I have a Father! :)

♫ I have a Father

He calls me His own

He'll never leave me

No matter where I go

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls 

And hears me when I call ♫

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
-The LORD. (Jeremiah 31:3)

  

BEHOLD LOVE!

In my "Remember" post I rant about all my dissatisfactions with my life then how God told me that all I need to do is to remember His love, His rich, rich Love because it His love that transforms me and brings restoration to my life. 

"BEHOLD! what kind of love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1a)

This is funny because that's the same thing He told me at Prefall (He spoke through Thaddeus in Hello Africans post) and when I stopped fixing my eyes on myself (my mistakes and the devil's accusations) and on my mind (trying to understand grace logically), yeah when I took my eyes off me and fixed them on God (the Living Loving Faithful Father) I was set free! It didn't happen immediately because there was a battle of doubt (unbelief) vs. faith (choosing to believe the Truth about God, His great Love and my identity in Him). It really helped me to speak the Truth outloud to silence the accuser in my thoughts. Yeah He then set me free and filled me with His Love through His Holy Spirit("God has poured out his Love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."(Romans 5:5)And yeah when I did this (renewed my mind with Truth), it was kinda like the story of the prodigal son: 

"So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15: 19-24)

The thing is God is our Father and He sees us and cares about us and He doesn't care how long we've been distracted by the world, deceived or oppressed by the enemy, He loves us the same. All He cares about is that we come back to Him and freely receive His Love and find our identity in Him (sons and daughters) because He hurts to see us hurt and oppressed by the world. He just LOVE US for free! hahaha We don't have to work for it or even understand it. We just need to see it. Let us behold His Love :-)

NEVER will I leave you, NEVER will I forsake you

At one prayer meeting during Fall, Paul, Thaddeus and I were praying for each other and doing listening prayer. God gave me encouraging words through them. Paul told me that God was going to protect me- He got a vision of the cross and it's shadow (It reminded me of Psalm 91) and Thaddeus got this verse for me:

"I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18)

This was really encouraging to hear because, I was facing a lot of opposition and I still had the fear of rejection. At prefall, I shared in my post that many people had visions about what was going to happen this year. Most of people got visions that spiritual warfare would intensify this year. Some people had visions/dreams that there would be lots of conflict between the staff and students in the fellowship and it is unfortunate that this came to pass :( ( "a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." -Matthew 10: 36. To be continued... )
Let's all behold His love and receive it =) God is with us and even when everyone deserts us He never will.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

P.S: Thanks God for my earthly dad, for how you have shown me Your love and protection over me through Him. And thanks God for being the Perfect Father who loves me perfectly :)

*Note: "My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." =) (Proverbs 3:11-12)
I thank God for my African parents who helped me understand what this verse means lol.
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Every stress and anxiety is gone when I enter Your Rest. I am surrounded by the Power of Your Love! :)