Beloved: A Study through the Writings of Brennan Manning

 

Session 4: Faith When You Can’t Feel Certainty

Based on Ruthless Trust and Mark 9:24

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I. The Honest Prayer

There is a moment in Mark’s Gospel when a father, desperate for his son’s healing, cries out to Jesus,

“I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

That prayer holds the tension most believers live inside.
Faith and doubt are not opposites. They often breathe in the same body.
One believes. The other trembles. Both are seen.

Brennan Manning wrote,

“The way of trust is a movement into the unknown, based on nothing but the word of Jesus. It is a daring gamble of faith.”

Trust begins when certainty ends.
It is not the absence of questions, but the decision to lean on love when the answers do not come.

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II. The Nature of Ruthless Trust

To trust ruthlessly is to trust without condition.
It means believing that God’s heart is good, even when His ways are hidden.

“The reality of naked trust is the life of a child who is not afraid to fall asleep in the arms of the Father, knowing that someone stronger will carry him home.” — Manning

Ruthless trust is not naïve.
It has felt disappointment, survived silence, and still refuses to let go.
It has learned to rest while not understanding.

Paul wrote,

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

To walk by faith is to keep moving through fog, confident that love still leads the way.

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III. When Faith Feels Like Freefall

There are seasons when God seems hidden, and the familiar lights go out.
Certainty no longer feels available.
Old assurances lose their warmth.

Manning called this the grace of darkness.

“Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God.
Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father’s active goodness and unrestricted love.”

Faith at its deepest is not sight, but surrender.
It is learning to rest in God’s character instead of demanding to see His plan.

“When we are strong, we trust our strength. When we are weak, we trust God.” — Manning

Weakness, then, becomes holy ground where trust grows stronger than fear.

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IV. The Practice of Still Trust

Trust matures in silence.
It listens more than it speaks.
It becomes a posture of heart that says,
“Even if I do not see it, You are still good.”

David prayed,

“But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5)

This kind of trust is not passive.
It keeps showing up, keeps doing good, keeps choosing peace over panic.
It keeps saying yes even when emotion says wait.

“The decisive issue is not whether we trust in God, but whether we trust in the God revealed in Jesus Christ, whose love knows no bounds.” — Manning

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V. The Invitation

Faith is not the elimination of fear. It is learning to rest while afraid.
Trust grows strongest when everything else feels uncertain.

Ruthless trust means giving up the illusion of control and standing still in the presence of mystery.
It is to whisper in the dark, “I do not understand, but I still choose You.”

“To trust in the love of God in the face of disaster is the supreme act of faith.” — Manning

That is the faith that carries you when the road is long and unseen.
It is not loud or confident. It is quiet, like the steady heartbeat of one who knows they are held.

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Practicing Trust This Week

1. Name your unknowns.
   Write down three things in your life that feel uncertain.
   Beside each one, write the phrase, “Even here, I trust Your heart.”

2. Pause before fixing.
   When something goes wrong, resist the urge to control or repair immediately.
   Take one deep breath and pray Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

3. Return to gratitude.
   Each evening, recall one moment when you felt carried rather than in control.
   Give thanks for that invisible provision.

4. Speak trust aloud.
   Throughout the day, whisper short prayers of consent:
   “I choose to trust You.”
   “You are here.”
   “I am safe in Your hands.”

5. Release the timeline.
   End your day by reading Proverbs 3:5–6:
   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
   Let that verse quiet the need to know how everything will unfold.

Beloved: A Study through the Writings of Brennan Manning

 

Session 3: Let Yourself Be Loved

Based on The Furious Longing of God and Luke 15:11–32

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I. The Longing That Comes Looking

The story of the prodigal son begins not with rebellion, but with hunger.
A son asks for his inheritance early, chasing freedom in all the wrong directions.
When his fortune disappears, he finds himself empty, rehearsing the words of apology he hopes will earn him back a place at the table.

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion,
and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

The son expects a transaction. The father offers an embrace.
Love runs faster than regret.

Brennan Manning called this the furious longing of God — not a distant affection, but a relentless pursuit.

“The love of God is beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine.
It is not a mild benevolence but a consuming fire.”

This is where grace becomes love’s language.
God does not simply tolerate our return. He celebrates it.

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II. The Difference Between Being Forgiven and Being Loved

Many can believe they are forgiven, yet struggle to believe they are desired.
Forgiveness can still feel like tolerance, a formal pardon without affection.
But the Gospel tells another story.

“As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; remain in My love.” (John 15:9)

Manning wrote,

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,
walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

He was not speaking of hypocrisy in action, but of unbelief in belovedness.
When we live as if love must still be earned, we dim the truth we are meant to reflect.

The father’s embrace was not a reward for repentance.
It was a revelation of identity.

“Quickly,” he said, “bring the best robe, and put it on him.” (Luke 15:22)

Love interrupts shame before the apology is even finished.

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III. The Furious Tenderness of God

In The Furious Longing of God, Manning said,

“If you take all the goodness, kindness, and patience of all the people who ever lived,
it still falls short of the furious love of our Abba.”

This is the love that kneels beside us in the pigpen,
the love that refuses to define us by our last failure.

It is fierce, but never harsh.
It burns away pretense, not people.
It does not ask for perfection, only permission.

“If you are not aware that God loves you passionately and unconditionally,
then you are not yet aware who God is.” — Manning

This love is not earned by repentance; repentance is awakened by love.
It is the look of the father’s eyes that changes the son’s heart.

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IV. The Older Brother Within

There is another figure in the story, the older brother who never left home, yet lives as if he must still earn affection.
He refuses to join the celebration.
His words reveal the ache of performance:

“All these years I have been serving you, and you never gave me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)

The father answers with tenderness:

“My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” (Luke 15:31)

The older brother represents every soul that confuses service with sonship.
Manning wrote,

“The Father’s love is not something to be earned, deserved, or merited.
It is a pure gift. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more,
and nothing we can do to make God love us less.”

Love is not increased by proximity or decreased by failure.
It simply is — and we are invited to rest in it.

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V. The Invitation

Letting yourself be loved is not a feeling. It is a daily consent.
It means laying down the armor of self-sufficiency
and letting grace do what effort never could.

It means believing that the same God who ran to meet the prodigal
is still running toward you today.

“God is not moody or capricious; He knows no seasons of chill.
His love never changes; it is always reliable, always tender.” — Manning

To let yourself be loved is to finally stop apologizing for existing.
It is to come home without conditions and stay at the table without earning your seat.

“Love is not a reward for good behavior; it is the secret of the universe.” — Manning

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Living in Love This Week

1. Rest before you act.
   Begin each morning by sitting in silence for two minutes.
   Whisper slowly: “Abba, I belong to You.”
   Let belonging precede activity.

2. Interrupt shame.
   When you catch yourself replaying regret or self-criticism,
   pause and recall the father’s embrace in Luke 15:20.
   Replace the thought with, “Love runs toward me, not away from me.”

3. Practice joy without justification.
   Do one thing this week purely because it brings joy. A walk, music, laughter, creativity.
   Let joy be an act of trust in God’s delight.

4. Celebrate someone’s return.
   If a person in your life is trying again after failure,
   respond with encouragement instead of evaluation.
   Reflect the father’s joy rather than the brother’s judgment.

5. Close your day with gratitude.
   Read Zephaniah 3:17:
   “He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
   Let that be the last voice you hear before sleep.

Beloved: A Study through the Writings of Brennan Manning

 

Session 2: Living as the Beloved, Not the Performer

Based on Abba’s Child and Luke 3:21–22

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I. The Moment of Naming

Before Jesus healed the sick or preached a sermon, He was named.
As He rose from the Jordan waters, a voice broke through the sky:

“You are My beloved Son. With You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

This was spoken before any miracle, before any ministry, before any merit.
Identity came before accomplishment.

Brennan Manning wrote,

“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”

To live as the beloved is to begin where Jesus began, with affirmation, not achievement.
It means believing that God’s first word over your life is not “Do,” but “Be.”

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II. The False Self and the Beloved Self

Manning often described the tension between two selves:
the false self, driven by fear, control, and image,
and the beloved self, rooted in divine acceptance.

“The false self is the self that wants to live without love, yet cannot live without it.
It is the self that thrives on admiration, control, and performance,
and dies the moment it is no longer needed.”

The false self measures worth by comparison and applause.
It exhausts the soul because it builds identity on shifting ground.

But the beloved self rests in a deeper truth:
that love precedes performance,
and identity is not something we earn, but something we receive.

“In every encounter we either give life or drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” — Manning 

To live as the beloved is to give life because we live from fullness, not lack.

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III. The Freedom of Being Known

Jesus lived free because He lived known.
He did not chase approval or explain Himself to His critics.
He stayed rooted in the Father’s voice that named Him beloved.

“If you have the courage to accept that you are accepted,
then you will begin to experience freedom.” — Manning

This freedom is quiet.
It allows the heart to release its addiction to performance.
It gives permission to stop editing the self and start living truthfully.

When the heart accepts belovedness,
perfection loses its appeal and presence becomes enough.

“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness,
beyond fidelity and infidelity? That He loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain?” — Manning

Belovedness is not earned; it is endured.
It waits until we stop running long enough to be found.

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IV. Returning to the Voice

Each day, the world shouts alternative names.
You are only as good as your success.
You are only as valuable as your relationships.
You are only as lovable as your usefulness.

But heaven still whispers,

“You are My beloved child.”

This voice does not compete; it invites.
It calls us back to simplicity, to the center where love defines everything.

Paul wrote,

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16)

Our task is not to create identity, but to remember it.
That remembrance becomes the beginning of rest.

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V. The Invitation

The beloved life is marked not by striving, but by stillness.
It lives from blessing, not toward it.
It no longer asks, “What must I do to be loved?” but “How can I live loved today?”

“We cannot bask in the love of God without letting it reach the cracks of our hearts.
When it does, it dismantles fear and rearranges everything.” — Manning

This is what it means to be Abba’s child:
To wake each day knowing that the only thing required is presence.
To let love speak first, and let that be enough.

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Living as the Beloved This Week

1. Begin each morning with identity, not obligation.
   Before checking your phone or list of tasks, whisper aloud:
   “I am the beloved of God. Nothing I do today can change that.”

2. Pause before reacting.
   When you feel criticized or unseen, take one slow breath and silently recall Romans 8:16.
   Let that truth steady your response.

3. Replace striving with stillness.
   Spend ten minutes each day doing nothing but breathing and resting in God’s love.
   Picture His presence around you, not evaluating you but delighting in you.

4. Practice non-performance.
   Do one small act of kindness or service this week that no one will know about.
   Let it remind you that worth is not found in applause but in alignment.

5. Close each night with gratitude.
   Reflect on where you sensed love speaking louder than fear.
   End with this simple prayer:

   “Abba, thank You for calling me Your child.
   Teach me to rest in who I already am.”

Beloved: A Study through the Writings of Brennan Manning

 

Session 1: The Grace That Finds You in the Ruins

Based on The Ragamuffin Gospel and Luke 7:36–50

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I. The Scandal of Grace

Grace has never followed the rules.
It crosses thresholds uninvited, kneels beside shame, and calls the unworthy beloved.

When Jesus entered Simon’s house that evening (Luke 7:36–50), no one expected holiness to smell like perfume or mingle with tears.
A woman, known only for her sin, broke open a jar of costly ointment and poured it over His feet.
She said nothing. Her repentance was not a speech; it was surrender.

Simon, the host, saw only her reputation.
Jesus saw her reverence.

“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” (Luke 7:47)

Manning wrote,

“Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover.”

Grace found her in the ruins and called her whole.

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II. The Theology of the Ragamuffin

“The gospel is not for the super-spiritual. It is not for the muscular Christians who have made it.
It is for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together.” — Brennan Manning

Jesus said,

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

Grace is not a reward for the repentant; it is the reason repentance is possible.
It is not a transaction. It is an embrace.

Manning wrote,

“To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark.
In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.”

To be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) is to stand before God without pretense.
To be found by grace is to discover that love was never withheld, only unseen.

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III. The Posture of Receiving

In the logic of the world, strength is earned and worth is proven.
But in the language of grace, poverty is the prerequisite for abundance.
“It is only the empty vessel that can be filled.” (Psalm 34:18)

Jesus did not ask the woman to justify her past.
He let her tears become the proof of her faith (Luke 7:38).
She had nothing left to present except gratitude, and that was enough.

“God’s love for you is so unconditional, so total, that He will accept you as you are.
But when you really believe that, you’ll let Him change you into what He wants you to be.” — Manning

Grace waits at the edge of self-sufficiency,
where all masks have fallen and only honesty remains.
That is where the Gospel begins.

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IV. The Grace That Pursues

“God loves you unconditionally, as you are, not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.” — Manning

This is not permission to remain unchanged.
It is the freedom to come near while still unfinished.

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Grace does not excuse the ruins. It rebuilds them from within.
It finds the places we would rather hide and plants mercy there like a seed.
Over time, that mercy becomes new structure, new story, new song.

“When you are convinced that God loves you, you do not have to be afraid of anything.
You can live your life with an open heart.” — Manning

Grace pursues not to expose, but to restore.
It is love walking into every locked room and turning on the light (John 20:19–22).

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V. The Invitation

Grace is not earned. It is received (Ephesians 2:8–9).
It cannot be managed or measured, only welcomed.
The woman left Simon’s house lighter than she entered,
forgiveness flowing where fear once lived.

“The deepest awareness of ourselves is that we are deeply loved by Jesus Christ
and have done nothing to earn or deserve it.” — Manning

That is the essence of grace:
to stop striving for worth and start resting in love.
To let go of what we think disqualifies us and discover that grace has already qualified us.

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Reflection Practice — Living Grace This Week

1. Name one place where you still strive to prove your worth.
   Write it down. Each time that urge surfaces, pause and say,
   “I am loved here too.”

2. Practice receiving instead of performing.
   When someone compliments you or offers help, resist deflecting.
   Simply say, “Thank you.” Allow yourself to be loved without earning it.

3. Extend grace to one person who frustrates you.
   Send encouragement, offer patience, or pray for them by name.
   Grace grows strongest when it flows outward.

4. Create a daily moment of stillness.
   Sit quietly for two minutes. Breathe in the words of Psalm 46:10:
   “Be still, and know that I am God.”
   Let that stillness remind you that you are held, not hired.

5. End the day in gratitude.
   Before bed, recall one undeserved gift you noticed today.
   Whisper, “Thank You, Lord, for finding me even here.”

The Sky of Sending: When God Expands Your Sphere Without Losing Your Stillness

 

I. The Expansion of Purpose

There comes a time when God widens the horizon.
What once felt small and personal begins to stretch beyond your familiar circle.

This is not ambition. It is overflow.
You are not chasing opportunity; opportunity is finding you.
The peace you once guarded in private is now being released in public.

God enlarges your reach when He can trust your rest.

“I will make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” — Isaiah 49:6

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II. The Still Center

Growth does not mean movement without rest.
Even as your influence expands, your spirit must remain anchored in peace.

True expansion happens from a still center.
The same quiet heart that trusted God in solitude now becomes the stabilizing force in seasons of visibility.

You no longer rise to be seen; you rise to serve.
Your peace has become portable, your rest unshakable.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

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III. The Multiplication of Impact

One faithful life can change many others.
Not through noise or striving, but through consistency.

Your calm presence becomes a shelter for others in turbulence.
Your story becomes a roadmap for those learning to fly by faith.

God multiplies influence through character, not charisma.
He trusts those who listen more than those who speak.

“You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.” — Matthew 5:13–14

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IV. The Tension of Visibility

With wider reach comes new temptation: the pull to perform.
The world applauds what looks impressive, but heaven honors what remains surrendered.

Stay grounded in what you learned during the climb and the stillness that shaped you.
The call to influence is not a call to exhaustion; it is a call to endurance.

Do not confuse exposure with purpose.
The light of calling shines best through humility.

“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” — 1 Peter 5:6

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V. The Flight Pattern of Influence

Every pilot knows that expansion requires precision.
To reach new destinations, you must stay aligned with the Tower.

So it is with spiritual sending.
Prayer keeps your trajectory clean.
Obedience adjusts your altitude.
Gratitude sustains your balance.

As your sphere widens, your dependence deepens.
The more God entrusts you with, the closer you must listen.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:6

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VI. Application: How to Remain Still While Being Sent

1. Guard your inner altitude.
Stay centered in prayer and Scripture before accepting new assignments.

2. Keep Sabbath sacred.
Activity without rest will drain what God meant to overflow. Set rhythms of renewal.

3. Lead quietly.
Let peace, not pressure, set your tone. Influence flows naturally from integrity.

4. Stay teachable.
New levels of calling require new levels of listening. Remain a student of the Spirit.

5. Remember the Source.
Everything that expands outward must return upward. Give glory where it began.

Stillness is not the opposite of motion. It is the purity within it.

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VII. The Promise of Peaceful Expansion

God does not send you to lose yourself; He sends you to find more of Him in the going.
Each new place, person, or purpose becomes another sky to reveal His faithfulness.

The wind that once carried you now commissions you.
The peace that once healed you now multiplies through you.

Your influence is not measured by reach but by resonance.
Wherever your presence brings calm, the kingdom has come near.

“The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.” — Psalm 115:14

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Closing Reflection

The sky of sending is not about doing more. It is about carrying peace farther.
It is the stage where stillness travels and faith becomes movement again.

You rise by trust. You move by grace. You remain by peace.

The Spirit who once said “Arise,” then “Abide,” “Anchor,” “Appreciate,” “Advance,” “Abide in Calm,” and “Arise Again,” now whispers, “Abide While You Are Sent.”