"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
God is right here! He is with you now! He is celebrating you and desires to be in relationship with you! He loves you forever and sets His gaze on you! Let's look back to Him in childlike faith! It is so fun to look at Jesus! And we should all the time! He is so amazing! Just try looking into His eyes!
The other week, God had me listening to Him in a beautiful time of prayer! He has so much to share, so when we pray, it is actually a two-way conversation! He gives us words, Bible verses, pictures and more! It is so fun! He is so fun! He led me to write this down: 'waves of love and gladness, peace flowing and refreshing.' He also led me to write 'shalom' under peace. Shalom is rest and peace in Him! He really wanted to emphasize this shalom in Him! He helped me so much with this imagery! Well, just a couple days ago, my Bible was 'arbitrarily' open to Isaiah 48, and God led me to look at this verse; the first thing: "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:18). This is really similar! Wow! God led me to look at this verse right away! And, I usually don't have Isaiah open-what a miracle! God is so kind and sweet! His peace is like a river, and his righteousness is like the waves of the sea! And He offers that to us! Wow! Praise God! Hallelujah! The other thing, too, is that I've read Isaiah 48 before, but I really didn't remember this verse. I feel that happens with a lot of what God leads us to read, but His Holy Spirit brings it later, or fresh anew. He is amazing and He is right here waiting to talk!
God taught me this lesson of how He reminds of Truth (He is Truth; "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).), and how He teaches us anew, yet again this week! God has been putting quotes on my heart recently, and one new thought He was giving me was that He loves us so much! That phrase came to mind, 'loves us to death.' But, way better, instead He led me to say, 'He Loves us to Life!' That is so true! God loves us to Life! He is so good! Well, I was amazed as I read through the Heidi Baker, 'Compelled by LOVE.' (Here is the book, here is the website, and here is the amazing documentary, 'Mama Heidi'!) I would really recommend reading this book that the Holy Spirit directed! He teaches us about His heart through it. On one occasion this week, He had me re-read some, just because what He says is so pure! He led me to re-read this section about how love wins! Even if someone passes away, when you love them, with God's love in you, you love them to life! He is so good! He loves us to Life!
God is beautiful! Praise Him for loving these children to life through Heidi and the family! And He loves us all to life, all the time! Let's look to Him, who is Life! He is smiling and loving us right now! Hallelujah!
And He is so good because He taught me the lesson again! He reveals His Truth to us over and over! This was the second example, and it is more easily understood that I had it in my sub-conscious, but He bought it out again! He led me to it with a new fresh understanding! He always does this! What He told me from these two lessons, the first one being less obvious and the second a little more, is this really important lesson: He has made us in His image! This is the most obvious of them all and the easiest to see! Praise Him! Hallelujah! Jesus! We are made in His image, in the image of our God, and we are His sons and daughters through childlike faith in Jesus Christ! He is so loving!
Let's look to Him to understand what this means! We cannot understand simply by looking at ourselves, but instead by simply looking to God! When we see Him, then we know that we are His sons and daughters! He reminds us of this Truth and that we are made in His image! He is so good! Let's look to Him!
I remember when I first really started 'remembering,' led by God that I was His son! He led me to watch the Lion King (see the comments in Inspiration), hear from some friends, and and re-read some important Bible verses. All of these reminded me that He made me in His image and I was His son! Here are the verses! May they remind all of us, and let's look to Him to understand! He is our real Father, or Daddy!
"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:15; Abba means Daddy in Aramaic! Praise God!)
"Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father'" (Galatians 4:6)
"Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark 14:34-35).
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29; Also, because Jesus is God's Son, and He died in place of us, for our sins, we become His sons through childlike faith. As you can see, this is not a masculine term, for there is neither male nor female. It is rather referring to God's Son - we become grafted in through faith - so He takes our place. Thus, in Him, we share in His Love and Life! In some modern translations, this is read as, 'children!' We are God's children just through simple childlike faith in Christ Jesus! He died for us and is alive! "'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring'" (Acts 17:28). Hallelujah!)
"This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit" (1 John 4:13).
"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, "Where are you going?" Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:5-7; Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit here as Counsellor! He is so True!)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me" (John 14:6).
As God led me to these verses, and taught me that I was indeed His son though faith in Him, made in His image, I knew this, but I just didn't feel it! I knew it in my mind, but could not feel it in my heart! Well, the problem was that I was looking at myself! hahahahaha! God led me to look to Him! Right when I looked to Him, it wasn't even a problem! He makes us and we are His! He smiles at us, and as we look to Him, we know He is our Father, and we are His beloved children. It is like a son or daughter thinking if they are sons or daughters. That is silly! And it is silly, because they already know they are sons or daughters because they have a dad! And even if they don't, we all do have God, our Father! But, they know that they are sons or daughters because they look to Him - they can't figure this out on their own. It is the same with us! Let's look to Jesus to know Him, our identity in Him, and everything else! He is Truth! Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me" (John 14:6). Also, everything comes from Jesus! Instead of thinking that because we are His sons, He loves us, or will heal people in our lives, or anything, it is because of Him, Jesus, who is love, that this occurs! We can't base our lives off of us, being His children, but rather in Him, who is our Daddy! He loves us so much! He loves us to Life, which is Him! Let us fix our eyes on Him, and He will guide us into all truth. "But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (John 16:13). He loves us to Life! He has peace like a river and righteousness like waves of the sea for us, that continuously wash us in His love. He loves you so much and gives everything for you! Let us fix our eyes on Him and enjoy Him, our God, Savior, and Daddy! Let us rest in His arms and in His loving gaze. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
See, 'Breakthrough 9: Being made in the image of God' and, 'Breakthrough 11: John 17:20-21; One with the Father!' for more on being made in His image! Hallelujah! He is so loving!
See also, 'Breakthrough! An Introduction', for more on breakthrough and how God is always with us through His LOVE!!! Hallelujah!
