Jesus said, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.’” Matthew 6:9.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11.
He fills your days with good things. Psalm 103:5.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
As many as receive Jesus, that is, believe in His Name and confess Him as Lord, to these He gives the authority to become My children, who are born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of Me. John 1:12-13. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17. The first man and woman cut off their relationship with Me and gave their lives to Satan as their master and received his lying spirit so that they were adopted as his children and all their descendants were born under that. That is why Jesus told the Pharisees their father was the devil, destined to be children of wrath as he was.
But when the fullness of the time came, I sent forth My Son, born of a woman, to redeem you, that you might receive the adoption as sons. In My Son, you return to Me, your true Father, for before Adam left Me for another family, I called him My son. Luke 3:38. But now, when you clothe yourself in Christ, you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through My living and enduring word. 1 Peter 1:23. And because you are sons and daughters, I have sent forth the Spirit of My Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but My child and an heir with My Son of all that is Mine. Galatians 4:4-7. For all who are being led by My Spirit are My children. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by which you cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with your spirit that you are My children, and if children, heirs also, fellow heirs with Christ.
And as we continue our series of instructions on knowing Me by knowing My Name, I bring you to the Name I love best, but it can only be used by those who have become one spirit with Me in Jesus. Those who love Me. Those who have been born again from death to life. And this is Life Lesson No. 7: Father. I am your Father. You are My children and all I have is yours. And that is the only Name Jesus used for Me and the only Name He taught you to call Me by. It is only for those in Covenant with Me by faith. And Jesus, My beloved Son, has authorized you to use it. John 1:14.
In the Old Covenant, My people did not address Me as “Abba,” that is, “Father.” I called the people Israel collectively “My son,” Exodus 4:22-23, in identifying them to Pharaoh, and this had to do with the Covenant I had made with Abraham and his descendants. They alone at that time were in Covenant with Me of all the peoples of the earth. And it remained that way until Jesus opened up the everlasting Covenant to everyone who would believe. Before Jesus came, only the prophet Isaiah, to whom I revealed Jesus in so much detail, from the virgin birth to his sufferings and death on the cross, as well as His resurrection and glory on the throne in Heaven, referred to Me twice as being the Father of the Hebrew people, and both times when they had strayed away from Me and turned to other gods. “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel (Jacob) does not recognize us. You, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name. Isaiah 63:16-17. And again, “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8.
Therefore remember that you were at one time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without Me in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is your peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, My family, My children, My own special treasure. He established peace, and in Him I reconciled all into one body through the cross. And He came and preached shalom to you who were far away, and shalom to those who were near; for through Him all who believe now have access in one Spirit to Me as your very own Father forever. Ephesians 2:12-18, Isaiah 9:6. And children are not like servants, children are in the house forever. A father, a good father, has the responsibility to care for, provide for, love, nourish, teach, train, discipline, and raise up his children to be fruitful, strong, wise, mature, able to take the authority their inheritance and heritage gives them. As a child of Mine through Jesus your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world.
I say to you who are in Christ Jesus, “My child, you are with Me always and everything I have is yours.” Luke 15:31. In Jesus you are each individually My child, holy, blameless, unique, gifted and equipped for every good work and collectively you are the Body of Christ and each one a unique, gifted, and equipped member of the Church, which is His Body on earth, the Body of My beloved Son.
But what does it mean to you that I AM your Father? Everything.
Every one of My Names comes out of the heart of a father. If you just understand My definition of a father you will understand who I AM. What good father would not give his own life to save the life of his child? What father would not run into a burning building and rescue his trapped child even if it meant his own death in the flames? And that is what I did for you in Jesus. What father among you would not take on the sickness of his child in the child’s place and stead if it gave the child perfect health and freedom from the pain? And that is what I did for you in Jesus as the LORD your healer. What father among you would not give everything he had to redeem his child who had been taken captive and a ransom had to be paid to free the child from what would otherwise be death? I gave My beloved Son as your ransom and in seeing Him you see Me. The LORD your redeemer. What father would not empty out his accounts to pay off his child’s debts? I did that for you in Jesus, He nailed your debts to the Cross and paid Me in full with His blood for your debts. What father would not provide his child with the food, clothing, and things he needed to live? That is the LORD your provider and the Good Shepherd gave His life for His sheep and became poor so you could become rich through His poverty. What father would refuse to shelter his child? I am your fortress and your refuge and I have given you the Kingdom. I gave the Israelites fine houses filled with good things that they did not build and they did not fill, will I not do more for you who are My children in Jesus? What father would not rush to defend and deliver his child from attacks of any kind? The LORD your deliverer, your Savior, who fights your battles for you. What father would not take his child into his arms and comfort him when he was afraid or hurt? I am the God of all comfort and the Father of mercies. I sent Jesus to embrace and bless you. What father would not defend his child if another maligned or degraded him? No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue raised against you, you shall prove false, for your Righteousness is from Me. The LORD your righteousness. What father who has a business enterprise would not want his child working along beside him until he was mature enough to be his partner and run the business with him? You who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through Christ Jesus, Romans 5:17, and you will reign with Me forever. Revelation 22:5. What father would not instruct his child in the way he should go, teach him to profit, and give him words of wise counsel? To you who are My children in Jesus, I give you the Holy Spirit to guide you to all truth, to lead you in the way you should go, to teach you all things, and remind you of all I have told you. And I gave you Jesus as your teacher. And above all, in all these things, I give you My Word in your mouth to plant Heaven and establish it on the earth.
Every one of My Names, as many and magnificent as they be—Healer, Provider, Refuge, Helper, Counselor, Comfort, Deliverer, Savior, Redeemer, Fortress, Guide, Teacher, and Rock all come out of the Name “Father” and all it implies. I AM your great reward.
And what father does not desire an intimate relationship and true fellowship with his child that continues to grow in depth every year and lasts for an entire lifetime? And with Me that lifetime is forever. A father does not want strife between him and his child, he wants oneness. The child comes out of the father’s seed. And you were born of the seed of My Word. You are in My image and according to My likeness, just as I tell you that Adam’s son Seth was in his image and likeness. Genesis 5:3 (“When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.”). You are My own.
Jesus showed you what it meant in your daily life that I am your Father: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11. I give good things to you, only good. Come with confidence to My throne of grace and receive mercy and find grace just when you need it. And why can you come with confidence and always be sure of easy access? You are My child. The child of a King has no problem to run in and see his father at any time. He does not need an appointment in advance.
Ask Me for everything and anything, come discuss it with Me as your wise Father, and then see the situation as I see it. And then I can give you the answer and the things you need to act in wisdom. And how do you see as I see? By seeing Me. Think about that.
If you start seeing yourself and your life as precious to Me and valuable you will be much happier and it will be true. I love to see My children walking in the truth. It will set you free. The freedom of My children. The pain you have is not from Me. Fight the good fight of faith and let Me heal you. Start seeing your life in the light of My love.
A good father teaches his son how to fight. I will teach you how to fight the good fight of faith. I train your hands for battle and your fingers for the war. You can only be an overcomer and sit on My throne with Me if you will let Me teach you how to overcome. And how do you overcome? By the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony, that is, by My Word in your mouth. As a good Father, I equip you with My armor, My Word, My Son, and My Spirit.
Imitate Me as My dear children. And that is perfect obedience.
I love you with the heart of a good and loving Father, for I AM LOVE. Look at Jesus and you see the heart of your Father in action. There is nothing that I hold back from you. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it (with My Words, which are life and healing). Let Me help you to enlarge your heart.