Do you know today who He is? I don't mean can you recite the attributes of God that you've been taught in a class or Bible study. I mean do you know as a matter of heart and life experience who He is? Who He is to you? Everything in your faithwalk comes down to that knowledge and experience. Without that, I don't believe we even have a faithwalk in Him.
The great similarity in Christ's prayer in Matthew 6:9 and David's declaration in Psalm 23:1 was that they knew beyond any doubt who the Father was and is. He is a Father in every sense of the word, and a Father beyond the limits of our minds ability to describe. He is a Shepherd, a Caregiver, Protector, Provider who sees to our spiritual and temporal wholeness in a totally faithful and complete way. He is. Regardless of what an unbelieving world says, what a devil filled with hate denies....He is. Is He to you?
The Jews had many names for the Father, with each one pertaining to some aspect of His character and activity in His people. He was Jehovah Tsidkenu, Righteousness. Jehovah M'Kaddish, Sanctifier. Jehovah Rophe, Healer. Jehovah Nissi, Banner Over Us. Jehovah Shammah, Ever Present Power. Jehovah Shalom. Peace. He is all of these and more. He is all of these to us, in us. He is. No matter what the enemy may seek to get us to believe through the losses, sorrows, pain, and unknowns of life, He is. And if we will cling to this, He will make us to know and experience the depths of who He is. He will do so because it IS who He is.
Jesus announced to all that "I am the resurrection and the life." He threw the religious minds of the day into a rage with these words because in doing so, He was using the Father's name for Himself, "I AM." I AM, and He is. Over and against everything that would seek to tear down and mock this truth He simply stands and tells us in the midst of it all, "I AM." He is. He is Victory. He is Life. He is Joy. He is Strength. He is Love. He is Everything. All the power of hell cannot change who He is. At our very worst, we cannot change this. The devil can stand and accuse me of all manner of failure and be right in all of it. But in all of it, Jesus Christ stands with me and says in response, I AM his Righteousness, his Cleanser, his Healer, his Redeemer. I AM his, and he is Mine. He is, and in the end, all else must yield to who He is. And who He is makes all the difference both now, and forever. Does who He is make that difference for you right now?
We will walk through "the valley of the shadow death," as Psalm 23 reads, and perhaps you're walking through it right now. If so, He IS the One who walks close beside you. He IS the One whose rod and staff comfort and protect you. He is! He seeks to write these words on our hearts in response to and against all that would try to convince that He is not. Has He written them upon your heart? The Father is! Jesus Christ is! The Holy Spirit is! And everything and everyone else.....isn't. When all that He is stands with and in us, then all that is against us can do nothing but fail. He is, and that is more than enough.
Blessings,
Pastor O
The great similarity in Christ's prayer in Matthew 6:9 and David's declaration in Psalm 23:1 was that they knew beyond any doubt who the Father was and is. He is a Father in every sense of the word, and a Father beyond the limits of our minds ability to describe. He is a Shepherd, a Caregiver, Protector, Provider who sees to our spiritual and temporal wholeness in a totally faithful and complete way. He is. Regardless of what an unbelieving world says, what a devil filled with hate denies....He is. Is He to you?
The Jews had many names for the Father, with each one pertaining to some aspect of His character and activity in His people. He was Jehovah Tsidkenu, Righteousness. Jehovah M'Kaddish, Sanctifier. Jehovah Rophe, Healer. Jehovah Nissi, Banner Over Us. Jehovah Shammah, Ever Present Power. Jehovah Shalom. Peace. He is all of these and more. He is all of these to us, in us. He is. No matter what the enemy may seek to get us to believe through the losses, sorrows, pain, and unknowns of life, He is. And if we will cling to this, He will make us to know and experience the depths of who He is. He will do so because it IS who He is.
Jesus announced to all that "I am the resurrection and the life." He threw the religious minds of the day into a rage with these words because in doing so, He was using the Father's name for Himself, "I AM." I AM, and He is. Over and against everything that would seek to tear down and mock this truth He simply stands and tells us in the midst of it all, "I AM." He is. He is Victory. He is Life. He is Joy. He is Strength. He is Love. He is Everything. All the power of hell cannot change who He is. At our very worst, we cannot change this. The devil can stand and accuse me of all manner of failure and be right in all of it. But in all of it, Jesus Christ stands with me and says in response, I AM his Righteousness, his Cleanser, his Healer, his Redeemer. I AM his, and he is Mine. He is, and in the end, all else must yield to who He is. And who He is makes all the difference both now, and forever. Does who He is make that difference for you right now?
We will walk through "the valley of the shadow death," as Psalm 23 reads, and perhaps you're walking through it right now. If so, He IS the One who walks close beside you. He IS the One whose rod and staff comfort and protect you. He is! He seeks to write these words on our hearts in response to and against all that would try to convince that He is not. Has He written them upon your heart? The Father is! Jesus Christ is! The Holy Spirit is! And everything and everyone else.....isn't. When all that He is stands with and in us, then all that is against us can do nothing but fail. He is, and that is more than enough.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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