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Feeling God’s love is key factor in loving him, Beth Moore says


DOTHAN, Ala. (BP)–Beth Moore delivers a simple, yet sage message when she speaks.
“You cannot be free to return the love of God unless you first accept it. You can’t love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength unless you believe God loves you.”
Moore, a popular women’s conference leader and speaker from Houston, told a predominantly female audience of 2,400 attending a “Living Proof Seminar” in Dothan, Ala., April 3-4, that God has laid this message on her heart and asked her to tell it.
“He has told me, ‘I want you to teach it and teach it.'”
Living Proof Seminars are Bible-based enrichment events featuring Moore and sponsored by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Moore is author of three LifeWay resources published by the board: “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place,” an in-depth study of the Old Testament tabernacle, “A Heart Like His,” a study of the life of King David, focusing on his years as God’s chosen king of Israel; and her newest, “To Live as Christ,” examining the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul. In Dothan, Moore’s conference was co-sponsored by Ridgecrest Baptist Church.
Moore said she believes man has an “indescribable need for love,” and consequently when Satan attacks, he attacks man’s ability to fully believe God loves him.
“If we cannot believe God loves us, then we are very handicapped in giving back that love. That we trust God is very, very important,” she said.
The most important of the Ten Commandments, she said, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. We are commanded that the biggest priority in our lives be to love the Son of God.”
Moore cautions Christians not to turn to an emotional love for God, but to rely on a mental love for him.
She said an emotional love for God doesn’t soothe when life seems “almost too hard to live; the person I need to love me doesn’t; loss of a loved one threatens to crush us; and we don’t love ourselves.
“This is not a warm fuzzy kind of love, but a vivid reality,” she said. “We have to love God with our minds; that’s the battlefield and the hardest thing to do.”
Moore said following the biblical priority of loving God is not important to God, but important to Christians.
“God does not have an innate need in his ego to be loved. It may be a shock for us to realize that God is doing just fine. When he makes a command, it is for our sake.
“There is something about loving God that does something for us,” Moore said. When life, family and friends fail us, she said, “God is the only guarantee you’ve got. “
Besides having the reassurance that God is always near, loving him with heart, soul, mind and strength brings other benefits, Moore said:
1) Love for God opens eyes to see him at work.
“If you are a born-again believer, God is at work in your life. There is a theme going on in your life. And the more you love God, the more you will see him at work. You will have a greater revelation, a greater visibility and more evidences of his presence.”
2) Love for God allows Christians to obey him.
“There is nothing harder than being a good boy or girl unless we have a heart for God. Those who love him are the ones who more easily obey his commandments.”
3) Love for God protects hearts.
“The only way we can trust our hearts and the way we feel is when our love is totally given over to God.”
4) Love for God helps Christians persevere through troubling times.
“The number one motivation you’ll have for persevering through the most difficult trials of your life will be the unabashed love of God. It is not determination, dedication or will that is going to get you through the bad times. It’s that you know God loves you, and you love him.”
The Dothan, Ala., Living Proof seminar was one of four regional events being held this year. Another seminar was held at First Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in February.
Others will be at Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala., July 10-12, and First Baptist Church and Missouri Baptist Convention, Lebanon, Mo., July 24-25.
For more information, call toll-free 1-800-254-2022. To be added to a mailing list, fax your name and address to Living Proof Seminars, 615-251-5058; email [email protected] or mail to Living Proof Seminars, MSN 151; 127 Ninth Avenue, North; Nashville, TN 37234-0151.

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  • Terri Lackey