Good morning family!

There are many different ways that people can know God:

• They know Him as a God that is far off – Way out there – Untouchable, somewhere in the Universe.

• They know Him in a very formal way – Where they have this respect and reverential fear but do not realize this Majestic God, this King of kings, this awesome Creator is their Heavenly Father.

• Some people see Him as a God that is out to get them – They think He has got a baseball bat looking down from heaven waiting for them to make a mistake.  

• They see Him as an enforcer where He is harsh and mean – There is a pressure they can never live up to..But that is the wrong image of God.

The best picture we can have of God is as a Father.  A Father is someone that is FOR YOU – Someone that helps you OVERCOME mistakes; Someone that cheers you on as you pursue your life with Him; Someone that believes the very best of you.  When you KNOW GOD AS A FATHER, it takes on a whole new meaning.

You realize that He is NOT a God that is far off.  He is NOT out to get you.  He is NOT just there to point out what you are doing wrong.  He is there as a constant source of strength and encouragement.  He is there to lift you when you fall and to encourage you when you are down; to push you forward when you feel like giving up.  The Scripture declares in Proverbs 18:24 that,

• He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Most people get their image of God from their earthly father.  If you grew up without a father or your father was not nice, kind, and loving – Instead he was harsh, mean, and not there when you needed him, then you have to make sure you do not let that image taint the picture of Who your Heavenly Father is.  Do not let that image get mixed up with Who your Heavenly Father really is.

When you KNOW GOD AS A FATHER you realize no detail is too small.  He is constantly watching after you, making sure that you are well taken care of.

That is why when Jesus taught us how to pray He did not say, “Start it of by saying, Lord of lords, or Oh great Holy Majestic Creator of the Universe.”  No, Jesus said in Matthew 6:9 when you pray, address God like this:

• Our Father which art in heaven…

He wanted us to see God not as this all-powerful untouchable, awesome Creator, which He is, but He wanted us to have an image of God as a loving Father – As Someone right there close to us.  Someone Who would listen to what we had to say. Someone that guides us through our lives.

When you see God as a Father, you will be strong and confident – You know your Father owns the whole Universe – You know your Father is concerned about every detail – You know your Father will ALWAYS hear you when you pray and is incredibly proud of you!

I exhort you not to listen to the negative things people are saying about you.  Do not let your own thoughts or your own mistakes convince you that you are all washed up.  No, according to Psalm 139:14

• You have been fearfully and wonderfully made.

Your Heavenly Father, the One Who breathed life into you; The One that gave you your gifts, your personality, and your smile stands in amazement of you.  He calls you His masterpiece in Ephesians 2:10 (NLT).

I love what God said about Job in Job 2:3

• “Have you seen My servant Job?  There is none like him in al the land!”

If God were standing here tonight He would say the same thing about each one of you!

Most people have never seen God as being proud of them because they do not know Him as a Father – They know Him as a Savior – They know their sins are forgiven – They know Him as the One Who sits on the throne and that is good, but God is saying “I want you to take it one step further and get to know Me as a Father.  I want you to know when I see YOU, you bring a smile to My face.  I see each one of you as My favorite children!”

Call I tell you – Your Heavenly Father is crazy about you!  He thinks you are amazing. So when you make mistakes, there are 3 main things that you need to do:

1. Ask for forgiveness

2. Receive God’s mercy

3. Move forward with your life

Put it behind you and press ahead.  Paul said in Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

• “Dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and straining forward to what lies ahead…”

We have all made mistakes and done things we are not proud of, but it is imperative to know: You are still the Father’s child.  You are still the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8).  You are still His most prized possession. God may not be pleased with your every action, but He is pleased with YOU!  He is pleased that you are still in the game.

God can make the rest of your life better than the first part and if you will start to see Him as your Father, then when you make a mistake, you will not run away from Him – you will run to Him.  You will be strong, confident, and secure in His love for you.

“Father we ask that You would reveal to us how deep, how wide, and how strong Your love is toward us.  Show us a revelation of our value and our worth to you.  Help us to only listen to the One Who paid such a dear price for us, in Jesus’ Name Amen.”

Love from our Heavenly Father, 

Lisa Gordon

Gordon Ministries and Jesus City Church