweentwo people or parties. For a covenant to work, theremust be absolute integrity in the making and thekeeping of all its terms. Entering into a covenant witha person of integrity gives you a sense of protection,a sense of security.

The marriage covenant is supposed to be like that.When you vow to be faithful, care for, and honor oneother, you should feel a sense of belonging and onenesswith each other. That is the purpose of covenant. Itlegally secures the relationship.


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Mankind does not have a history of beingcovenant keepers, and so the very thing that shouldoffer security is making many feel insecure. Somedon't even bother getting married anymore, becausethey think it might last or it might not. That is onereason why there is so much family breakdown thesedays. There are broken covenants everywhere, evi-denced by the high divorce rate in our nation. God,however, is a covenant-keeping God. He is full ofintegrity and always keeps the terms of the covenantsHe makes.

The original use of the word covenant meant“where the blood flows.” Ancient covenants alwaysset terms and exchanged names, weapons, andresources. Those covenants were almost always con-summated through the mingling of blood. A covenantmeal was served at the end of the ceremony and a cel-ebration of the union commenced.

The marriage covenant is a blood covenant muchlike this. We make our vows before witnesses (anexchanging of terms), we exchange names (the brideusually takes her husband’s name), and we exchangeour resources (the assets of one legally become theothers, in most cases). The marriage is then consum-mated through the sexual act, which breaks thehymenal membrane (the shedding of blood).

God’s covenant plan for His relationship with manwas a blood covenant through Christ’s blood shed forus at the cross. He set the terms (through the OldTestament Law and prophets) and then defined a nameexchange (Jesus said, “Ask in My name,” John 14:13),a weapons exchange (Jesus’ weapons and armor are

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ours) and a resource exchange (all our needs are metthrough Him).

In ancient civilizations, a representative of one tribewould cut a covenant with a representative of anothertribe. When the two leaders cut a covenant on behalfof their people, their entire tribe enjoyed the benefits ofthe covenant. This is what Christ did for us when herepresented mankind in a covenant with God. JesusChrist was—and is—our covenant representative andleader. It is His responsibility as our covenant repre-sentative to keep all the terms for us. In exchange, wereceive all the covenant blessings. Wow!


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What I’m about to share with you is amazing.God desired to make a covenant with man that wouldsecure us in relationship with Him for all eternity.However, He knew that, once mankind fell, we wouldnever be able to keep a covenant. It was impossiblebecause we became filled with a sin nature. To fulfillthe covenant terms, God required a sinless representa-tive for man who would keep all the conditions, butthere was not a sinless person to be found. As a result,He chose to fill that position Himself. He chose to takeour place in covenant by becoming a man. Jesus, beingboth Man and God, was then in reality cutting acovenant with Himself. This is how God could cut aneternal, unbreakable, unfailing covenant with man.Jesus, who was fully God, left heaven and came intothe sinful world as a man in order to fulfill this plan.

Many Christians don’t understand this. I pray thelight will go on for you today, because this truth is glo-rious. When you understand, you will worship andserve Him in full abandonment for all He has done.God loves you so very much. He desires relationshipwith you even more than you desire relationship withHim. He knew you couldn't keep a covenant, so He

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determined to become man and fulfill both sides of thecovenant Himself. Jesus, the Son of God and Son ofMan, made a covenant to include you in eternal rela-tionship because you couldn’t do it.

When He came as a man, He had to fulfill all ofman's covenant terms that were laid out in OldTestament Law. If He failed to fulfill every point of thelaw or if He gave in to temptation just once, He wouldnot qualify to keep the covenant on man’s behalf. Thiswould have been devastating for us but there was aneven greater risk for Him. Jesus is referred to inScripture as “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).The first Adam was a perfect man before the fall. Hewas made in God’s image and likeness. When he fellinto temptation, the rule and dominion that had beengiven to him was surrendered over to Satan. Romans6:16 teaches that when we submit ourselves to sin, webecome sin’s slave. That is what happened to Adamwhen he submitted to Satan’s temptation, and that iswhat would have happened to the last Adam (Jesus)too, if He fell into even the slightest temptation. Onlypure love would be willing to take a risk like that.

Jesus the Man

Just like the first Adam, Jesus was of man’s nature,yet without sin. He was to fulfill man’s requirement incovenant with man's power and capabilities. The HolySpirit came upon Him to empower Him, just like theHoly Spirit empowers you today. Through the powerof the Holy Spirit, the man Jesus remained sinlessthroughout His entire life on the earth. You need tounderstand that He resisted sin in man's strength, with

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the power of the Holy Spirit helping Him. You'd betterbelieve that there was a huge wrestling in His soulagainst sin, even though He was perfect and withoutsin in His nature. He had to wrestle, just like the firstAdam because, in order to restore mankind to itsrightful relationship with God, He had to secure thevictory as a man. Ultimately, Jesus Christ, at the end ofHis “covenant course,” would be acknowledged notonly as perfect God but also as a perfect Man whowould sit on a throne at the right hand of God. Allthings in heaven and in earth would ultimately besummed up in Him.

It was not easy for Christ to resist sin. In fact, atone point His resistance against the temptations was sogrueling that He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44).He did it in man's power for you so you wouldn't haveto do it—because you couldn’t do it. Everythingrequired for mankind to enter covenant with God wasfulfilled through the man Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilledall the law and the prophets (Acts 24:44).

Jesus Counts the Cost

I wonder if, before the foundation of the world,Jesus had to ask Himself, “How big is My love? Am Iwilling to perform acts of love, kindness, and mercyfor people who don't even desire Me? Am I able tolove so deeply that I would actually become sin forthose whom I love? Am I willing to taste death forthem?” He counted the cost and made a love choicewith you in mind, saying, “Oh, yes! You are wortheverything to Me. I will gladly leave heaven and paythe price…with joy.”


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Jesus Arrives on Earth

Mary, a young virgin, conceived Jesus by the powerof the Holy Spirit. She and Joseph traveled toBethlehem where Mary went into labor. There was noavailable lodging so Mary gave birth in an animal’sstable and laid baby Jesus in a feeding trough. Whatkind of treatment was this for man’s Savior? Nopalace, no special treatment, and hardly anyone evendiscerned who He was (Luke 1, 2).

He had to start passing love tests right away. If Hehad been offendable, He could have thought, “Well,that's it; I’m going back to Heaven. I tried to do some-thing nice for you, but you treated Me like an animaland threw Me into a feeding trough.” Jesus, however,did not take offense but, in tremendous humility,passed the love test. Even though He was worthy of themost extravagant treatment, He didn't demand it orexpect it. He came to serve.

Herod even tried to have Him killed when He wasa baby (Matthew 2:16), but Jesus never stoppedloving. He never withdrew love and never lost faith.What would you do if your only motivation was tohelp people and, all of a sudden, they're trying to killyou? You'd probably say something like, “I don'tneed you. I'll go somewhere else.” But Jesus had adifferent heart.

His Ministry Begins

His childhood passed, and His ministry began. Hetaught in the synagogues as a rabbi. The religiousleaders examined His teachings carefully. They knewthe Scriptures and were considered experts in the Word

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of God and doctrine. Jesus, however, is true doctrine.He is the living Word. He is true theology; and yet, Hewas called a blasphemer and a heretic by these veryleaders. They attempted to bring legal charges againstHim (Matthew 22; Mark 3: John 8). This is the waythey treated the true God.

How would you feel if you were God? There youare, teaching truth right from heaven. You're speakingtruth—because you are truth—and the people you cameto save are saying, “You’re a liar. You’re a deceiver.You're a heretic. You're teaching us false doctrine.You’re demonized.” Character assaults like this aremuch worse than simply saying, “Your theology is off.”

I’ve experienced a little of that resistance myself,and I must say those times were brutal. Everything inme wanted to withdraw. Jesus, however, never with-drew love from us, not for a moment. Each time Hewas opposed or mistreated by man, His love onceagain passed the test. He said, “I will never withdrawlove, and I will never stop believing in what canhappen in your life.” He kept consistent in faith andlove through all the mistreatment.

Jesus chose first twelve disciples and then seventy-two more. He poured His time and life into them bygiving, teaching, and mentoring, day in and day out.Many others also followed His ministry. His owndidn’t always treat Him well, but even with all the dis-appointments He suffered, He never wavered in Hiscommitment to them.


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The Garden of Gethsemane

One of Christ’s most excruciating struggles was inGethsemane (Gethsemane means “the oil press”). Hefaced every temptation that man would everencounter. Strong forces of hell were spirituallyassaulting Him. As we established earlier, Jesus hadto resist sin as a man—in the same strength as thefirst Adam. You were in His heart the entire time Hewas wrestling against temptation. The pressure wasso great against His soul that He sweat blood in Hisresistance against sin (Luke 22:44). With every dropof blood that pushed through His bursting capillariesHe was saying, “For you, I will resist. No matterwhat it feels like. No matter how excruciating it is.My emotions are being rung out beyond explanationbut it's all for you. It's all for you.”

I've faced some grueling spiritual battles and haveengaged in warfare with powerful demonic entities.Although these seasons were unbearably painful, theywere nothing at all in comparison to what Jesus expe-rienced. I am a little aware, however, of the crushingfeeling that pressures your emotions and your mind

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during such times. In the midst of this type of battle, itis essential to keep focused, because all you have is theWord of God to stand on. Everything else that is goingon in your life seems contrary to the truth, and there'sjust one point of choice: “I will stand on Your Word,Lord, no matter what. I will trust my soul into Yourkeeping.” It is all you have.

At the end of these battles, your emotions, yourthinking processes, and even your physical body, areweakened, fatigued, and fragile. At times during theseintense battles, I had to draw strength from God toeven breathe. The impact of such warfare is veryexcruciating; I can't even find words to describe it.What I experienced, however, is still nothing in com-parison to the pressure that Jesus experienced.

What was it like for Jesus when He had the hordesof hell trying to take Him out? What motivated Him tostand through this agony? God didn't need to putHimself in this position. Do you know why He did? Itwas His love for you. He said, “I’m doing this to fulfillyour covenant requirements.” He loves you that much.

Just for a moment, forget about everyone else onthe face of the earth. If you alone were left, He'd do itall over again. In the midst of Gethsemane’s agony, youwere in His vision. The thought of having you withHim for all eternity was His motivation to continue.Your face gave Him the strength to endure.

Betrayed by a Friend

When Jesus departed from the garden, He wasweak and exhausted. Judas, one of His twelve disci-ples, approached Him, betraying Him with a kiss.

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Even though Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, Hecontinued to call Him “friend.” He said, “Friend, dowhat you have come for” (Matthew 26:50).

Betrayal is very painful. If you have been betrayed,you know how difficult it is on your emotions, but evenbetrayal could not make Jesus withdraw love or friend-ship. There is nothing you can do to make Him with-draw His love. You can treat God terribly. You can tellHim to leave you alone, but He will never withdrawlove from you. He'll continue to say, “I love you.”

Abandoned and Denied

I can't imagine what it would feel like to be in aferocious spiritual battle and then experience betrayalby a close friend and co-worker. To top it all off,though, all His followers fled when He was arrested.When you're in a hard place, being falsely accused,you just want someone, even if it's only one, to standwith you. “Is there one who will just come to My sideright now? Is there one who will believe in Me? Isthere one who will defend Me?” Jesus did not evenhave one. His own disciples, whom He had pouredHimself into for three years, all fled in fear of theirreputations being destroyed.

As Jesus was led away, He heard Peter, one of Hisclosest disciples, swearing, “I do not know Him” (Luke22:57). Oh, how painful it must have been for Jesuswhen He heard that denial. He knew prophetically thatPeter would do this, but foreknowledge doesn’t ease theemotional devastation when it actually happens.

“Peter, I need you right now. Are you so afraid foryour own life that you wouldn't even admit you know


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Me? Peter, look into my eyes and see My pain. See Mylove. You have denied Me, but You cannot make Mewithdraw love from you.”

His Trial

False witnesses were paid to testify against Jesus incourt. That is harsh! When you know someone is lyingabout you, the natural tendency is to immediatelydefend yourself. Isaiah 53:7 reveals, though, that Jesuswas like a lamb led to the slaughter, silent before Hisshearers, not opening His mouth in His own defense.He had purposed in His heart to offer unconditionallove and mercy to the lying witnesses. “You can lineyour pockets with filthy lucre, but you cannot makeMe withdraw My love from you.”

They stripped Him naked, placed a crown ofthorns on His head and mocked Him openly. Eventhough you and I were not yet created, we were there,hidden in the heart of depraved humanity. We mightthink that we would never hurt or deny Him, but, likePeter, we might not understand the weakness of ourown flesh. It is probable that each of us would havedone the same thing.

Christ’s love was being severely tested by mankind.You and I have put His love to the test many times, andyet He has never abandoned us, and neither has Hewithdrawn love. He never will.

Beaten and Scourged

Jesus was beaten, spit upon and mocked (Matthew27). His face was violently struck, apparently makingHim unrecognizable. Again, with every cruel punch,

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His response was only love as He gazed into the eyesof His afflicters.

He was brutally scourged with a whip that hadnine leather strips. At the end of each strip were littlepieces of sharp metal or bone. Each stroke providednine lashings. It was a common belief that forty lasheswould bring death. Under Roman laws He might havereceived even more. History reveals that His flesh wasliterally ripped open and that His innards wereexposed. Every time the razor-sharp edge of the whipdug into His flesh, you were in His heart. Your facewas constantly before Him. You were the reason Hecould endure such hostility. Looking into the face ofthose who were cruelly scourging Him, He would havesaid once again, “You cannot make Me withdraw Mylove.” He would have assured you, too, if it was yourhand holding the scourge.

Crucified

Jesus carried the heavy wooden cross that washeaved onto His back. Weakened with pain, He stag-gered up to Calvary’s hill. An angry mob followedHim, mocking, ridiculing, and shouting, “CrucifyHim. Crucify Him” (Matthew 28; Mark 14; Luke 23;John 19). They nailed His hands and feet to the crossand hung Him between two guilty criminals. Theywere crucifying an innocent man.

To many, it looked like Jesus’ life was being taken.It appeared that Jesus was defeated, but His life wasn'ttaken—it was given. The devil did not take Jesus' life.The false witnesses did not take His life. The Jews didnot kill Him. The Romans did not kill Him. You did


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not kill Him. No one killed Him. He freely gave Hislife. When you see Jesus hanging on the cross, you seelove Himself hanging there—a free gift of love—lovethat had been completely proven and tested againsteverything that could possibly oppose or destroy it.

Love Himself was on that cross, stripped nakedand humiliated, hanging there in agonizing pain. In themidst of this agony, one of the thieves asked to besaved. Jesus didn't hesitate. In His greatest point ofneed, He continued to pour Himself out. He couldhave said, “What do you mean you want a favor fromMe? Really? I don’t deserve to be here, and you do.Forget it, it’s too late!”

Jesus wasn't, and isn’t, like that. He proved Hislove once again, “Of course, I will save you. In fact,today I'll do it, and you will be with Me in paradise.You will see the glory of My salvation” (Luke 23:43).

Looking down from His cross, Jesus saw a mass ofpeople—a crowd that delighted to watch Him die. “IfYou are the Son of God, come down from the cross”(Matthew 27:40). His merciful, loving retaliation was,“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what theyare doing” (Luke 23:34).

Can you imagine? We sometimes find it difficult toforgive those who hurt or offend us. Consider Jesus: amass of angry people rallied against Him, and youwere there too—all humanity was. Oh yes, He sawyour face in the crowd that day. We all sinned againstHim, and yet He said, “Father, forgive them all.” Heforgave all the sins of mankind right at that point. Hecancelled the debt of sin. Only pure Love Himself cando that.

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He went even further and actually becamemankind's sin. Jesus chose to become sin (2Corinthians 5:21). He chose to have your sin pouredinto Him so that He could pour His righteousnessinto you. He chose to become something abhorrentthat would be judged so that you would be free fromjudgment.

Have you ever been mistreated, taken advantageof, or sinned against? Doesn’t it give you a greatfeeling to see the offender punished, knowing they’regetting what they deserve? But Jesus' heart was dif-ferent. He said, “No, I'll take the punishment for yoursin. I'll take full responsibility. You can go free.”

A number of years ago, I was on the mission field.I misjudged a particular situation and consequentlymade some bad decisions. My actions seriously hurtsome individuals. When I finally saw the situationclearly, I was terribly grieved, overwhelmed, anddeeply ashamed. I thought I should have known better,I shouldn't have done that. It was difficult for me tobelieve that I hadn’t seen the situation through eyes ofwisdom in the first place. I asked for forgiveness fromone individual who was particularly wounded throughthe process, but that person refused to extend theundeserved mercy that I desperately needed.

For years afterwards, I had a very difficult time for-giving myself. One day, I was crying out to the Lord inprayer, “Don't let my failure continue to hurt them.Don't let it ruin their lives.” I felt terrible to the verycore of my being.

The Lord spoke very soberly to me. “You didn'tcommit that sin. You didn’t make that mistake. I did.”


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“What? No, Lord! You never did that. I’m the onewho did it.”

“I did it,” He insisted.“Jesus, no, You didn't. You are perfect, and You

have never wronged anyone, ever!”He tenderly responded, “I bore your mistake on the

cross 2,000 years ago. I chose to take full responsibilityfor this mistake so that you might go free. I have evenborne the judgment for it. You are free! I became thissin for you, and in exchange, I have given you My righ-teousness. This has all been paid in full. If there is anyfurther problem, that hurting individual will need tocome to Me. You have been totally released and fullyjustified. You never did it!”

I burst into tears, tears of gratitude that flowedfrom deep inside my being. How can I not love a Godwho showed that much mercy? He clearly revealed tome that day that this is what He's done for us all. Thisis what is called “substitution.” He literally took ourjudgment and, in exchange, gave us His life and righ-teousness. Oh my, can we fully grasp this?

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God's love for us today is no different than itwas for the sinful crowd at the foot of the cross 2,000years ago. He performed an eternal exchange, saying,“It is no longer you who sinned, but Me. I havebecome your sin. I have paid the penalty. I have takenfull responsibility. It is no longer your issue.” Love laiddown His life for all people. Love laid down His lifefor you! You are free!

Dying in Faith

Gazing at you through the portals of time, Jesusdied on the cross in love and in faith. He gave up theghost and cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30).Helpless, but remaining in faith, He entrusted His lifeinto the hands of His Father. When He became yoursin, He had no power to raise Himself from the dead.God planned Christ’s resurrection before the founda-tion of the world. And Jesus believed Him.

After His death, Jesus descended into the lowerparts of the earth (Ephesians 4:9). On the third day,His Heavenly Father raised Him from the dead. Maryand the other women, the disciples, and many othersliterally saw Him walking the earth following His res-

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urrection (Acts 1:3). Oh yes, He is the Resurrectionand the Life—the firstborn from the dead! When Hewas raised from the dead, He took the keys of deathand of hell (Revelation 1:18). He stripped the devil ofhis authority and made an open show of him. Oh,what an eternal victory!

Jesus Christ is forever the Resurrection and theLife. Jesus has invited everyone into eternal relation-ship with God through simply receiving Him as Saviorby faith. All the work for mankind’s redemption hasbeen completed in Christ—finished! He did it all forus. The only thing left for us to do is to simply believe.Mankind’s identity is found in Jesus—the One whoaccomplished everything for us. No man can boast inhis own ability to save himself. Jesus fully paid the debtthat we could not pay. He fully accomplished the workthat we could not do. All glory to Him!

Jesus walked the earth for forty days after His res-urrection from the dead and then gloriously ascendedto Heaven. He is forever seated at the right hand ofGod, far above all principalities, powers, and everyname that is named (Ephesians 1:20-22). We are seatedwith Jesus in the heavenly places when we receive Himas our Savior (Ephesians 2:6). Our life is hidden withGod in Christ (Colossians 3:3).

Sealed in the Covenant

Everyone who believes in Christ has the gift ofeverlasting life, His abundant life. Everyone whobelieves in Him is forever sealed into covenant, alegally binding love agreement between God and man.This covenant is an eternal covenant. It is impossible

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for it to be broken, because it is between Jesus-Manand Jesus-God. Jesus won our place for us through Hisown sinless life. When you believe in Him, you aresaved from the separation from God that sin creates.Your identity as a Kingdom child is not in your ownability to accomplish anything. It is in His completedwork—His ability—past tense. It is done! It is finished!In fact, if we were to be absolutely honest right now,you are an utter failure outside of Christ. It is impos-sible for you to please God in your own strength—absolutely impossible! The only way anyone can pleaseGod is by believing in Christ.

The arms of Jesus are open to all sinners. If youreceive Jesus as Savior, then your identity is in Him.You are in Christ, a brand new creation. You are eter-nally one with Him. It is simple faith that connects youto this glorious eternal salvation. That's all you have todo—simply believe. That's it. That's all. Ephesians 2:8-9, says “For by grace you have been saved throughfaith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;not as a result of works, that no one may boast.”

What is this grace that saves us? It is His divineinfluence in your life. It is His choice to accomplisheverything for you. It is His work of favor over you—undeserved favor. You don’t deserve it; I don’t deserveit. No one does. It's undeserved, unmerited favor. It'sHis influence that comes upon your heart. You havebeen saved by grace through faith.

Simple faith is what connects you to the glorious,finished work of the cross. When you make this “faithconnection,” you become a brand new creation.Second Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone


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is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things havepassed away; behold, all things have become new”(NKJV).

Ah, what a glorious life we have been given inChrist—a brand new life; eternal relationship withGod Himself. Christ did all this for you! You see howprecious you are? God loves you with an everlastinglove…He really does!

Perhaps you have just read through this littlebooklet and your heart is longing to become God’schild. It’s simple. The following is a little prayer. If itrepresents your desire, why don’t you go ahead andpray it from your heart. God will hear you. His gift oflife and love will enter you and your journey begins!

Heavenly Father,

I come to You, acknowledging Your love forme. I believe that You sent Your Son JesusChrist to die on the cross for my sins. I believeHe paid the full penalty for my sins and hasoffered me eternal life. I accept the gift of Yourlove. Jesus, come into my heart right now andmake me a brand new person within. Thankyou for forgiving my sin and for giving meeternal life. I thankfully receive Your preciousgift of love. Amen.

Your New life Begins

When you receive Jesus as your personal Savior byfaith, His life enters your spirit. You are now whatScripture calls born again (read John 3:1-9). You have

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Christ’s brand new life inside you. His purity, love,peace, truth, and blessings are now inside your spirit.You are beautiful and perfect within.

Just like a newborn baby needs nourishment andcare, so do new babies in the Lord. The Bible is full oftruth that is like fresh milk and food for you. As youread it each day, it will nourish you and reveal won-derful things about God’s love and His ways.

You will also want to meet some other Christianswho understand the love of God. Fellowship withother followers of Jesus is great fun. Take some timeand visit some churches in your area. Christ’s HolySpirit dwells within you, and He will direct you to agood fellowship if you ask Him to.

As a child of your heavenly Father, you are invitedto communicate with Him through prayer. Prayer iseasy—you simply share your heart with Him. He lovesto answer your desires. Some good teaching on prayerwill help you to grow in understanding and practisingthe many different ways that you can communicatewith God. Prayer is very fulfilling and powerful.

All of God’s goodness belongs to you when you arein Christ…so imbibe of it all. You have been called toa full and glorious life in Jesus. Enjoy!


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Confession of God’s Everlasting Love

The Lord loves me with an everlasting love and haspromised to give me a future and a hope. With loving-kindness, He has drawn me unto Himself. I look care-fully and intently at the manner of love the Father haspoured out upon me. It is through this love that He hascalled me to be His dear child. I am completely andfully accepted in Him, my God and Savior.

Nothing can separate me from the love of God thatis in Christ Jesus my Lord—not tribulation or distress,not persecution, famine or nakedness, not peril, sword,angels, principalities, powers, death, or life; neitherthings present nor things to come—absolutely nothingcan separate me from the love of God which is inChrist Jesus my Lord (Romans 8:35-39).

God’s love towards me is patient and kind. His lovefor me bears all things, believes all things, hopes allthings and endures all things. His love will never fail (1Corinthians 13). His love for me is so rich that He gaveHis only begotten Son. Because of this, I will neverperish but have everlasting life with Him. As a result ofGod’s great love for me, I have an unbreakable, eternal

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covenant with Him. Through this covenant of love, Hehas put His laws within my heart and written His com-mandments upon my mind.

I have been invited to the Lord’s banqueting table,and His banner over me is love (Song of Solomon 2:4).His love is better than the choicest of wines. ThroughHis intimate love, He draws me and invites me tofollow after Him. I am fair and pleasant unto Him. Iam rooted and grounded in His love, well able to com-prehend with all believers the width and length anddepth and height of His unfailing love. I have beencalled to know this rich love that surpasses knowledge,so that I may be filled with all the fullness of God(Ephesians 3:17-19). I truly am the object of God’sdeepest love and affection.

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PATRICIA KING is a passionate minister of Jesus Christ,serving as President of Christian Services Association (CSA)and Extreme Prophetic. Patricia is an internationallyrenowned speaker, television host, and prophetic minister whohas authored numerous Bible courses, books and booklets.


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