  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7 NIV)
I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV) We are often encouraged to be filled with the Spirit (or to go on being filled). We read about the gifts of the Spirit and long to see them operating in the church. It's something we need to see much more! However, the first mention of the Holy Spirit by Paul echoes the words of Jesus. In John 14, Jesus tells us that he will not leave us as orphans but , through the Holy Spirit, he will come to us. The Holy Spirit is the one who takes away the emptiness of our orphan heart. In Galatians and Romans Paul reiterates this as he describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Sonship who enables us to cry "Abba, Father". As we are filled with the Spirit something inside of us is awakened to the Fathering of God. The wonderful thing is, it's his Spirit in us that enables us to respond to the Father. Yes, we desperately need the gifts of the Spirit, both individually and corporately. But more than that we need the eyes of our heart to be opened in order that we can begin to see who God really is. As we see him so we begin to see who we really are. When the outpouring of the Holy Spirit began, in Toronto, in 1994 the church there called it the "Father's blessing". They could see the Holy Spirit was revealing that God was not only a Father but he wanted to be a Father to them. Two little words will change your life: God wants to be a Father to YOU. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format. Comments are closed.
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Weekly SignpostA Father to YOU is a signpost to the heart of the Perfect Father. When we became Christians we were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Sadly, many of us fail to take up that right and instead continue to live as slaves or orphans. But our true destiny is being sons and daughters who have a permanent place in the Father's family. This blog is an encouragement to help you know who God really is and who you really are. Click here to subscribe. |
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