GOD IS MY DAD
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:14-16 (NLT)
God is my Father. He’s my Dad! I’m one of His children! I have His Spirit living inside of me.
As a young child, I remember getting out of bed in the middle of the night to get a drink of water from the bathroom sink. When I crossed the hall to go back to my room, I thought I saw a person (in my mind, a monster) at the end of the hall, so I sprinted to my parents’ room and jumped up in bed beside my dad. I can still remember the grunt my dad made when I jumped on top of him! When I told him there was a monster in the hall, he walked with me out in the hall, turned the light on, and showed me that the monster was actually his coat hung across the top of the closet door.
I felt protected in my father’s arms and reassured by the perspective he gave me when he turned on the light. We can also enjoy a sense of protection and perspective when we trust our heavenly Father with the challenges we face.
When I trusted my life to Jesus Christ, God adopted me as His very own child and put His Spirit inside me. He wants to shine the light of His love in our hearts so that we can sense that we’re loved by Him. He wants to illuminate our minds with His Word so that we view situations with His perspective. He wants us to know Him as our Father, so we will trust His power and enjoy the peace that comes from knowing He is with us and is working for our good.
It’s good to acknowledge our fears and confess those fears to God. Then, we can trust God’s power to overcome whatever is causing our fear. It’s an opportunity for God to remind us of His protection and give us His perspective.
APPLICATION: Confess to God something that’s making you anxious or afraid.
PRAYER: Ask God what He wants to say to you as your Father.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?