As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, do you wonder how God sees you?
Do you question if you can turn to Him?
As a believer in Christ, someone who’s grown up in the church and has experienced God’s love even while attracted to the same sex…I want to share God’s heart with you:
It’s OK to come to God.
Yes, you can come to Jesus. He won’t turn you away no matter what you may have heard.
All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. -John 6:37 NIV
I remember when I was proud of my identity as a woman attracted to the same sex.
It made me feel interesting and unique and at one point, I was disgusted by men. I thought the idea of two women together was beautiful. Interestingly, the more I turned away from God, the stronger those feelings became.
But same-sex attraction never kept God from loving me.
God never withheld Himself from me during that time in my life. And even after I started seeking Jesus with my whole heart, I was still holding on to that identity. I was still OK with being attracted to the same sex.
Although I did choose to stay single because I knew He loved me; I trusted Him.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. -Ephesians 3:19
But a few years ago, God gently and lovingly reminded me that my identity was not found in my sexuality, but in Him.
So I had to make a choice that night to allow Him to show me who He created me to be. I had to put my trust in Him, not in what I thought felt right. I’ve learned over time that our feelings can be deceptive and lead us astray. Only the truth of God’s Word will lead us down the path of life and peace.
When I allowed God to shine His penetrating light into the deepest, darkest places of my heart and mind; exposing things I had held onto for years…I found freedom when I gave Him my life.
True freedom.
When you come to Jesus, He won’t turn you away.
You are free to come to Him with every burden on your heart. Regardless of how comfortable you are in your life right now, Jesus is the only one who can take those burdens from you…and give you peace.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
You can come to Him with all your worries, fears, and everything on your heart because He created you and cares for you. But you have to give your life to Him.
When you give your life to Jesus:
1. You are fully known.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. -1 Corinthians 13:12
2. You are fully loved.
God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. -1 John 4:9-10
3. You are fully accepted.
Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. -Ephesians 1:4-5
What He asks of you:
- Come to Him not in pride…but in humility. We’ve all had to lay down our pride when we came to Jesus.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. -James 4:6
- Come to Him with an open, repentant heart.
- Come to Him with a willingness to hear what He has to say about your life.
And it starts with this: “I love you.”
I’m for you. You are not a mistake. I did not make you wrong. I have a great plan and purpose for your life. My thoughts about you outnumber the grains of sand.
I love you.
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11
When you give your life to Jesus, He becomes your safe place.
THE safest place for you because He knows you intimately, He knows your heart and is deeply acquainted with everything you’ve been through. He’s never left your side. There’s no reason to turn to anything or anyone else when Jesus, the Son of God is so near.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. -Revelation 3:20
Friend, this incredible message of hope and salvation is so much bigger than religion. It’s the story of life.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” -John 14:6
How to Give Your Life to Jesus.
God’s Good News
The one who created the heavens and the earth; the one who will never change – the eternal, living God did everything to save you.
When you say yes to Jesus, you’ll see that everything else you’ve tried never truly satisfied. You’ll feel so brand new and clean that you’ll be ready to follow Him.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. -Matthew 16:24
Being with Jesus is not a religious practice, trying to do right in your own strength, but it is a relationship with God that changes everything.
Jesus will do the work in you when you come to Him as you are. He’s not changing your identity, He shows you your true identity in Christ. Because anything outside of relations between a man and a woman is sin. It’s harmful to you, the lust of the flesh, and leads to more and more perverse practices.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Submitting to Jesus and His lordship, you know in your heart, not your head, that His way is the only way to true freedom. And Jesus is ready to offer that freedom to you. 🙂
You can DM @restfulfaith if you have any questions or email jackie@restfulfaith.com and I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you have or talk with you. Love you. Be blessed and encouraged.
