S.L.A.Y. Note: Loved

Love Songs Truth Restored Identity Remembered

Because We Are Not Just Listening But Reframing Through God’s Truth Lens

The Songs Play | Truth Is Revealed | The Lies Unravel

From Truth → Identity → Love

For the past season, we have prioritized realigning our misconceptions about our identity with the only actual standard of absolute truth —God’s Word.

We have been confronting comparison, naming lies, and remembering that identity is not determined by the world’s interpretation of value. Identity begins with what God has spoken.

Yet restored identity is not the finish line, it is also what prepares the heart to receive what God has been offering us all along:

Love.

S.L.A.Y.

S. L .A.Y. is a formation framework.

S — Spirit-Led

S — Spirit-Led

L — Loved

L — Loved

A — Anointed

A — Anointed

Y — Yielded

Y — Yielded

S. L .A.Y. is not a self-help formula or a mindset hack. It is language for the long-term work of God in a born-again believer that is facilitated by the leading of HIS Holy Spirit.

But today, we are not unpacking the whole framework. Today, we will sit with one word:

Loved.

The society we live in defines the word “loved” in many different ways, but in this context, it simply means that our Identity is rooted in being loved by God before assignments, before proving, before producing, and before striving to be seen by anyone else.

That is where Redeemed & Reframed begins. Before we can real trace love through songs, we have to look to the One who actually defines it.

The Source

God is the Source of everything in creation, including love itself. HE has ultimately designed and defined the parameters of everything seen and unseen, because nothing else was in existence before HE established it.

Love did not begin with a lyric, a relationship, a wedding vow, or a feeling we could name. Love comes from God. (1 John 4:7)

That matters because Redeemed & Reframed is not trying to make love songs sacred. We are listening for longing in the lyrics, and then bringing what we hear back to the only Source who can rightly define love.

But before we can go any further, it is important for me to ask — What do you believe about God and HIS character? Who is HE to you?

Trust me, these questions are important and your answers will shape everything that you experience next on this journey. I for one will admit that I could not answer truthfully until I was 47 years old, even though I had received Christ at the early age of 5.

So, while I do not profess to know everything about our Creator, I will do my best to explain the most important characteristics that I have come to know over time— at least as much as has been revealed to me through HIS Word and by HIS Spirit.

God Is…

Many believers and non-believers alike see God in one of two extremes:

A harsh judge waiting to throw a lightning bolt at us when we sin (or)

A harsh judge waiting to throw a lightning bolt at us when we sin (or)

A sweet and kind pushover who tolerantly sweeps sin under the rug

A sweet and kind pushover who tolerantly sweeps sin under the rug

I assure you, God is neither of these and unfortunately most people do not perceive HIM correctly because thankfully, HIS thoughts and ways are far beyond what we could ever imagine. (Isaiah 55:8)

So, before we can trace the evidence of love in any capacity, we have to reach a clear consensus of who God is. I have come to know HIM in 3 very real ways—God is King, God is Love, and God is Holy.

God is sovereign and HIS Kingdom is an absolute monarchy. Once we have invited the King into our lives to rule, HIS commands are no longer optional. (Zechariah 14:9, Luke 6:46-48, Revelations 19:16)

God is sovereign and HIS Kingdom is an absolute monarchy. Once we have invited the King into our lives to rule, HIS commands are no longer optional. (Zechariah 14:9, Luke 6:46-48, Revelations 19:16)

God is Love. We love because HE loved us first. HE sacrificed HIS son Jesus to die for our sins. As believers we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds, and love others as we love ourselves (1John 4:7-8, 16,19, Matthew 22:37-39, and John 3:16)

God is Love. We love because HE loved us first. HE sacrificed HIS son Jesus to die for our sins. As believers we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds, and love others as we love ourselves (1John 4:7-8, 16,19, Matthew 22:37-39, and John 3:16)

God is Holy. This King is spotless, and without blemish—pure in every sense of the word. HE uncompromisingly hates sin and cannot abide it in any form. That is why the blood of Jesus was shed: to cleanse us from sin and allow us to enter into God’s presence. (1Peter 1:14-16, 1Thessalonians 4:7-8, Hebrews 10:19-22, 1John1:7)

God is Holy. This King is spotless, and without blemish—pure in every sense of the word. HE uncompromisingly hates sin and cannot abide it in any form. That is why the blood of Jesus was shed: to cleanse us from sin and allow us to enter into God’s presence. (1Peter 1:14-16, 1Thessalonians 4:7-8, Hebrews 10:19-22, 1John1:7)

If God were not holy—set apart from all impurity—HE could not truly BE love. Yet, because HE is both holy and love, HE is the safest and most trustworthy place for us to rest. HIS holiness means HE will never sin against us. HIS love means HE patiently calls us out of sin and into the purity and holiness that reveals HIM. (1Thessalonians 4:7-8, Matthew 5:8, Habakkuk 1:13)

Doesn’t this sound like a King worth serving? This is what the truth is concerning the God of the Bible, but as I said before—how you answer my question concerning Who God is to you , will impact everything on this Love Thread journey moving forward.

The Love Thread is not a feeling, a force, or a separate spiritual being. It does not save, heal, keep, redeem, or stay. Christ does.

The Love Thread is the trail of truth we follow from human longing back to Christ. It helps us see where the longing was pointing all along.

If we cannot perceive God correctly, how could we ever get to the place of receiving a real revelation of HIS love? I certainly did not for the majority of my life. Let’s talk about why.

Perception and Reception

There is a quiet distance that exists in many lives—a gap between what is known and what is trusted.

Knowledge vs Belief

Most people assume knowledge and belief are the same thing. Scripture does not. Knowledge can exist without transformation. Belief cannot. Knowledge informs the mind; belief governs it.

This distinction explains something many people struggle to articulate.

They know what Scripture says. They agree with it. They can explain it.

And yet, they live as though it does not matter.

The issue is not exposure to truth . It is where truth has been allowed to settle— the heart .

In biblical language, the heart is not simply the seat of emotion. It is the center of trust, perception, and decision-making. What the heart believes determines how the mind reasons and how the body responds. This is why Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard the heart above all else —because whatever governs the heart governs life.

Belief requires surrender. To believe something biblically is not merely to agree with it. It is to arrange life around it . Belief accepts authority. It allows God’s Word to define reality even when experience argues otherwise.

Distorted Perceptions and False Narratives

Here is where the tension lives: When truth is compromised, a snowball effect occurs.

I can only receive God’s love to the degree that I rightly perceive His motives. If my perception of God is distorted, my reception of His love will be hindered as a result.

Perception is how I understand, recognize, or discern who God is. Reception is what I am able to accept, obtain, and take hold of from Him.

Narratives are stories created to make sense of ones experiences, and below is an example of how I saw God based on my limited understanding of Him.

False narratives rarely announce themselves as lies. They arrive quietly, often during moments when clarity feels unavailable and survival feels urgent. This is what happened to me.

I knew Scripture very well, but I still did not trust God as Lord over my life. When truth is known but not believed, people default to trusting what they think has kept them safe rather than what God has promised. Scripture may be present, but experience becomes the final interpreter. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

We Can’t Receive What We Are Still Resisting

Many people are not resisting God because they hate HIM. They are resisting because they are not fully convinced HIS love is safe.

God Is Not…

When life experiences begin to contrast with our interpretations of what the Word of God says, we easily begin to confuse:

Holiness with Harshness

Holiness with Harshness

Correction with Rejection

Correction with Rejection

Conviction with Condemnation

Conviction with Condemnation

Surrender with Danger

Surrender with Danger

God’s Jealousy with Insecurity

God’s Jealousy with Insecurity

God’s Commands with Control

God’s Commands with Control

We cannot receive the love of God if we are still suspicious of HIM, HIS character, or HIS motives. If God is Love, then we should interpret HIS Word through the fullness of who HE is—not through fear, skepticism, trauma, or imperfect examples of human authority.

Again, even though I knew what God’s Word said, I did not receive it as truth . Knowing is not believing! It’s not what we know, but what we have come to believe as true that the matters most in our minds!

Unfortunately, there was still a part of me that wanted to keep living life however I wanted and I actually thought I got better results doing things my own way. Those small wins were very short lived however, and then I actually had the nerve to blame God for the consequences of my disobedience. I would seek HIM when it was convenient, but I was not submitted to HIM as King! Jeremiah 17:9 says, “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

I have always been loved by God, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually decided to believe what HIS Word says, and trust HIM as Lord, and not just Savior.

Everything God has ever done or will do will remain consistent with HIS holy love (Psalm 89:14) . That includes but is not limited to HIS conviction, HIS discipline, HIS boundaries, HIS righteousness, and HIS commands.

Loved does not mean God ignores sin. (Romans 6:23) Loved does not mean God approves of everything I do. (Prov. 6:16-19, Hab. 1:13) Loved does not mean God removes correction. (Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:6) Loved is not permission to stay the same. (Romans 8:29) Loved is the safe place where transformation begins. (Romans 12:1-2)

We cannot receive what we are still resisting. And apart from Christ, our hearts will always resist. (Romans 8:7, John 15:5)

Long before we can begin submitting narratives and perceptions to the truth of God’s Word to be reframed, we must meet the Author and receive what He sacrificed His life for.

“Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

New birth is the foundation. From there, as we read God’s Word and renew our minds, the Holy Spirit begins purifying the heart, correcting distorted desires, and reshaping how we understand love, identity, holiness, and obedience.

When a person is born again, change does not begin with better thinking or a better self-image. Change begins with our choice to repent or turn away from sin and accept Christ’s gift of salvation. With new life in Christ, we must then allow the Holy Spirit to confront our false perceptions of God and teach us to trust HIS love. (Titus 3:5, John 3:5-8)

Are You Ready To Receive?

As I explained in the beginning, how well you were able to navigate through this and follow the Love Thread, was directly related to your answer to the following question: Who is God to you?

Proverbs 9:10 says, “ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This is not fear as panic or dread, but holy reverence-a heart that honors God as God.

So this where I will tell you, it would be wise to acknowledge God as King of Kings! (Your King) . Otherwise our Jesus becomes just another random religious figure and HIS Word in our Bible, becomes an optional moral code, instead of the absolute truth , believers know it to be.

It would also be wise to posture yourself to receive this same truth concerning who God says you are or else this message will have no lasting impact on your life! God’s love is not therapy, it is the holy redeeming love God revealed in Christ. You are loved and accepted in Christ, and you always have been. (Romans 5:8, 1John 3:1)

Now, it is only fitting to take a moment and give you the free opportunity to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior if you have not already done so. It is as simple as saying the words below.

I believe in You Jesus, that You willingly sacrificed Yourself for my sins. I want you to be Lord of my life. I receive Your truth in exchange for all of my false narratives and distorted perceptions of You and who You created me to be right now! Amen!

If you said that prayer, I am so excited for you and the giant leap of faith you just made. Please DM me so I can provide you with resources and walk with you in your new journey. I would also like to offer prayer.

I must remind you of one last thing though. Our entire faith walk is a process and we cannot accomplish everything on our own. We must surrender to God. But here is some encouragement, HE (God) is perfecting everything concerning you. ( Psalm 138:8)

I will give them one heart [a new heart], and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them the heart of stone, and will give them a heart of flesh [that is responsive to My touch] (Ezekiel 11:19)

It wasn’t until I began asking the Lord to create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me (Psalm 51:10), that I actually started to believe what I already knew about God, but struggled to accept for most of my life.

Thankfully, I now have such a divine revelation of HIS love for me, not because I did anything to deserve it, but because I am finally able to receive it as HE gives it unconditionally.

This is where I first truly saw the evidence of HIS Love Thread and began to trace it in everything. No matter how I tried, I could not help but to see the impact of God’s fingerprint everywhere.

Bridge to Redeemed and Reframed

The Redeemed and Reframed music project was birthed from this testimony. After years of treating God’s love carelessly because of a lack of trust, reframing lies about my identity with the truth of HIS Word has set me free!

Although I was a die hard music lover, I realized that before culture ever sang about love, God was its Source. Before we searched for love, God loved first. Before our hearts knew how to name the ache, Christ had already revealed the answer through His life, His sacrifice, His truth, and His redeeming love. (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:19, and Romans 5:8).

This is how the project title was formed.

Redeemed, because God restores what sin, pain, confusion, and culture have distorted.

Reframed, because truth changes how we see. It changes how we perceive love, identity, longing, and even ourselves.

However, Redeemed & Reframed is not self-help. It is truth applied to the heart of the born‑again believer . God’s love does not merely affirm us where we are; it redeems us, corrects us, transforms us as image bearers of Christ, and teaches us to see love according to HIS Word.

The thread has been love all along, but not love as culture defines it. The thread has been leading us back to the holy redeeming love of Christ.

More Redeemed & Reframed Details Here

Closing Prayer

We can’t receive what we are still resisting. So, Lord, reframe how we see You.

Where our experiences have distorted our perception of Your character, bring us back to the truth of Your Word.

Where we have resisted Your love because we misunderstood Your holiness, Your correction, or Your commands, teach our hearts to trust You again.

Give us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us.

Help us receive the love You have revealed in Christ — holy love, redeeming love, correcting love, keeping love, transforming love.

We do not merely want to follow the Love Thread back to a feeling. We desire for it to lead us back to You, the only Source of absolute truth .

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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