God Is My Father
How do you see God? The way we live, the things we do, the emotions we feel, are all the result of what we think and believe about God. If our thoughts and beliefs are wrong, our feelings and actions will be wrong. Every sin we commit is due to a lie we believe. Every act of righteousness is the result of something we believe. If what we believe is wrong, our actions will be wrong. If God instructs us to live a certain way, but we believe it is better for us not to, we will struggle with doing God’s will, and will eventually rebel.
As a child, on more than one occasion, when a godly person died, I heard sermons about how God reached down in His garden and picked one of his most beautiful flowers because He wanted this godly person to be with him in Heaven. Now, as a child I wanted to go to Heaven, but not so soon! So as you would imagine, this belief about the nature and behavior of God did not motivate me to want to get too close to God. I wanted to be saved from my sins, but not live too “holy” as that might give God a reason to hasten my death.
That is why I was elated when I discovered that in fact God is not like that at all. Jesus came to reveal Him to us, and contrary to how religion portrays Him, God is first and foremost a loving Father. God’s nature moves Him to provide for us all that is good and to protect us from all that is evil. Oh, how blessed to know such a God!
We get a sense of how great a blessing this is by reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer, which teaches us to approach God as children coming to their Father. I did so and here is some of what I discovered. Because God is my Heavenly Father,
1. I am not an orphan; I am not alone. I belong to a spiritual family. Not only do I have a Father, I am blessed with brothers and sisters as well, who love me and whom I love in return. (“Our Father”)
2. I am not a vagabond; I am not a drifter —one who moves from place to place, wandering aimlessly, without any order or direction. I have a home and I am under authority. My home has a Heavenly address and a Heavenly Head. I feel secure because my Heavenly Father sets the boundaries, gives the direction and establishes the rules of the Home in the interest of the Family. Those boundaries and rules keep me from wandering aimlessly as I honor and submit to His authority. (“Which art in heaven…Thy will be done.”)
3. I am not an indigent; I am not a pauper—one who must go without my needs being met. My Father is wealthy beyond measure. And because the Father is the breadwinner and provider for the family, all my needs are met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (“Give us this day our daily bread.”)
4. I am forgiven; I am accepted. When I do wrong, I have a Father who will correct me, but who will do so in love, showing me mercy and grace. He will not punish me for my sins because Jesus took the punishment for me. But having already forgiven me in Christ, my Father will lovingly discipline me in order to draw out of me the good He has put in me. (“Forgive us…as we forgive them…”)
5. I am protected; I am unafraid. Since Daddy is home, I fear no evil. He stands between His children and their enemies and defends them against those who would do them harm. (“Lead not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”)
6. I am successful; I am highly favored. Because my Father owns the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, I am an optimist who believes that my relationship with God guarantees victory for me. I expect to walk in supernatural favor with angels and with men because of whom my Father is. (“Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen!”)
Peter Lord states: “God is first and foremost, above and beyond anything else, a father.” Truly, the fatherhood of God is the one attribute of God through which we can see all the facets of His Nature.
More than any other thing, God wants us to know Him and relate to Him as a Good Father. Then we will find ourselves resting in His love, even when we do not understand His ways. Is that how you see Him?
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit everyday to reveal to us the love and wisdom of our dear Father. Then our joy will increase and our lives will be filled with the goodness of God.
A Moment of Grace 
Thanks very much daddy for this revelations which always enlightens the eys of my understanding. The more i daily read this blog the more i get to know more of Gods Grace and love. I am glad to be a bethelite
GOd is our Father.What a powerful, encouraging and comforting inspiration.We are blessed at Bethel to have you as a Bishop, Honorable Bishop D Johnson.you are a highly motivated preacher, eloquent, diligent, a people person and a team player.we are priviledged and blessed at Bethel to have you. Stay blessed and highly favored.
Cylvia Tebit.
Thanks
Yes indeed I have a Father. A father that cares, a Father that protects, a Father that forgives through the blood of Jesus. What a wonderful Father we have. Because of my Father, I am sure of one thing: Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior. As we celebrate this unique week of our lives of His entering into Jerusalem ,His death and resurrection from the grave, we all should have this one hope, because He is alive,we shall be with Him one day. Amen.
May God bless you Bishop .May God keep you Bishop. As you allow yourself to be all of us (Bethel pastors and non-Bethel pastors) Father on earth, may the peace of God rest on you. The floodgates of Heaven is yours. Yes we have a Father. Even when no one believed in us as pastors and ministers to take the gospel to the world,You trusted the God in us to be our Father All of us pastors. It takes the God kind of Father to do this.Yes we all have a Father.
God bless you Bishop. Amen
Your son
Pastor Abednego Kanafei
Thanks for your kind words.