“Accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6)

If you’re saved, you’re accepted by God because you’re in Christ. Christ is the Beloved, and because He is loved of the Father, you are granted all the privileges of a child of God and a bride of Christ.

You’re forgiven, justified…“just as if I’d never sinned!” “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).

Some Christians measure their acceptance in the Beloved based on feelings. They rightly expect to have a sense of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The problem with this, is feelings are never an accurate way of determining God’s favor. They do force the saint to examine himself, which is a good thing.

When something bad happens, the saint naturally wonders why God allowed the bad thing to happen, and unless he goes to God in prayer and counters these feelings by laying open his heart before God, he’ll naturally lower his shield of faith, and fiery darts can strike him (Ephesians 6:16).

Bad feelings are usually associated with something the saint fears. Fear is a symptom of not trusting God. You must immediately go to God with your fear. Prayer is a continuous means of grace for those who do it, which is why we’re told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If you don’t know how to pray, just say, “Lord, I fear this thing. Based on your Word, I know everything that happens to me, You allow for Your purpose. I cooperate with Your purpose and thank you for whatever You’re doing. Please give me wisdom to pray for the people and things you want me to pray for”.