I read a medical term the other day that sobered me: philophobia—the fear of being loved.
This broke my heart because when someone fears being loved, it robs them of the life God intended. It allows the enemy to steal their significance and, in turn, their successes.
Thankfully, in Romans 8:37, God promises He can turn every tragedy into triumph—if we’ll lean on His love: “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Backing up to verse 31, we discover how this transformation occurs: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things?” What are these things that allow us to conquer tragedy and turn it into triumph?
Verses 31-35 continues with our answer: “…If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
To transform our tragedies into triumphs, we must first overcome spiritual domination through fighting the battle of our thoughts. Psychology Today recently reported that the average American thinks 60,000 different thoughts daily, yet 95 percent are repetitive and 80 percent negative. This is our greatest battle! As we overcome this war on our thoughts, we begin believing we truly can be loved.
Second, we must depend on God’s provision. In verse 32, Paul asks a profound question: if God was willing to sacrifice His own Son to cleanse us from sin, why would He withhold anything else we need?
Third, to allow love into our lives, we must live free from accusation and condemnation. We cannot let the enemy convince us we’re beyond redemption. Instead, we’re to remind ourselves that God’s sacrifice of Jesus demonstrates He’s for us.
Finally, to accept love and transform tragedies into triumphs, we must refuse separation from Christ. This means addressing sin issues affecting our lives and embracing the transformation Romans 8 promises.
When we face life’s tragedies, our natural response might be to build walls, protecting ourselves from further hurt. However, these same walls that keep pain out also keep love out. By dismantling these barriers and allowing God’s perfect love to permeate our hearts, we discover our identity as conquerors.
We won’t navigate the journey from tragedy to triumph through our own strength, but through surrendering to God’s love that heals, restores, and transforms.
Friend, I truly believe this will be your best season yet as you let God love you. Remember: you are more than a conqueror!
