“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) 

Everyone felt sorry there

Over the years, I’ve gone to local jails and state prisons to share Christ many times. I discovered early on that everyone incarcerated there felt sorry about something—either sorry for what they had done wrong to get them there or just sorry that they had been caught. The ones who felt sorry for what they had done were the ones who responded well to the gospel; they readily admitted their sin, repented, asked God for forgiveness, He forgave them, and their lives were forever transformed! On the other hand, the ones who were just sorry that they had gotten caught usually just blamed others for their problems; they were not repentant; they were not receptive to the gospel; they did not ask God for forgiveness, and their lives remained unchanged. 

There is something powerful about honesty before God!

Not only does honesty with God cause us to come into the light regarding our sin, God, our Father who loves us, wants to forgive us!

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Prov. 28:13)

Therefore

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Eph. 1:7)

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Don’t get it wrong

Over the years, I have heard various Christians misquote the above verse. They simply say passionately, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” But that’s incorrect! You can resist all day long as passionately as you want, and still the devil will not flee from you! Why is that so? Because there is one very critical ingredient that must not be left out! The answer is in the very first part of the verse, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” That is what makes the rest of the verse work for you! It’s a simple, three-part formula: 1) Submit yourself to God; 2) Resist the devil. And 3) The devil flees from you!

Therefore

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” (1 Peter 5:6

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  (James 1:5)

Have you ever wished you knew more about life and had a better understanding of things? The great news is that you can become incredibly wise by just asking God to give you wisdom. He promised in the passage at the top of the page that he would not reproach or berate you just for asking. Remember that everything that can be known is already known by God, and He is willing to generously give wisdom to you if you ask Him for it in faith (James 1:6).

How to get it

Start by asking God boldly to give you wisdom. Then do the following wise things: study His Word, seek the wise counsel of other Christians whose lives seem worth imitating, and then work to live wisely; knowing what to do is knowledge—doing what you know is wisdom.

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Prov. 19:20 ESV)

Therefore

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. (Prov. 3:13-18 ESV)

“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Gal. 4:6)

I pondered over the title of this post for some time and almost didn’t go with it because this term, “Who’s your Daddy?” has taken on a life of its own with varying meanings. But, as a Christian, it’s a very important question to ask yourself, especially during any kind of crisis or emergency. This is because you have been adopted into God’s wonderful family! God is now your Heavenly Father (this is how Jesus taught you to approach Him when praying). You are His beloved child with all the rights that come with that privilege, and you can now approach Him boldly as you do your earthly father. Three times in the New Testament, Jesus and the Apostle Paul used the word “abba” when speaking to God. The word “abba” in modern Hebrew means “Daddy.”

Therefore

Throughout the day, when you remember how much God loves you deeply especially if any kind of situation happens where you need your Heavenly Father’s help and guidance, don’t despair, just remember, “Who’s your daddy?” and approach Him that way, boldly; He will respond to you in a wonderful and perfect way!

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15)

“He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”  (Eph. 1:5) 

Adoption is irrevocable!

Twice, Susan and I were blessed to be present when our son, John, and his wife, Ingrid, adopted children. John and Ingrid are foster care parents and have children coming and going from their home for many reasons. These two children had become a regular part of their family because they had been with them a long time; they had become dearly loved, and it seemed like they were already permanent. Finally, they officially adopted them and it was a beautiful moment each time. John, Ingrid, and the new family member stood before the judge, and he proclaimed it legal; the child received a brand-new birth certificate, too, with John and Ingrid listed as the parents. By the way, if you have witnessed an adoption in a court of law, you will hear the following question posed to the new parents, “Do you understand that adoption is an irrevocable act, and you cannot take it back?” That’s correct; even though it’s legally possible to disown a natural-born child, it’s absolutely impossible to disown an adopted one. They are forever permanent!

It is exactly the same way with God

Once God has adopted you into His family as his child, it is forever. He adopted you with all your shortcomings, quirks, and flaws even though He knew all about them before He adopted you. And He will continue to love you and help you mature and grow all the days of your life.

Therefore

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Gal. 3:26)

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12)

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15)

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)

Justice was served!

I heard a story about two children who were best friends growing up. They happily played together all day long and loved each other like brothers. Then, one of the boys moved away to a distant city when his father received employment there. The boys lost contact with each other, and as they grew up, they developed very different lives. One of them pursued an education in law and proceeded up the ranks to become a respected judge. Unfortunately, the other took a very different path, filled with poor decisions that led to crime. One day, he was arrested for theft and found himself in front of a judge. That judge was his old childhood friend. The judge recognized him at once, but that didn’t change the fact that his old friend had broken the law, and he could not let him off the hook; the law is the law, and all crimes must be dealt with and atoned for legally without exception. Therefore, the judge followed the rule of law perfectly, pronounced his friend guilty, and imposed the standard fine appropriate to the crime committed, $1,000, which was to be settled immediately, or jail time would be imposed. Then, after the gavel had gone down, the judge did something very unusual and remarkable. He stood up, took off his robe, stepped down, and wrote a personal check to cover the entire amount. The legal debt was now completely paid in full, and his friend was free to go!

In a similar way, this is what God did for us

The Bible says we are all born into a fallen world, we have a fallen sinful nature and sin, and God is holy and righteous and requires payment for sin. No matter what we do in our own strength, it’s not good enough; we will always fall short of God’s standard of righteousness (Rom. 3:23). If we have to pay our own penalty for sin and rebellion against God, we will truly perish. But the good news is that God has redeemed us by sending His free gift of eternal life: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

Therefore

Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin, and we received the righteousness and clean record of Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1)

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you.” (Isa. 54:10)

God’s love shall not depart from you, ever!

This wonderful promise, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful truths in the Bible! Just think about it! Because God has made this an absolutely unchanging, ironclad promise, and He does not lie or change His mind (Num. 23:19), you can completely rest in it! And of course, the enemy, that “liar, thief, and robber” (John 8:44), who is the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10), will constantly harass you! He will tell you that God’s love is conditional in order to keep you worried, doubtful, afraid, and weak. But according to the Bible, absolutely nothing can separate you from God’s love—not even you! Just consider the following statement God’s Word made about this fact:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39 ESV)

Because

There are at least two reasons why the above promise about God's love for you is so permanent. First, because God said so Himself, which He proclaimed emphatically in the world's most quoted Bible verse, John 3:16. And secondly, His love for you is permanent based on the unbelievable price He paid for it—the blood of His only Son, Jesus. That price was so overpaid that nothing anywhere could ever snatch you out of His hand!

Therefore

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15)

“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:36)

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  (Matt. 11:28-30)

Everybody needs rest for their soul!

The world in which we live is relentlessly busy, noisy, and stressful, leading millions to suffer from what doctor's call “stress-related exhaustion disorder,” or simply ED. This condition is quickly becoming epidemic. And why is this happening? The answer is simple: it’s from a lack of mental rest!

People have forgotten how to rest!

No one can hear their own thoughts anymore! Even when they are sitting still and alone, they are plugged into unrelenting noise and emotional stimulation without a moment’s break from it; they cannot hear their own thoughts, let alone hear God’s still voice! (1 Kings 9:11-13) 

The answer

Unplug from it! That’s right, separate yourself from all electronic screens for a time each day for personal mental rest, reflection and meditation on the Word of God! Look at the promise passage at the top of the page and reflect on its individual parts. The first part says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” So, start this time with prayer and ask Jesus to give you rest for your soul! The next part says, “And take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.” Give Jesus your burden (1 Peter 5:7). A yoke is what farmers put over their oxen's heads to help them share heavy loads side-by-side, with a double yoke. The idea in Jesus’ statement saying, “take my yoke” is that He will share your heavy load, so you don’t have to bear it alone. And the last part of the above passage is yet another beautiful promise: “And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” You will receive the much-needed rest for your soul! 

Therefore

“And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)” (Mark 6:31)

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Heb. 4:11)

“Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” (Psalm. 116:7)

“I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:15)

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa. 40:31)

When you are weak and weary

Sometimes things happen that cause you to feel weak. Sometimes it’s a sickness, or maybe it’s something else, such as the loss of a job, a relationship, or some kind of crisis that saps your strength, leaving you feeling weak and vulnerable. The Apostle Paul described an attack he received from persecutors who constantly followed him around and harassed him (2 Cor. 11:32), as well as being attacked by what he described as “a messenger of Satan,” he called “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). Five times in the chapter, he described the attacks as “weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:5–10). And he said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to remove it. But God didn’t. Instead, He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This reminded Paul of something very important, and he concluded with, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:8–10).

Understand this

God’s people, especially when they are about to stand up for Christ, will get attacked by the forces of evil. But know that God has already supplied sufficient grace to deal with any attack or weakness that will come your way (you don’t have to ask Him again for what He’s already supplied!) And the more the enemy attacks you, the stronger the Lord will make you!

And God has given you many wonderful promises to equip you, such as the passage at the top that promises He will renew your strength when you put your hope in Him.

Therefore

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isa. 20:49 ESV)

“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” (Psalm 138:3)

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)