Written on June 22nd, 2005 - 9:09PM Last Updated: June 23rd, 2005 - 4:24PM
The second portion of Christ's teaching on praying was to recognize where our Father exists.
Once born again into His family, we no longer have Satan as our father. Now that we have been released from sin as our master, we have chosen the Creator to be our rightful master. Our natural, earthly father is not our ultimate authority any longer.
Our Father is in heaven (Psalms 11:4); His appearance is like a Man clothed in white, the hair of His head like pure wool, His body as glowing metal full of fire within and without from the middle up, and the appearance of fire from the middle down (Daniel 7:9). All around Him is brightness (Ezekiel 1:27), the appearance of a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:28)!
He sits upon something like a throne, which gives the appearance of a sapphire stone (Ezekiel 1:26)(Ezekiel 10:1).
Upon this throne He receives the worship of the many spirit beings surrounding Him (Isaiah 6:1-5)(Revelation 4:2-11).
Knowing the glory of our Father helps us to come unto Him as we set our minds on the things above. Because in the flesh we remain on the earth, we must see with the spirit to behold our spiritual dwelling with the Father in heaven.
1If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
When we understand and imagine the glory of Yahweh the Father, it will help us to come before Him as we "see" His splendor in our mind, though He is unseen to our natural eyes (Hebrews 11:27).
The imagination is the key to beholding the unseen, because we are exercising our faith when we "look" at the unseen, which is eternal, described for us in scripture (2 Corinthians 4:18); faith is the rule for the actions not seen, the foundation for the things being expected (Hebrews 11:1). The Father, as He rules from heaven, is truly the source of all that is good, and we should think upon Him (Philippians 4:8).
Our Father is in heaven; we do not depend upon our earthly father, nor upon the father of the wicked, Satan. We depend upon Yahweh, the Lord of heaven and earth, our Father, through the faith of His Son. We pray, together, to our Father, the One in the heavens! We must look unto Him, through the eyes of faith, to give ourselves the foundation upon which we can pray with confidence.
As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.
But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.
This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, ChristJesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.
You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.
God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.
That Son, JesusChrist, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.
His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.
The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.
So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.
Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!
7In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8Therefore don't be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Scripture Quotes: World English Bible Translation.
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