WHO IS GOD?

God is our loving Father Who lives in heaven.  His passion is to fill His house with children.  He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to our world to die for our sins.  Jesus’ willingness to lay down His life in death paved a way for His Father to receive many children just like Him.  When we believe that Jesus died for us, we are adopted into God’s family to live with Him in His heavenly home for eternity. 

God is our faithful Creator and that means we are totally dependant upon Him for all things.  Everything that exists is within Him.  Everything was created for Him.  Scripture tells us that Jesus was also directly involved in creation and that He was with His Father in the beginning. 

Col 1:15-18 NKJV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

 

1 Peter 4:19 NKJV

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

 

Rom 11:36 NKJV

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

 

John 1:1-5 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  

As His children, we were created in the image of God and no one has seen God the Father.  However Jesus said that if we have seen Him, we have seen God.  We can know all about the Father by reading about Jesus in the Gospels.

Gen 1:26-28 NKJV

Then God said,” Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them," Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

 

John 14:7-11 NKJV

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father ; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father '?  10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.   

God is the Father of the “God Family.”  In His family is His Son, Jesus Christ and also the Holy Spirit.  His family is commonly known as the trinity, however the term is not in the Bible.  The three of them are united as One. 

Matt 28:18-20  NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

 

Matt 3:16-17  NKJV

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

Eph 2:18 NKJV

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

 

1 John 5:7 NKJV

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 

God the Father gave Jesus all authority on earth.  Jesus will reign until all enemies, including death are under His feet.  When all is conquered, Jesus will give it all back to His Father, Who rules over all.  

Matt 28:18-19  NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 

 

John 3:35-36  NKJV

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 3

 

John 13:3-4  NKJV

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.

 

1 Cor 15:24-28 NLT

After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind.   25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For the Scriptures say, "God has given him authority over all things." (Of course, when it says "authority over all things," it does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28 Then, when he has conquered all things, the Son will present himself to God, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.  

GOD IS AWE – POWERFUL

The Lord is restoring what scripture calls the fear of God.  He is our loving Father but we need to remember that He is both fierce and kind.  A good analogy of both is to watch how a Mother bear takes cares of her cubs.  She surrounds them with her warmth, breath, milk and nuzzles.  She plays with them when they grow older and her cubs “wallow” all over her in fur-ball frolic.  But if they wander too far, or if an enemy approaches their domain, Mother bear becomes very fierce.  She is motivated by a nurturing love to keep her cubs away from what can harm them.   

Rom 11:22-23 NLT

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

When I first started learning about the fear of God, I realized I was getting disciplined for some of my wrong choices.  The Lord helped me see the truth in scripture that we reap what we sow.  He showed me that He loved me and wanted me to make good choices and to stay safe.  There is much we do not know about the spiritual world around us and how our choices can cause very serious ramifications in that world.   

Heb 12:7-11 NLT

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? 8 If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. 9 Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?   10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Later I was introduced to His tangible Presence and I could not get close to His Presence without shaking and trembling.  It was uncontrollable, both inside and outside.  I have had many wonderful experiences in His Presence.    

Jer 5:22 NKJV

Do you not fear Me?' says the LORD. 'Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
 

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT TREMBLING IN HIS PRESENCE

In knowing Who our Heavenly Papa is, we need to always remember His fierce awesomeness - that He is the Sovereign and Supreme God Who reigns over all.  We must not get so “familiar” with His kind Father heart that we take Him for granted, or become so accustomed to His grace that we treat His Holiness as common place.  His holiness demands the respect and fear from all of heaven and earth.  In the natural, we do not understand this because He hides His awesome holiness.   (No man can see God and live.)  He earnestly desires to reach us with loving fellowship.  Never-the-less, He is God and He reigns as Ultimate Authority over all.   

Ex 33:17-23  NKJV

So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." 18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."  19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."  

The following scripture is one of my favorites, because it is one of the few times that God actually describes Himself in His own Words: 

Ex 34:5-9 NKJV

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation ." So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance."

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH HIS ATTRIBUTES

Words that come from the Lord, no matter in what fashion, will always line up with Who He is.  It is especially helpful to be grounded in the characteristics of God in order to know whether it is Him speaking to us.

The following is a list of some of the many qualities and attributes of God and how they relate to the nature of His Words: 

1.  God is Love.  God’s Word to us is founded upon the characteristics of love. 

 

         “Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy; is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.  It is not conceited - arrogant and inflated with pride; it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly.  Love {God’s love in us} does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it - pays no attention to a suffered wrong.  It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.  Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything {without weakening}.  Love never fails - never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end...”   (I Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)

 

 

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.´ (John 10:11)

 

3.  God is Life.  When God speaks, it gives us strength, nourishment and fruitfulness; it gives us life.

 

         “...I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  (John 10:10  KJ)  “...The Words that I speak to you, are spirit, and they are life.”   (John 6:63 NKJV)

 

4.  God is our Refuge.  He is our hiding place, shielding us from the fiery darts.  Words from Him will carefully protect when uncovering a thorn. 

 

         “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”  (Psalm 91:1,2 NKJV)

 

5.   God is Peace.  There is no pushiness or driving anxiety in peace.  Peace stills the storm.  His Word to us will quiet our hearts when all is raging around us.

 

         “..they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.  He maketh the storm a calm, so the waves thereof are still.  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them into their desired haven.”  (Psalm 107:28-30 KJ)

 

6.  God is Whole.  “I AM that I AM” is complete.  When He speaks wholeness into our lives, we become well, whole, supplied and complete in Him. 

 

         “I AM that I AM” (Exodus 3:14 KJ) “That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  (2 Timothy 3:17 KJ) [Perfect = complete 739 Strong’s]

 

7.   God is Discipline.  He disciplines us because He loves us and wants us to be partakers of His Holiness.

 

         “For the Lord corrects and disciplines every one whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes...Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded {to them} and respected {them for training us}.  Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits, and so {truly} live? For {our earthly fathers} disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them, but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.”  (Hebrews 12:6-10 AMP)

 

8.  God is our Provider.  What He speaks into our lives, will provide everything we need. 

 

         “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering...”  (Genesis 22:8 KJ)

        

9.  God is the Bread of Life.  His Words will nourish us throughout our journey.  They will strengthen, sustain and satisfy us. 

 

         “I am that bread of life.  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness...  I am the living bread which came down from heaven...” (John 6:48 KJ)

 

10.  God is our Strength.  His Words give strength to stand and strength to rest. 

 

         “The Lord is my strength and song...”  (Exodus 15:2A KJ)

 

11.   God is our Banner.  Words from Him are a sign that points the way to truth. 

 

         “You have given a banner to those that fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”  (Psalm 60:4 NKJV)

 

12.  God is our Counselor.  Words from the Holy Spirit will advise and guide us on the Lord’s pathway.  [(Isaiah 9:6)  Counselor; to advise, deliberate, resolve, consult, determine, guide.  3289 Hebrew Strong’s]

         “...when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...”  (John 16:13 KJ)

 

13.  God is Just.  His Words execute justice to the wicked and freedom to the wronged. 

 

         “...for all his ways are judgment: for a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.”  (Deuteronomy 32:4B,C KJ)

 

14.  God is Truth.  When He speaks, He does not lay heavy burdens upon our shoulders, rather He sets us free with truth. 

 

         “...the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father...”  (John 15:26 KJ) “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”  (John 8:32,36 KJ)

 

15.  God is a Deliverer.  When He speaks Words into our lives, they deliver us from the death of the evil one and sin.  He speaks without condemnation.

 

         “For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned...”  (John 3:17,18 NKJV)

 

16.  God is our Shepherd.  The Lord’s Words will be in one accord with a shepherd’s care for his sheep. 

 

         “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”  (John 10:11 NKJV)

 

17.   God is our Everlasting Father.  He gives good gifts to His children.  His Words will be good gifts reflecting His Fatherhood.  (Isaiah 9:6 KJ)

 

         “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11 KJ)

 

18.   God glorifies Jesus.  The Father glorifies His Name through glorifying His Son, Jesus.  When He speaks Words into our lives, they point the way to and through Jesus, His Son.

 

         “The Spirit of truth...He shall glorify me...”  (John 16:13,14 KJ)  “Father glorify thy name.  Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.  (John 12:28 KJ) I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  (John 14:6 KJ)

 

19.   God is our Righteousness.  The Lord speaks His righteousness to cover our sins for we have no righteousness of our own. 

 

         “...and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.”  (Jeremiah 23:6B KJ)

 

20.   God is Holy.  When He speaks, His Words are pure, clear, without spot and blemish.  There is no mixture in His Words. 

 

         “...Every word of God is pure.”  (Proverbs 30:5 KJ) {Pure in the Hebrew means refined.  6884 Strong’s}

 

21.  God is Merciful.  The Lord’s Words are compassionate.

 

         “And the Lord passed before him there, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth..”  (Exodus 34:6 NKJV)

 

22.  God is Forgiving.  He speaks forgiveness for our sins.

 

         “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin...” (Exodus 34:7 NKJV)

 

23.  God is Comforting.  He speaks ease and consolation to our pain.

 

         “As whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.”  (Isaiah 66:13 NKJV)

 

24.  God is Gracious.  The Lord shows us favor and pity.

 

         “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious...”  (Exodus 33:19 NKJV)

 

25.  God is Wonderful.  His Words to us are extraordinary, filled with wonder and marvel.

 

         “And His name shall be called Wonderful...”  (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)

 

26.   God is Omniscient.  God’s Words reveal His secrets, for He knows all things.

 

         “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”  (Psalm 147:5 KJ)

 

27.   God is Omnipresent.  His Words are present everywhere in life. 

 

         “Where can I go from Your Spirit? or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold You are there.”  (Psalm 139:7,8 NKJV)

 

28.   God is Omnipotent.  God’s Words are all powerful. 

 

         “There is none more powerful than He.....and thou reignest over all; and thine hand is power and might...”  (1 Chronicles 29:12A,B)