I found this devotional: Being Fathered By God. The devotional seems very powerful and purposeful as it calls out how “Every man has had authority figures in his life, and much of what a man perceives about God was shaped by those authority figures. His earthly father is at the top of every man’s authority list.” So I took on the offer to join the journey into this devotional. Will you join me on this 14-day journey?
Scripture for Today’s Devotional:
‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ‘
1 John 4:18
God’s Word knows just what to say! God’s Word knows just how to say it! So let’s meditate on God’s Word in advance to start our day and receive His direction, His instruction, and His truth!
Let’s be the dads who choose to live in love! Let’s be the dads who choose to be so filled with God’s love that we live lives that overflow love into the lives of our wives! Let’s be the dads who choose to be so filled with God’s love that we live lives that overflow love into the lives of our kids! Let’s be the dads who choose to be so filled with God’s love that we live lives that overflow love into the lives in our world! Let’s be so filled with love that there is no room for fear! Let’s be so filled with love and so connected to God that any fear gets driven out by love! Let’s be so filled with love that we allow God’s love to perfect us and break the chains of fear and punishment from us! Let’s be focused on God and His love so we don’t get stuck in a place of fear and punishment! Let’s be so focused on God and His love that we overflow that love into the world around us because we can see how they are living in fear and even responding out of fear!
Today’s devotional was provided by Michael Thompson where on zoweh.org they share the following: “Every man has had authority figures in his life, and much of what a man perceives about God and projects onto God was shaped by those authority figures. At the top of every man’s authority list is his earthly father. How your dad handled your heart has shaped you and contributed significantly to how you perceive God. Join us for this journey towards experiencing the heart of the Father and getting everything out of the way that is in the way of being a Beloved Son.“
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me: (check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
Through zoweh.org, you are able to download today’s devotional and many others.
For more information, please visit https://www.zoweh.org/youversion.
Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“The One from Whom Love Is Coming“
- Let’s be the dads who remember that God is good, all the time!
- Let’s be the dads who remember that God is love and that means God is everything we read from 1 Corinthians 13:
- ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ‘ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- Thanks to our relationship and acceptance of Jesus, we know that God is patient, and God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, and God is not proud. God does not dishonor others, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, and God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. God never fails.
- We also know that the devil who is a liar tries to deceive and manipulate us into forgetting or disbelieving these truths!
- We know that the devil is going around roaring like a lion, trying to stir up fear in order to find those he can devour! The devil is looking to trick us into condemning ourselves because he knows that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and wants to trick us into walking away from that!
- Let’s be the dads who trust God!
- Let’s be the dads who teach our wives to trust God!
- Let’s be the dads who teach our kids to trust God!
- Let’s be the dads who teach this world to trust God!
- When we trust God, we are able to receive His love!
- Let’s be the dads who trust God and receive His love and “the forms and fashions in which it comes“!
- Let’s be the dads who cling to the reality of God’s perfect love so that the devil isn’t able to trick us into thinking God or God’s “love is believed to be imperfect, then the message of love from the Father of love will fall on deaf ears and a hard heart“!
- Let’s be the dads who trust God and won’t allow the lies of the devil to cause us to become “a distrustful man who will believe God isn’t there or that God doesn’t really care, or worse, that his life is a great disappointment to God“!
- The devil has been working hard to keep us from trusting, believing, and clinging to God!
- Today’s devotional shared how the devil’s handy work has impacted men when it says:
- “Most men deal with at least one, if not all, of these haunting messages daily and their responses vary. One man will try to hide so the messages he is a disappointment won’t come true. Another man will attempt some form of effort or control in order to dispel the messages he needs help. Neither man is living from a settled heart. The opinions and criticisms of others rule both of their lives.“
- “Neither man is ready to love; each is living afraid.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab onto today’s verse and allow love to cast out fear!
- Let’s be the dads who receive God’s perfect love and allow it to fill us to overflowing, washing away and carrying away all fear!
- Today’s devotional’s scripture is called out and asks us an important question as follows:
- Let’s be the dads who allow this type of love to settle “the issue of hiding and controlling“!
- Let’s be the dads who receive and accept God’s perfect love so that “there is no need to hide, strive, or manipulate“!
- Let’s be the dads who accept God’s love, His perfect love, and as such “We have nothing to prove, hide, or fear“!
- Let’s be the dads who don’t allow the enemy of our hearts to plant seeds of doubt like what happened back in the beginning in the garden of Eden when the devil started the message that “You cannot trust the heart of God; he is holding out on you. Surely you won’t die.”!
- Let’s be the dads who break from Satan’s scheme rather than perpetuating it and causing our hearts to distrust God’s heart!
- Today’s devotional challenges us with the following:
- Today’s devotional directs us to spend time with God and consider things:
