Do you long to move from being dissatisfied to content? Do you regularly feel like there must be more than you are currently experiencing? Do you know who you are and what you were made for? These are questions each one of us ask ourselves at one time or another.
If need be, start by admitting you are ticked off because life has turned out differently than you had hoped or planned. This will help you acknowledge what you are really feeling so you can move forward. After you are honest with yourself and God, learn to go deep with Jesus. An intimate life-giving relationship with Jesus is where your strength and fulfillment comes from. As you get to know Him more deeply, you will start to discover who you really are and what He made you to do. This is where I want to focus today.
* The following is an excerpt from my book, The Transition: Thriving Spiritually from High School to College and Beyond.
Knowing God as Father
Knowing who you are starts with knowing God as Father. Father’s and/or father figures (or a lack thereof) are typically the most significant people in the forming of someone’s identity. Fathers define us. In my opinion, it’s one of the primary reasons many people are so confused these days about who they are. The breakdown of the family and the lack of present and engaged fathers has led to a diminishing of identity.
Seeing God Rightly
God the Father has always desired intimacy and relationship with His children. God is not an absent Father. Adam and Eve chose to separate themselves from Him (see Genesis 3:8-9). Sin separated humans from their Father and Creator, but Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has restored our ability to come into the Father’s presence anytime, anyplace (see Matthew 27:51, Hebrews 10:16-22).
Our experience with earthly fathers and authority figures affects us more than we know, and often causes us to view our heavenly Father through the lens of our earthly fathers. The way we view our earthly fathers shapes and colors our view of our perfect heavenly Father. In order to change that, we must see God rightly as He gives us revelation of Himself. The Word of God and His love must penetrate our hearts in order to see Him rightly. It was A.W. Tozer who said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
God began to shape and form my view of Him shortly after my salvation. One experience still remains vivid in my mind. I was praying with my youth pastor one hot summer August night just before the start of youth camp. As we prayed, I had a profound experience with Abba that I will never forget. Sitting there under the stars God spoke to my heart so clearly. He said these simple but profound words, “I’m proud of you, son.” That may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it was a game changer. It marked me and defined me. For the first time, I knew what it meant to be His son, and the identity and acceptance that come with that. He wants to mark you as well – just like He marked His Son, Jesus when He said, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased (see Matthew 3:17).
Resources
The Father Heart of God (an audio message by Kent)
Join the Conversation
Why not stop right now and take a few minutes to let Abba Father speak over you? What did He say? How has God changed or shaped your view of Him as Father? Write it down! Meditate on it. Hang it up on your wall. If you don’t have a journal, now is a good time to start one.
Would you think of sharing it with this online community? Your story has the power to encourage someone else! Post a comment below…