Who are you?

• But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right / authority / power / privilege to become a "Child of God". John 1:12
• For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  Romans 8:14
• The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16

These verses from John and Romans are powerful affirmations of the Christian identity as children of God. They offer the Biblical basis for understanding how believers are integrated into God's family.

1. John 1:12 - highlights the transformative power of receiving Christ. The original Greek word used here, "ἐξουσίαν" (exousian), can be translated as "right," "authority," "power," or "privilege." This emphasizes the profound change in status for those who accept Jesus: from being separated to being granted the divine right to be called children of God. This status is not just a title; it confers the authority and liberty inherent in being part of God’s family.

2. Romans 8:14 - identifies a key characteristic of those who are children of God: they are led by the Spirit of God. This is not just about passive belief but active guidance by the Holy Spirit in daily decisions and actions. Being led by the Spirit indicates a life that is responsive to God’s direction and presence, marking the believer as part of God's family.

3. Romans 8:16 - Here, Paul speaks of the intimate reassurance that the Holy Spirit provides to believers. The Spirit Himself affirms the believer's identity as God's child, which is a deep spiritual experience of assurance that transcends external proof. This internal testimony is crucial for personal faith and identity, confirming the believer’s status in a way that is both personal and profound.

Together, these verses affirm the standing of believers as children of God and outline the dynamics of this relationship: it’s received through faith in Christ, evidenced by following the Holy Spirit’s leading, and confirmed by the Spirit’s testimony within us. This understanding can be a central theme in understanding your relationship with God, as it encapsulates the transition from knowing about God to experiencing His reality and guidance in your life.

The New Testament provides several passages reinforcing the concept of being a Child of God. The idea of being "Born Again" and evidencing believers as children of God. Here are some significant scriptures that further explore these themes:

1. John 3:3-7  Jesus Himself introduces the concept of being "born again" in His conversation with Nicodemus. He explains that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again, emphasizing the necessity of being born of water and the Spirit. This spiritual rebirth is distinct from physical birth and is essential for entering God’s Kingdom.

2. 1 Peter 1:23  Peter talks about being born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. This passage highlights the role of God’s word as a living force that brings about spiritual rebirth, transforming believers into new creations.

3. Galatians 3:26-27  Paul explains that through faith in Christ Jesus, all believers are children of God. He elaborates that those who have been baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ, signifying their new identity and status as God’s children.

4. 1 John 3:1-2  John marvels at the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God—and that is what we are. This passage not only affirms the identity of believers as children of God but also reflects on the profound nature of divine love that makes this relationship possible.

5. 1 John 5:1  John states that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. This highlights belief in Jesus as the Christ as the essential criterion for being considered born of God, linking doctrinal affirmation with spiritual rebirth.

6. Ephesians 1:13-14  In this passage, Paul speaks about believers being marked with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. The presence of the Spirit is a marker of divine ownership and a child’s status in God’s family.

These scriptures collectively illustrate the multifaceted biblical understanding of being born again and the assurance of being a child of God, which involves spiritual rebirth, faith in Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and transformation through God’s word. These foundational truths can be powerful points of reference in understanding your journey as a "Child of the King."

THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S GUIDANCE, PROVISION AND CARE

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deut. 31:8

 Isaiah 45:2-3 says:

"I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." (NASB)

For a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, there are several key understandings to draw from this passage:

1. God's Guidance and Preparation:

• "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth": This signifies that God is actively involved in preparing the way for His people. He clears obstacles and smoothens the path ahead. Believers can trust that God is guiding their steps and preparing the way for their journey in life and faith.

2. Divine Power and Protection:

• "I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars": This imagery of breaking through barriers signifies God's power to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. For believers, it underscores the assurance of God’s protection and His ability to remove any barriers that stand in the way of His purposes for their lives.

3. Provision and Revelation:

• "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places": This speaks to God's provision of blessings and resources that are not immediately visible. It suggests that God has hidden blessings that He will reveal in due time. For believers, it’s a reminder that God’s provision may come in unexpected ways and places.

4. Personal Relationship with God:

• "So that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name": This emphasizes the personal relationship that God has with His people. He calls them by name, indicating intimacy and personal care. For believers, this highlights the importance of recognizing and responding to God’s personal call in their lives.

5. Faith and Trust in God’s Promises:

• This passage reassures believers that God is faithful to His promises. Understanding and trusting in God’s promises helps believers to grow in their faith and dependence on Him, knowing that He will fulfill His word.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (NASB)

The connection between Isaiah 45:2-3 and Proverbs 3:5-6 is quite profound. Here are some key points that align between the two passages:

1. Trust in God’s Guidance:

• Proverbs 3:5-6: Emphasizes trusting in the LORD with all your heart and not relying on your own understanding.

• Isaiah 45:2-3: God promises to go before us, making the rough places smooth, which requires trust in His guidance and sovereignty.

2. God’s Preparation of the Path:

• Proverbs 3:6: Assures that if we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will make our paths straight.

• Isaiah 45:2: Describes God’s active role in preparing and smoothing the path ahead.

3. Divine Intervention and Provision:

• Proverbs 3:5: Calls for reliance on God rather than our own understanding, implying trust in His provision and wisdom.

• Isaiah 45:3: Speaks of God revealing hidden treasures and wealth, symbolizing His provision in ways beyond our comprehension.

4. Personal Relationship with God:

• Proverbs 3:6: Encourages acknowledging God in all our ways, implying a continual, intimate relationship with Him.

• Isaiah 45:3: Highlights that God calls us by name, indicating a personal and intimate relationship.

5. Faith and Obedience:

• Proverbs 3:5-6: Requires faith and obedience to trust God fully and acknowledge Him in all aspects of life.

• Isaiah 45:2-3: Demonstrates the results of such faith and obedience – God’s active intervention and guidance.

In essence, both passages together emphasize the importance of trusting in God wholeheartedly, relying on His understanding and guidance, and maintaining an intimate relationship with Him. They reassure believers that God will prepare the way, provide for their needs, and guide them on a straight path if they place their trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all things. This integration of trust, guidance, provision, and care forms a solid foundation for a believer's faith journey.

God's thoughts?

What if you only cared about what God thought of you, instead of what others thought about you?

What if you only cared about what God thought of others, instead of what you thought of others?

How would your life be different? 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Why God Hides Himself and 5 ways to Find Him - Joseph Mattera

OCTOBER 8, 2019/ https://josephmattera.org/god-hides-5-ways-find/

Scripture teaches us in Isaiah 45:15 that God hides Himself. This means that He does not reveal Himself to casual seekers – truly it is the glory of God to conceal things but the glory of kings to search things out Proverbs 25:2, hence it is a royal and noble task to plumb the depths of the knowledge and glory of God!

Diamonds are usually not found on the surface of the earth – they have to be sought out and dug up out of the earth. If they were easily found they would be common and as worthless and common rock and dirt. So, how does a person find God and to whom does He disclose Himself?

For one, it says in Jeremiah 29:13 that we will find Him when we search for Him with our whole heart! He reveals Himself to those who search for Him as for hidden treasures. Proverbs 2:4-5

Secondly, we need to respond to Him when He initiates contact with us: when He prompts our heart to seek His face we need to immediately respond and seek Him Psalm 27:8. We are to seek the Lord while He may be found, Isaiah 55:6, which means there are God-ordained opportune times when He is specifically drawing us to Himself – to ignore this prompting is to take advantage of the grace of God since no one can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws Him John 6:44 another moment like this may never come!

Thirdly, we need to consider the fact that God never told us to “merely say prayers” but to hunger and thirst for Him and earnestly seek Him Matthew 5:6; Hebrews 11:6.

Fourthly, He expects believers to regularly carve out time and initiate contact with Him as He admonishes us to intentionally grow in the grace and knowledge of Him and draw near to God so He can draw near to us 2 Peter 3:18 and James 4:8.

Lastly, God doesn’t reveal Himself to the casual observer but to those who prioritize a worshipful relationship with Him above all else. This means carving out quality time pouring over His word, worship, and prayer on a daily basis that gives God the opportunity to reveal Himself and mature us in His Son. He said, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me” Proverbs 8:17.

Perspective? How do you "See" and "Hear"?

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know, your own perspective, and understanding. In all your ways acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Luke 8:18
So pay attention to “how” you hear. To those who listen to my guidance, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.

Christian Mystics and Now!

I've enjoyed the books of several Christian "mystics". Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee, and A.W. Tozer. These are people that God gave spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. And they shared God's heart and mind, how God felt, and what He thought to their generation.

Their asceticism was simple and did not bring glory to themselves. They knew God, and the things of the world had little appeal to them.

Now...
The mysteries of the believer's union with the Father through the Holy Spirit are being made clear to all of us.

Hebrews 8:11. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 

Acts 2:17-18 ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Revelation 19:9. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

1 Cor. 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

And behold, I Am with you always,

There is never a time that the Holy Spirit is not present in our lives.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 12:32  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The "Here and Now" and the Presence of God

The "Here and Now" is where we pay attention. To pay attention means to consciously focus on one aspect of that which we are aware.

We can be aware of many things in the here and now and still not pay attention to them.

Definition: the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others.

"Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention

"Attention is the cognitive process that makes it possible to position ourselves towards relevant stimuli and consequently respond to it. This cognitive ability is very important and is an essential function in our daily lives."

https://www.cognifit.com/attention

"Attention is a complex cognitive function which is essential for human behavior. Attention is a selection process for an external (sound, image, smell...) or internal (thoughts) event which has to be maintained at a certain level of awareness. It is not a stable but rather, fluctuating skill."

http://www.happy-neuron.com/brain-and-training/attention

From all this information we begin to understand that paying attention takes conscious effort.

Two Bible verses come to mind…

Romans 8:14 All that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.

John 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

And this one…

Matthew 10:19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

These verses speak of the present-tense indicative verb of paying attention to the Holy Spirit in the here and now. Not just acknowledging God's presence but recognizing Him and "choosing" to pay attention and to engage in your relationship with Him.

The enemy does not want you to do that. He will use distraction by trying to get you to focus, not on the present situation I call the "Here and Now" but on the past using condemnation/hopelessness or the future using speculation/fear... Or both.

Reality does not exist in the future or in the past.

We exist and have our being in the "Here and Now". It is where we make our choices and decisions that will shape our future. Do you trust in your limited perspective and understanding in your situation, or will you choose to pay attention to the Lover of your Soul and trust in His Guidance and Counsel? "Now" is the time, and "here" is the place we create the future God wants us to have.

Philippians 3:12 (NLT) I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Proverbs 3:5 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

God's Hand?

Today I found myself saying to a business colleague of mine that "I see God's hand in this opportunity". We agreed that we can't go wrong trusting in His Guidance, no matter what the outcome.

God's Hand is motivated by love, manifest through Grace, informed by "His" plan, guided by His will and committed to our highest good.

You can't go wrong knowing that He goes before you preparing the way. So trust in His guidance and act accordingly.

Proverbs 3:5-6

THE LORD, A COVENANT GOD

Deuteronomy 7:9 
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

Hebrews 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

Hebrews 3:1. Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2. This is why the ancients were commended. 3. By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By Faith we understand...

Matthew 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22. Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 8:5. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith... 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

By the Holy Spirit we hear the promise. In hope we believe it's truth. In obedience we trust His Guidance. And in joy we proclaim His faithfulness.

BIBLICAL FAITH in its basic form...

God Initiates - We Respond

God's Creative Guidance

There is not a thing that you cannot overcome trusting in God's creative guidance.

The Will of the One who has "All Authority"

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,...

 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth...

19 Go therefore (So now because of this go) and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

What is "dogma"?

Dogma is a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.^[1] It serves as part of the primary basis of an ideology or belief system, and it cannot be changed or discarded without affecting the very system's paradigm, or the ideology itself. They can refer to acceptable opinions of philosophers or philosophical schools, public decrees, religion, or issued decisions of political authorities.^[2]
The term derives from Greek δόγμα "that which seems to one, opinion or belief"^[3] and that from δοκέω (dokeo), "to think, to suppose, to imagine".^[4] Dogma came to signify laws or ordinances adjudged and imposed upon others by the First Century. The plural is either dogmas or dogmata, from Greek δόγματα. The term "dogmatics" is used as a synonym for systematic theology, as in Karl Barth's defining textbook of neo-orthodoxy, the 14-volume Church Dogmatics.

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Awake in Reality?

Do you trust In the perspective of your five senses or trust in God's present guidance in the "Now"?

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Corinthians 6:2 KJV   For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Valid

1 having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities
2 a : well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful b : logically correct