FATHER KNOWS BEST

FATHER KNOWS BEST

FATHER KNOWS BEST

Part 1

  INTRODUCTION:

  In seeking God about what He would have me share in our Wednesday night Bible study, I felt led to share some of what God has been clarifying for me over the past several months.  The Holy Spirit has reminded me of the importance of my relationship with my Heavenly Father and about His great love and the good plans He has in store for my life.   Our relationships with God are not intended to be complicated and I’m so glad the Holy Spirit does remind me often of what Father says in His Word concerning me and my life.  He has simplified and uncomplicated a great deal of what used to be prevalent in my understanding.  I pray this study encourages you to pursue a deeper walk with your Heavenly Father.  There is nothing in any of our pasts that can disqualify us from participating in the plans God has for our future!

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD

             “When you know what God says, what He means and how to put His truths into practice, you will be equipped for every circumstance of life.  Ultimately, personal Bible study will result in a transformed life and a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.”  Kay Arthur

             “God makes a man who he is but how much that man believes what God says makes him what he is.”  Beth Moore

             “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”  Albert Einstein

             “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove (discern, understand) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Romans 12:2 NAS

             How I am doing at any given time in my spiritual walk (and thus, my natural walk) will depend on who and what I’m believing.

             The Bible contains all the Truth I will ever need in my life.

             If I don’t understand (and I won’t always), I must simply humble my heart and believe what God says because He is trustworthy.  I may not understand what He’s saying, but I can know without a doubt that He is telling me the truth and He only has good in His heart toward me.  He will enable me to understand as I continue to look to Him for answers.

 HOLY SPIRIT, OUR TEACHER

             “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  John 14:26 NAS

             John 14:17 refers to Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. 

 Father God sent the Holy Spirit to us to serve as our Helper and our Teacher.  Here are just a few of the things God’s Word tells us about Him:

 He communicates to us God’s Will (John 16:13; Romans 8:27)

• Helps us to pray (Romans 8:26)
• Enables us to do the works of Jesus (who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil) (John 14:12;  Acts 10:38)
• Reveals Jesus to us (John 15:26)
• Dwells in our hearts (2 Timothy 1:14)

 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV

             It is vital that we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in everything that we do.  God gave Him to us for the purpose of leading, guiding, teaching, helping us in every area of our lives!  He will lead you into ALL truth if you give Him the opportunity.

 THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD

             “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”  Proverbs 18:21 AMP

             “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.”  Deuteronomy 30:19 NAS

             We all know how important it is to watch what we say.  Scripture is full of references concerning the power of God’s Word.  Let me encourage you to give yourself to the study of God’s Word, allowing it to renew your mind.  (Romans 12:1-2)   As your mind is renewed to the Truth of God’s Word, the words of your mouth will begin to line up and agree with what God has said.  Hear what Father God has to say about His Word:

 “Just as rain and snow fall and water the earth, causing it to bear and sprout, furnishing seed to the sower and bread to eat, so is God’s Word that goes from His mouth.  It does not return to Him empty without accomplishing what He desires or succeeding in the matter for which He sent it.”  Isaiah 55:10-11

 Here are just a few of the benefits of reading your Bible: 

• God’s intentions for our lives are shown in His Word (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
• We will receive wisdom, teaching, reproof (helps us find out where we previously thought wrong), correction (happens when we repent of wrong thoughts and/or actions and turn away from it), training in righteousness, made adequate and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
• We will learn how to handle God’s Word accurately (2 Timothy 2:15)
• Exposes the true condition of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12)
• Our minds are renewed (Romans 12:1-2)

 I like to think of it this way: 

• The Word of God is powerful in me when I receive it! 
• It does what Father sends it to do. 
• His Word possesses achieving, accomplishing power in me.  This is His will for my life! 
• The life in the Word becomes active in me. 
• The power of the Word becomes powerful in me. 
• The activity of the Word becomes active in me. 
• The operations of the Word become operative in me. 
• The energy of the Word energizes me. 
• The Word of God invades every part of my being, even the marrow of my bones, my joints, my mind, the thoughts and motives of my heart!

 THE WORD’S EFFECT IN OUR LIVES

             God’s Word has powerful effect upon our lives as we receive it at face value.  Father God truly desires that we understand, comprehend what He is communicating to us.  (Ephesians 1:18)  Accepting God’s Word as the Truth will change your life forever!  What have we got to lose?

             Here are a few things that result from receiving God’s Word: 

• Faith (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:1)
• Hope (Romans 4:16-18; Romans 15:13)
• Thoughts and actions change (James 1:22-25; Romans 12:1-2)
• Successful life and health (Proverbs 4:20-27)
• Peace (Isaiah 26:3)
• Cleansing of heart and mind (Ephesians 5:25-26; John 15:3)
• Joy and delight (Jeremiah 15:16)
• Victory over life’s trials (Jeremiah 23:29; 1 Corinthians 15:57)

 Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  We cannot expect to receive the God kind of faith in any other way.  When we draw on the correct thing (God’s Word), we will draw on the positive things necessary to bring about positive results in our lives. 

 As we give ourselves to the Word of God, we will discover that many of our thoughts and actions don’t line up.  We can make a conscious choice to yield to what He says and as we do, we will find that our thoughts and actions will begin to conform to God’s way of doing things.  It truly is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and He will continue working in us and with us, never leaving or forsaking us!  We simply need to keep our focus on Him and His Word and learn to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.  (James 1:22-25)

 Think about where your mind is focused on a regular basis and allow the Holy Spirit to change your focus.   As Creflo Dollar says, “Think about what you’re thinking about!”  We must learn to behave out of what we know the Truth to be rather than what we feel.  We truly are what we eat and if we feed our spirits on the Word of God, we will experience its fruit in our lives.  (Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 103 – the benefits of our salvation).

 Supernatural effects take place in us when we receive God’s Word.  We receive it by:

• Reading it
• Believing it
• Meditating on it
• Acting on it
• Applying it

 God’s Word shatters and destroys the deceptions and strongholds of the enemy.  He teaches us how to conduct our lives in such a way that we can walk in triumph every single day of our lives!  This is His intention and His plan for each and every one of His children.

 CONCLUSION:

             Our Heavenly Father truly loves each one of us as dearly beloved children.  He does not disapprove of any of us (nor has He ever)!  He has priorities for our lives so we shall be able to do and be all He called us to be and do.  We are safe to walk by faith in Him, in His Word.  He began His good work in us and He won’t stop or give up on any of us.  He is continually working in us to will and to do His good pleasure.  We can choose to believe our Father God is able to do anything His Word says He can in our lives.  We will not allow doubt or unbelief to hinder His work in us because we know that He is doing exceeding abundantly more than we can ask or think!  So we submit to Father’s Will, desiring that His Will be done here on earth, in our lives, as it is in heaven, resisting the enemy and giving him no foothold in our lives.  We daily present ourselves to God as living sacrifices yielding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  We want what Father God wants, whatever He wants to accomplish in and through us, we want to cooperate with Him to get it done because WE WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ALL HE WANTS TO DO!  Our Father truly knows best!