3 Ways to Dwell in the Love of Jesus This Valentine's Day - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - February 11, 2025

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

God is in relentless pursuit of your heart. Whether or not you feel loved in this season, you are. Love is who He is. 

God’s love is active as the waterfall, crashing against the rocks—its force shattering every doubt and cleansing every sin. Sometimes it can be hard to simply receive love, to allow His grace to wash over you. But to dwell in His fierce love means to surrender every preconceived notion and every lie that the blood of Christ isn’t also for you—because it is. Let the waves of His love crash into your soul, breaking away the old, smoothing the rough places, and reshaping you into something new.  

As Psalm 23:6 reminds us, dwelling is an act, a way of being.

So let's look at 3 ways to dwell in the love of Jesus this Valentine’s Day:

1. Soak in Worship 

Soaking in worship is simply a time to rest in God’s presence. In the Gospels, Jesus is often seen sneaking away to be with His Father. We should do the same. Try laying down and playing a quiet hymn to soak in, or repeat a scripture and ask the Lord to use it to minister to your heart. 

The idea is to simply be with God. Not sure where to begin? Try “soaking” before bed for 10 minutes. There’s no right or wrong amount of time. Put a hymn on repeat, create a playlist, or rest in the quiet and allow the Holy Spirit room to speak. 

Dwelling in the love of God begins with abiding in His presence, and soaking in worship allows His peace and love to wash over you. 

2. Create Prayer Points 

Pick key, repetitive moments of your day, such as making coffee, changing the baby’s diaper, or doing dishes, and tie those daily actions to a practice of dwelling with God in prayer and meditation.

For example, every time you do the dishes meditate on Psalm 51:2-3,10: “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” 

Or try singing a hymn like “What Can Wash Away My Sin.”

Try writing your chosen scriptures on notecards to tape to specific areas for each prayer point as a visual reminder. 

Turning everyday tasks into moments of prayer invites God’s presence into the rhythm of your day, helping you remain in His love no matter what you’re doing. 

3. Personalize Scripture with Your Name 

There is power in speaking and praying God’s Word. Inserting your name into certain scriptures helps remind you that His promises are for you—not just abstract truths for someone else. This practice also taps into the idea that our thoughts, emotions, and actions are deeply connected, also known as embodied cognition. 

When we physically speak or hear something we reinforce neural pathways in our brain. This repetition over time can change our emotions, beliefs, and even our actions—even when we don’t feel it in the moment. 

In other words, aligning our hearts, minds, and words with God’s truth rewires our thoughts toward faith, peace, and confidence in Christ. 

There are endless verses to try but here are three to get you started: 

1. "Satisfy (name) in the morning with your steadfast love, that she may rejoice and be glad all her days." Psalm 90:14 (NIV) 

2. "See what love the Father has lavished on (name), that she should be called a child of God! And that is what (name) is." 1 John 3:1(NIV) 

3. "You are (name)’s hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround (name) with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7 (NIV) 

The more you engage in this practice, the more these truths become deeply rooted in your heart and mind—helping you dwell in the love of Jesus not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day.

Let's pray:

Father, thank you for relentlessly pursuing our hearts. May we look for everyday ways to pursue you, rejoicing in who you are and who you are helping us become. Amen.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/DigitalVision/Klaus Vedfelt

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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.

Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.

Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.

I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!