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THE  RIGHT  PURSUIT

7/29/2021

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July 29, 2021                                         THE  RIGHT  PURSUIT
1 Timothy 6:9-12, 17-19 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold to the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”    “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
John 10:35 tells us that the scriptures cannot be broken; I know of no clearer example of that truth than the first verse above. Wanting to become rich is the way of the world; who does not want to be rich? Yet, we are all too familiar with the stories of how the pursuit of riches has ruined many lives. The love of money is indeed a root of all sorts of evil. Even though one may say it is not his goal in life to be ‘rich,’ he may still have a love of money. As believers, we are called to something much better and higher than loving money and seeking to become rich; we are called to fight the good fight-the fight of faith. Our desires, our actions, our heart, and our spirit is to be centered on pursuing the things of God; His ways lead to life, fulfillment and contentment. The fight we are to fight is saying no to our ways and the ways of the world, and setting our hearts and attention on the life that God calls us to. Our fight is about pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Note that it is not a sin to be rich in this present world, BUT becoming conceited or trusting in riches is the problem. Those that are rich are to be rich in good works and generous, ready to share. (How we define ‘rich’ is important-many who may not consider themselves rich are actually rich when compared to many in the world.) The main point for us today is to make sure we are fighting the right fight-the good fight of faith-and that we are taking hold of that to which God has called us. To ‘pursue’ or to ‘take hold,” implies action; we do not drift into the things of God. The scriptures make it clear that we are to seek Him first and that we are to practice and to put into action the truths and the commands of His word. Pursuing God first in no way robs us of life, but is the sure way to find and experience life to the fullest. Note that God ‘gives us all things to enjoy’; when He is our pursuit in life, we will discover that we have an abiding joy no matter our circumstances, and we will experience the blessings of God.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FLESH

7/27/2021

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July 27, 2021                                      THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FLESH
Galatians 5:16-25 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets it desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealously, outburst of anger, disputed, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
There is much said about the Spirit and the flesh in the New Testament. As we read the verses above, and other verses throughout the scriptures, it becomes apparent that it is an either-or reality; one walks by the Spirit, OR one walks by the flesh; obviously, one cannot walk by the Spirit unless he or she is a believer; however, a believer may choose to walk according to the flesh. We must be aware of the fact that the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another and that we are not free to do what we want to do. The deeds of the flesh as listed above are evident; the flesh always produces bad fruit. When one trust Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer, bringing a new super-natural power and equipping, making the believer a new creation. The fruit of the Spirit is singular; we do not have one or two fruits of the Spirit, we have them all; and, this list of the fruit of the Spirit is not a list we must ‘work on,’ they are a gift to us. We have a serious choice to make-to walk by the flesh, or walk by the Spirit; in fact, Paul gave a stern warning-that those who practice the deeds of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God! I have always understood that the word ‘practice’ refers to a way of life, or a habitual way of living. I am not sure if the reference to ‘not inheriting the kingdom of God’ is referring to not going to heaven or not experiencing the kingdom of God here on earth. (We know that we are saved by grace and not by works.) Either way, it is a super-serious issue as to whether we walk by the Spirit or by the flesh. If we love God, we are called to crucify the flesh; we must say no to what our flesh wants us to do-that is crucifying the flesh-and say yes to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In the kingdom of this world, the focus is on making self happy, or fulfilling the desires of the flesh. In the kingdom of God, the focus is on walking in the ways of God and being a blessing to those around us. So, as believers, let us walk by the Spirit so that we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Walking according to the Spirit is the way of life, peace, and joy, and an ultimate fulfillment of the person God created us to be.
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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WHILE  WE  HAVE  THE  OPPORTUNITY

7/24/2021

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July 24, 2021                                     WHILE  WE  HAVE  THE  OPPORTUNITY
Galatians 6:4,7-10 “But let each one examine his own work, then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.”        “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
In these passages, there is a sure and steadfast wonderful promise given to all believers; we also find a principle that is unchangeable, that cannot be broken. Most believers as well as unbelievers are familiar with the law of sowing and reaping; if fact, we have heard so much about sowing and reaping, there is a possibility that we no longer give it much thought. I am sure that all of us have tasted the fruit of sowing wrong seed just as we have tasted the fruit of sowing good seed. Walking according to the flesh always results in reaping what the scripture above calls corruption, while walking according to the Spirit results in reaping eternal life, and good fruit. The laws of the harvest is that we sow now, we reap later, and we reap more than we sow. The key for us is that we sow good seed and that we keep on sowing; we sometimes see immediate results, but normally do not, but “in due we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” The sowing that we do as believers is giving consideration to others and investing in others. Sowing good seeds should come from a mindset and a heart to bless others; our life is to be one of sowing the good seeds that God supplies. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 is an awesome promise: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for showing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” It is amazing to know that God will not only supply the seeds for us to sow, He will multiply our seed AND He will increase the harvest and we will be enriched in EVERYTHING! Who would not want that! Simply said, sowing seeds is doing good deeds that are inspired by the Holy Spirit; we are not to sow seed to earn His love or approval; we sow good seed because that is who we are in Him. A good deed may be as simple as giving a glass of water to one who is thirsty, or visiting someone who is sick, or praying for someone, or blessing someone financially-or whatever. Let us be sure of this: we will reap; it’s just a matter of whether we reap a bountiful harvest because we are sowing to the Spirit, or will we reap a harvest of corruption because we are sowing to the flesh. Jesus went about doing good. Acts 10:38. Let us do the same by sowing the seeds that God supplies.
Acts 20:35b “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
 Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 
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KEPT  IN  PERFECT  PEACE

7/19/2021

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July 19, 2021                                     KEPT  IN  PERFECT  PEACE
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trust in You.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
We know the importance and the power of our thought life. Proverbs 23:7 tells us “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” There have been many books written and many sermons preached about the mind being the battleground. I’m sure that all of us at times feel like our mind just goes on its own-thinking on whatever it chooses; and I’m sure we have had those occasions when we ask ourselves, “Where did that thought come from?” It is ever so easy to set certain patterns of thought. It can be a sobering reality to realize that we choose what we think about-where we focus our thoughts. As believers, we have the ability to think in harmony with God because His Spirit lives in us, enabling us to think and to dwell on things that are life-giving, that are godly and righteous. We have been made new and adopted into God’s family and now have access to a new thought life. Now, our minds become subservient to the Spirit of God living and ruling in us; now we can take dominion over out thought life. No matter what we are doing, a menial task or a grand task, we must have the over-ruling belief and view that the center of our life is Christ and it is He that we serve and it is He who directs our life-including our thought life. The truth of the scriptures and His presence in us is to be the foundation of our lives. It is amazing and awesome to be able to think the kind of thoughts that God thinks! We would be wise to filter our thoughts through Philippians 4:8 which says: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” When our thoughts are in agreement with the ways of God, life takes on a total new meaning with unlimited possibilities. If by chance you don’t believe we can think like God thinks, Paul reminds us that ‘we have the mind of Christ’ in 1 Corinthians 2:16. The good news is that if our thought life has not been the best, we do not need to condemn ourselves-just start right now asking God to help you rebuild your thought life and begin to discipline your thought life and take dominion and ownership of what you think about. God is into new beginnings!
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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I  WILL  NOT  BE  MASTERED

7/17/2021

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July 17, 2021                                       I WILL  NOT  BE  MASTERED
1 Corinthians 3:7, 11-12 “Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sanctified.”        “And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
We are called to live like those who belong to God. When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were made new, our sins were forgiven, we were sanctified, we were joined to God, and we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God. The two kingdoms are distinct; they cannot be blended together. We must understand that at the point of our salvation, we were not renovated, but were made new creations-the old passed away; this is the very point Paul was making to the believers in the Corinthian church. Paul reminded the believers that at one time they were separated from Christ, but now joined to Him. God’s word was given to us that we might learn of God, that we might discover our new identity as His sons and daughters, and we were given the Holy Spirit to help us to discern and understand His word. The obvious point is that we must continually read and study His word if we are to grow in the faith and live according to His design. There is a tendency for us to think that we know what His word says, thus there is no compelling reason to read His word. God’s word is living: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Again, we are called to live in such a way that pleases our Father; we either live according to His ways or according to our ways. Paul’s testimony is that he was not mastered by anything. For us, that means that we are not to be mastered by appetites, habits, selfishness, the goal of pleasing self, lack of discipline-or whatever. We are to be led by the Spirit, not our physical bodies and not by the natural. Just as a practical example that many of us can relate to is how we respond to the rude driver who cuts in front of us in heavy traffic. If we respond in anger and perhaps ‘sit on the horn,’ we are being mastered by anger. So, we can make a decision that the next time we experience the rude driver, we will not yield to anger. I know this is a crude example, but I trust it gets the point across. We have been washed and sanctified and justified, now let us live like those who belong to the Lord; let our thoughts, words and deeds flow out of who we are in Him.
2 Peter 1:5-9 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
Blessings.
Buddy
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INHERITANCE

7/15/2021

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July 15, 2021                                                INHERITANCE
1 Peter 1:3-4, 6-7, 13 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”   “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than goal which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”     “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
There are numerous scriptures pointing out blessings that come in this present life for those who love the Lord, but if not alert, we become primarily focused on the here and now. However, in many places throughout the New Testament, we are reminded that we have an awesome inheritance yet to come. As discussed in a recent blog, God gave us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our full and complete redemption that we will receive when Jesus returns for His bride-the church. The inheritance that God has reserved for us in heaven is reason for hope. If our hope is in this life only, surely we will be disappointed. In years past, heaven was the subject of many of the sermons as well as many of the hymns. However, during those years there was a lack of emphasis on living out the gospel in this present life. It seems the pendulum has swung to the point that today, we hear little about heaven and the blessings reserved for us there, but we primarily hear about how to be blessed in this present life.  There are blessings to today for sure, but there are also difficulties and trials today that no one is exempt from. The verses above remind us that the proof of our faith is more precious than goal-and it is in trials that our faith is proved.  Often, this emphasis on blessings for the now, can lead to disappointment and confusion because the reality is that we experience trials. For us, even when the trying times come our way, let us have as a bedrock a living hope on the inheritance reserved for us, and that one day, our redemption will be complete. This hope is not a wish, but is a steadfast hope based on the promises of God.
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.”
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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BEARING  FRUIT

7/12/2021

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July 12, 2021                                          BEARING  FRUIT
John 15:1-5 “I am the vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
I was recently pruning grape vines, cutting off certain branches; it’s a no-brainer, but the branches I cut off, died; I have never seen one grape growing on the vines I cut off. You and I are the branches (if we know Him as Savior); branches can produce nothing if they are not abiding in the vine; it is a reality check for us to be reminded that even with our best intentions and best efforts, we simply cannot produce any-not even one-good fruit apart from abiding in Him. We are the branches that bear the fruit that comes from our Father. We should see ourselves as ‘fruit bearers,’ not fruit ‘producers.’ The key word for us is ‘abiding.’ Life flows from God; every good and perfect gift comes Him. James 1:17. To abide in Him means that we are connected to Him, that we trust Him, that we depend on Him, that we listen to Him, that we obey Him, and that our heart is to do the things that please Him. We cannot live according to our own desires and abide in Him at the same time-unless our desires have become His desires. God is the master vinedresser and He always has a bountiful crop-He never has a bad year and He is not satisfied with a small crop. If we are a branch abiding in Him, we will get pruned so that we will produce more fruit. The pruning may be painful-but necessary. The fruit that God produces is both internal and external. Galatians 5:22 list the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces internally: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Throughout the scriptures we are admonished to be about good works in an external way. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. Abiding is much less stressful than trying to produce on our own. As we abide, we have peace, and out of abiding, we bear fruit that will bless others and glorify God.  Abiding is not being idle; it is working with Him and responding to Him as He works in us.
John 15:7-8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
Romans 7:4 “Therefore, my brethren, you were also made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God.”
Titus 3:14 “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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GIVE  ME  THIS  HILL  COUNTRY

7/10/2021

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July 10, 2021                                    GIVE  ME  THIS  HILL  COUNTRY
Joshua 14:10-13 “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as He said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eight-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said. Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.”
If there is one thing we need today, it is courage. All too often, believers are on the defensive in life, simply trying to survive. Caleb was one of the ten spies that was sent to spy out the promise land, and only he and Joshua believed that they could take the land. Because Israel believed the report of the other eight spies and was fearful, they did not enter the promise land, but wondered in the wilderness for forty years. The story of Caleb in the Old Covenant is loaded with truths that apply to believers living under the New Covenant. The Old Covenant is primarily about how God dealt with Israel in natural ways that are pictures or types of how God deals with believers spiritually under the New Covenant.  Caleb was about driving out the Anakim from the hill country; we are to be about driving out the enemies that keep us from entering the promises that God has given us as believers. Our ‘promise land’ is the life that God has made available to us in Christ. We must drive out any beliefs, conceptions, and any pre-conceived ideas that are contrary to the gospel. When we enter our promise land, we discover that we have a new identity as sons and daughters of God; that Jesus has fulfilled the law; that we have been made right with God; that the Holy Spirit lives in us; that God has given us new heart, a new nature, and a new mind; that the power of sin has been broken; that we can be holy as He is holy; that we can live with a deep abiding sense of joy and peace; and that we can walk according to the Spirt and not fulfill the desire of the flesh. It is critical that we read the scriptures with an open mind and be willing to change what we believe when we find that what we have always believed is not consistent with what the scriptures teach. No matter our age or our physical health, let us be strong and courageous in spirit and let us have the attitude of driving out the enemies that would prevent us from enjoying all that God has made available to us.
Daniel 11:32b “but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.”
Joshua 14:14 “So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.”
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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SEALED  IN  HIM

7/8/2021

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July 8, 2021                                         SEALED  IN  HIM
Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”       “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
2 Corinthians 2:21-22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
We may at times have questions, and even doubts, in in regards to our salvation, but even so, we are nonetheless sealed in Him if we believe in Him as our Savior.  To be sealed in Him is to be secure in Him. Our salvation is something initiated by God; He draws us to Himself and we respond to His drawing by repenting of our ways and by putting our faith and trust in Him. God gave us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. We tend to think that of our salvation in terms of here and now; however, there is much more to come, and the Holy Spirit is the pledge from God that insures that one day we will experience a whole new dimension of our salvation. Knowing that the Spirit of God who has been given to us is a pledge for greater things to come, gives us hope and comfort in this present life as we wait for our full redemption. In store for us is to see Him face-to-face; to have a new body; and to be in His presence forever. According to the verse above, God has established us in Christ; we are secure-it’s a done deal. This in no way means that we simply sit back, become idle and wait for our redemption. While living this present life, we are called to work with God as He works in us; to mature in the faith; to be His witnesses and ambassadors; and to be about the works He has for us. We have been saved, but we are also being saved. So, because we have the Holy Spirt as a pledge, let us live as those who belong to God; as the verse above tells us, we are His possession-we no longer belong to ourselves. Because we are sealed in Him and have the Holy Spirit as proof of His owning us, let us do all we do as unto Him.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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WE  ARE  NOT  FATHERLESS

7/6/2021

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July 6, 2021                                       WE  ARE  NOT  FATHERLESS
John 20:17 “Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”
Matthew 6:6, 6:26 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”         “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
If you had an earthly father who loved God and lived a godly life, you are blessed. Sadly, many had fathers who were not godly. Often, our view of our earthly father influences how we see our heavenly Father God. The good news is that regardless of what our earthly father was like, we have a heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us. Our Father has told us that there would be trials in this life, but no matter what difficulties come our way, our Father is there to comfort us. There are times when we may feel alone and abandoned, but the fact is that our Father is always present-no matter what we may be feeling at the moment. Not knowing God as our Father can lead to an orphan mentality in our relationship with Him; instead of approaching God as sons and daughters, we approach Him as a beggar, or an outsider, often asking God for what He has already given us. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18. (We are to make our request known to Him-but from a son or daughter perspective.)  We may with our mind believe that God is our Father, but we need the revelation that comes from God that results in us knowing in the deepest part of our being that He is our Father. When God reveals to us in our inner man that He is our Father, everything changes and life takes on new meaning. The awesome, ‘mind-boggling’ truth is that God knew us long before we were born, even before the foundation of the world! Ephesians 1:4. As a loving Father, He is in the process of transforming us into His image and teaching us how to be overcomers-and He uses the trials and difficulties to accomplish His work in us. (He does not cause the trials-but uses them.) When we come to know deep within that the creator God is OUR Father, what is there to fear or fret over? The God that made the stars and all of creation can certainly watch over and take care of us. I say again, knowing God as Father does not exempt us from trials; we must know that He is present in the trials and He is using it for good, even though we may not understand how. So, no matter what your earthly father was like, no matter what your past is like, no matter what your circumstances are, and no matter how many times you may have failed, if you have put your trust in Him, He is YOUR Father and He is in the process of transforming you into His image, and He is not only aware of every detail of your life, He is using all things for your ultimate good and for His glory.
2 Corinthians 6:18 “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
 
 
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