When Selfishness is Good

           

 
My beloved, I know your heart. I know that even your most generous acts often carry hidden longings—for approval, for purpose, for love. And I do not condemn you for this. I created you with desire. I shaped you to seek.

Even when you obey Me, there is still something in it for you—a sense of peace, a hope for reward, a longing to please. But do not be ashamed of this. What you call selfishness, I call hunger. It is part of the way I designed you to be. And I am not offended by your hunger when you bring it to Me.

When you gave your life to Me, I began the quiet work of reshaping your motives—not to erase your desires, but to redeem them. I mean for you to be motivated by, even greedy for, heavenly rewards. I do not ask you to stamp out your longing. I ask you to let Me direct it.

It is possible to have a wrong desire, but there will be many more moments when you simply enjoy the sweetness I’ve placed in your life—like a child (or a puppy) delighting in a scoop of ice cream. And there will be moments when you feel moved to share that sweetness with someone else. Both are beautiful. Both can reflect My heart. What matters is not whether you indulge or give, but whether your heart is turned toward Me in the moment. When it is, even the smallest joys become sacred.

So come to Me with your desires, even the ones you don’t fully understand. I am not looking for perfection—I am looking for connection. And in that connection, I will teach you how to love in ways that bring life to others and to you.

With love that never shames,

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💜Author's Note: I would love to personally pray for you. If you have a request, you can share it with me here: https://t.ly/NEKiD

❤️

Jesus Took Your Shame—Walk in His Freedom

Do you ever feel like a lowly worm—burdened by shame, guilt, or a vague sense of worthlessness? Do you feel as though you are failing, yet you don’t even know exactly how? As if I do not fully accept you just as you are?

If you do, hear this truth: those feelings are not from Me.

I did not come to condemn you but to save you. The weight of shame is never something I place upon My children. I despise shame—so much so that I took it upon Myself on the cross, so you would never have to bear it. Hebrews 12:2 says that I scorned the shame, endured the cross, and now sit at the right hand of the Father. My sacrifice removes your shame and restores you to honor before God.

Yet, sadly, many of My children still live under the burden of shame, believing they are unworthy, believing they are somehow failing Me without knowing why. But Romans 8:1 declares that there is no condemnation for those who are in Me. When I convict, I do so with clarity, direction, and encouragement.

Look at how I interact with My children in Scripture. I never tell an actual person that they are simply "bad" or "wrong." Instead, I gently and specifically point out areas where growth is needed. You may call yourself a loser, please don't, but you will never hear anything like that from Me. Instead, I might say, "You know your drinking is starting to affect your relationships with people you love." 

I do not leave you in despair with your sin—I come alongside you, placing My arm around your shoulder, and I show you the way forward: I say, "Do you see that? We are going there, together."

I do not hold you in shame. I lift you up.

You are no longer a lowly worm. In Me, you are a butterfly.

With love beyond measure,

Author's Note: I would love to personally pray for you. If you have a request, you can share it with me here: https://t.ly/NEKiD 

Butterfly Vectors by Vecteezy

Come to Me: A Love Letter from the Savior

In today’s reflection, we pause to remember the nearness of Christ, especially when life feels restless and hurried.

When the world presses in, Jesus whispers the opposite of striving. His call isn’t to fix yourself first—it’s simply to come. In this voice-only video, you’re invited to listen as if He were speaking directly to you: tenderly, truthfully, and full of love.

Rest isn’t passive. It’s powerful. When we receive His love and let go of spiritual perfectionism, the Spirit begins to move within us—healing, strengthening, and flowing outward as comfort for others.

Theme: Turn to Jesus, who is with you always. Rest in His love, be filled with His Spirit, and find strength to offer love and rest to others
Length: Approx. 45 seconds

Let your heart be still. You are seen, you are loved, and grace is within reach.

With love beyond measure,


💜Author's Note: I would love to personally pray for you. If you have a request, you can share it with me here: https://t.ly/nckbo

Shattered Yet Rising

When you falter—when it feels like everything has fallen apart, even by your own hand—I remain. I am the One who forgives, who rebuilds, who breathes life into what seems lost. One of My greatest joys is turning ashes into wonder (Isaiah 61:3).

Like a tender bloom rising from shattered shell, what looks like the end is often the beginning— a quiet unfolding of something new, something unimagined, something that will one day make you smile in awe.

With love beyond measure,

Visit Water for the Panting Deer on Facebook https://t.ly/AnuTV

💜Author's Note: I would love to personally pray for you. If you have a request, you can share it with me here: https://t.ly/NEKiD

Your Secret Identity is the Cure for Guilt

 

Many of My children say they are just sinners saved by grace. Untrue. You were a sinner; you are now saved by grace. And because of that, you are quintessentially good.

Are you overwhelmed with guilt? My apostle, Paul, agonized over his own sin. In Romans 7:24, he cries out: "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?"

But the identity of sin in Romans 7 is no longer yours. The moment you received Me, everything changed—you now live in My victory and freedom.

In fact, Paul goes even further: He says that when he sins, it is no longer him! "So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:17) "But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:20)

How can this be? It means being a sinner is no longer Paul’s identity (or your own identity) at his core. His true self—and your true self—has been recreated to be the righteousness of God in Me (2 Corinthians 5:21 GNT). There is now no condemnation for those who are in Me.

Approach Me without fear—freedom from guilt is My gift to you, and like any gift, the giver desires that you delight in it.

Though at times you sin, goodness is now your true identity—the core of who you are. Your feelings about yourself, may waver, but truth does not change. Now you are ‘born again,’ fresh as a newborn colt and as innocent as a babe adored by its mother (John 3:3).

The struggle with sin in Romans 7 is over—now you live in the victory and freedom of Romans 8. Rejoice and abide in Me, for you are safe and fully acceptable.

Do you believe that I have fully freed you from guilt? What holds you back from embracing your true identity in Me?

With love beyond measure,


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