Don't buy the lies of the devil!

Words from the Lord: 

"Just as in the natural realm, the biological father is connected (or tied) to the biological son by blood, your Heavenly Father is connected (or tied) to you His son or daughter by the Holy Spirit." 

The Lord has been speaking this statement during the week.

So today, we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit in you bears witness that you are a son or daughter of your Abba Father. We are going to talk about your sonship and your relationship with your Abba Father. 

The Lord also wants you to go deeper in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with Him is what matters the most. Not any position on earth. Not any material thing on earth. These are not as important as your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because when you have Him, you have everything. Yes, everything you ever need in this life! He is your lifeline and your only real hope, especially in this perilous time. 

Many believers or even ministers of God have this fear that God will give up on them, abandon them, or 'disown' them whenever they've made a mistake or didn't fulfill what God had told them to do. 

But today, the Lord is giving you this assurance that He is a Good Father. He doesn't get disappointed with you that easily (the way humans in this world do), simply because He already knew your weaknesses and inadequacies even before you knew Him or you knew His calling for your life. 

The enemy will try to make your relationship sour with the Lord. The enemy will try to throw accusations about Him, and throw condemnation at you. But be rest assured that your Heavenly Father, your Abba Father, will always have your best interests in His mind.

Let's go to the Scripture to back up what we are saying today. 

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) says, 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.'

Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV) says, 'For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit (the Holy Spirit) Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.' 

Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV) says, 'Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.' 

The expression 'adoption as sons' here in Greek is 'uihothesia'. This is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted heir. 

Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, 'And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.' 

The word 'heir' here is 'kleronomos' in Greek. It simply means 'a sharer of an inheritance' or 'inheritor'. In other words, you can have a rightful share in all of His inheritance. Why? Because you are a son or daughter of your Abba Father in heaven. 

1 John 3:1 (NLT) says, 'See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know Him.' 

This love of your Abba Father for you never fails. When everything else in this world fails, this love never fails. So, beloved, whatever you may be facing at the moment, or you feel as if God has given up on you or abandoned you, the Lord is saying to you right now that He loves you. He is your Abba Father, your Daddy in heaven who loves you. Let Him embrace you right now. Let Him assure you right now.

Reject every form of accusation or condemnation against you. Don't buy the lies of the devil. Don't buy the lies of those who do not know who God is. 

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NKJV) says, 'Now He who established us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) in our hearts as a guarantee.' 

See the word 'guarantee' here? A guarantee! What is a guarantee? A formal assurance that a promise is fulfilled and kept!

What is 'sealed' then? It means putting His very own signature, His name, on you! That you are His! That you belong to Him! That you are His son or daughter! And He is your Abba Father who loves you! 

Let's look at another version now. The Contemporary English Version. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (CEV) says, 'And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the One who chose us and put His Spirit in our hearts (in our spirit) to show that we belong only to Him.' 

I like this version. To show that we belong only to Him! And this, beloved, is the work of the Holy Spirit who works in you, and who bears witness inside of you. Bears witness of what? That you belong to Him, and you are His son or daughter! That He is your good Daddy in heaven! 

With all these promises in the Scripture, there is no reason for you to be afraid of anything, knowing that if God is with you and you are His beloved child, who and what can come against you? 

Know and remember always, that no matter what you may be facing at the moment, your good Daddy in heaven is here for you and with you. And the Holy Spirit is here living in you and bearing witness in you, that you are so deeply loved, and you are God's very own child!

Let us pray:

"O Lord God, we thank You for Your assurance in the Scripture today. We look to You, because You are our Abba Father and we are Your sons and daughters. Because of the Holy Spirit living in us, we have this assurance that we are deeply loved by You. We have this assurance that we are not alone and we will never be abandoned by You. We can also be assured that You will always know how to lead us and guide us in every season of our lives. This is the assurance of our Abba Father for us today. In this, we are grateful. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

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Never failing nor abandoning you!

What does your Abba Father want to tell you today? 

Men may fail you. Organizations may fail you. Politicians may fail you. Leaders on earth may fail you. But your Abba Father will never fail you nor abandon you! 

Genesis 28:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother."' 

For the record, Abraham (Isaac's father) wished the same for Isaac. Now, Isaac wished the same for Jacob his son, that is, not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but instead go to the parents' hometown. 

You may ask, "Why were they finding wives for their sons from among their relatives? Don't you think marrying relatives may present genetic risks?" 

Let's interpret these verses in the context of 'finding life partner of the same faith, not different faith'. In other words, not to be unequally yoked with people of other faiths and beliefs. That's how you can apply these verses as believers of Christ.

Genesis 28:11-13 (NKJV) says, 'So he (Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants."' 

The Lord then spoke further in Genesis 28:14-15 (NKJV), "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." 

The word 'leave' here is 'aw-zab' in Hebrew, meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In other words, the Lord was saying to Jacob that He will not fail him. As long as Jacob never leaves the Lord, the Lord will never leave him nor forsake him. And the Lord will never fail him nor abandon him. 

Beloved of God, it is the same with you and I. If we do not leave Him nor abandon Him, He will never ever leave us nor abandon us. He still remembers His plans and purposes for our lives. 

Let's now see what Moses said to all of Israel just before they began the conquest of the land the Lord had given to them. Deuteronomy 31:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel, "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said."' 

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (NKJV) says, 'Then, Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."' 

You see again, the Lord was saying He will be with His people, His beloved; and He will not leave them nor forsake them. In other words, He will not fail them nor abandon them!

The word 'leave' here is 'raw-faw' in Hebrew, meaning 'to slacken, to cease, to faint'. Indeed, He is the Lord who never slackens, never ceases, and never faints in your life. Very interestingly, the word 'forsake' here is the same word 'aw-zab' in Hebrew, exactly the same word for 'leave' in Genesis 28:15 that we've read just now. Over there, the Lord was speaking to Jacob that He would not leave Jacob. 

As you can see here, these words 'leave' and 'forsake' have been used interchangeably, and both can be translated as 'aw-zab', meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In fact, in King James Version, it is written this way: "And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." 

The sentence above here is a 'double negative' statement. In other words, it puts a strong emphasis that the Lord 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you. 

So, take heart, beloved. No matter what situation you may be facing right now, the Lord is saying the same to you, that He 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you. Amen! 

Keep looking to the Lord. That's your part. Keep trusting the Lord. That's your part. 

Let's look now at Job. He was abandoned by his spouse, and he was abandoned by his pitiless friends. Job 2:7-9 (NLT) says, 'So Satan left the Lord's presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die."' And in Job 16:20 (NLT), Job said, "My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God." 

As a matter of fact, the Lord had never abandoned or left Job. It was the people around him who abandoned him. In fact, the Lord had already in view of Job being restored and being blessed. When Job began to let go of his own self-righteousness, and began acknowledging who the Lord God is, the Lord then restored Job and gave him twice as much as he had before. The Lord also blessed the latter days of Job more than in the beginning! 

Job 42:10 (NLT) says, 'When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!' Job 42:12 (NLT) says, 'So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning'. Hallelujah! And you know what? Job then went on to live another one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations! 

What a happy end to this Job story! The Lord remembered Job. Now, it is the same with you. The Lord remembers you, even in a time when you feel there's just no headway in your life. Be patient, beloved. Don't lose sight of Him. He loves you. He will never fail you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, as long as you keep looking to Him and keep trusting Him. 

At this juncture, I want to pray for the Lord's strength to be with you, and the Lord's power to be with you. You shall see many more good days ahead of you, in spite of whatever that had happened in your life! 

Finally, let's look now at the Parable of the prodigal son. The question here is, "Who abandoned who?" You can see that in Luke 15:11-32. In these verses, Jesus told of a parable where the younger son took the portions of goods given by his father, journeyed to a country far away, and there he wasted all his possessions with prodigal living (i.e. wasteful and wild living). But when he had lost everything and came back to his senses, he returned to his father, ready even to be made one of his father's hired servants. But when the father saw him from afar off, he had compassion for him, and he ran and embraced him. You see, the father could have turned this prodigal son away. But no! The father even said, "Bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." 

So beloved of God, whatever sin or mistake that you've committed in the past, let the past be past. Let the bygones be bygones. The Lord is saying to you right now that He loves you, He has forgiven you, and He remembers you. 

The 'father' in this prodigal son story speaks of 'our Abba Father in heaven', whereas the 'son' speaks of 'someone who had abandoned Him before', or 'someone who had failed Him before'. You see, we are all on the same boat. Imperfect as we are, there's no one on this earth that has never sinned or committed mistakes before. But you see, the moment the son returned to the father, the father was so glad that he celebrated his return with a banquet and with music and dancing! This is the Father's heart for you and I as well. 

Throughout the Scripture that you've read today, you can see the heart of your Abba Father in heaven. He will never abandon you, nor will He abandon His plans and purposes in your life. Will you take this time to receive His love and embrace afresh and anew today? 

He promised Jacob that He would never leave him, and that He would bless him. He also promised Joshua the same. And He's saying the same to you today. As you look forward in your life, I pray that you too will experience the power, the goodness, and the lovingkindness of your Abba Father. Amen!

Prayer:

"O Lord God, You are our Abba Father in heaven, our Daddy in heaven. You are the Lord who never fails us. You have spoken that You will never leave us nor forsake us, nor will You abandon Your plans and purposes for our lives. You have done it for Jacob. You have done it for Joshua. You have done it for Job. You have done it even for the prodigal son. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. We take heart, and we can be assured today. As we look forward in our lives, we too shall see many good days ahead of us. We receive Your love. We receive Your hope. We receive Your assurance afresh and anew today. All this we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen!" 

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Walking in the greater blessings of the Lord!

The Lord says: 

"Unexpected blessings are coming your way, as you look forward in this new season! Exciting things are coming your way! Receive by faith! The enemy may try to discourage you or stop you from moving forward into a greater season of blessings. The enemy may try to cause you to stay 'in the box' and stay in your old cycle. The enemy may even try to cause you all kinds of irritation and nuisance just to discourage you. But take authority and bind all these, in My name! Slam the door against all these works of the enemy! Because I have spoken today this is your time to walk in the greater blessings that I have for you!" 

Indeed, this is your time to walk in the greater blessings that the Lord, your Good Father, has in store for you! 

Recently, have you experienced all kinds of irritation and nuisance here and there? And you know these are sent by the enemy against you to discourage you or to stop you from moving forward. 

You are not alone! 

Or recently, have you experienced situations when you thought you've missed your time, or you've missed a good opportunity? And the enemy would compound it by saying, "Aha! There you see! Your God has forgotten you! Your God has bypassed you! Your God has moved on from you!" 

Now, reject all these lies! Bind all these, in Jesus' name! Because I tell you what, you have not missed your time and season! Yes, you may have made some mistakes in your past. But the Lord will work all things for good according to His purpose in your life. So, look ahead! Let go of those regrets! Forgive yourself! Because you are now headed for the new that the Lord has for you! Greater blessings are coming your way! 

So, don't allow those so-called "missed timing, missed chances, missed opportunities" to hamper you or discourage you from receiving greater future blessings! You see, sometimes God does allow you to miss certain things, certain timing, certain chance, or certain opportunity in life; but that doesn't mean He has forgotten you. In fact, that simply means He has even greater things in store for you, and even greater opportunities in store for you, going forward! 

God sees further. He knows exactly what you are going through. He knows exactly what is ahead. When He allows certain 'missed opportunity' or 'missed timing', or so you thought, it's so that you will have a greater opportunity in the new season! In fact, sometimes He allows the so-called 'missed opportunity' or 'missed timing' in order to prevent certain trouble or danger from happening to you!

If you've been walking with the Lord, and if you've been walking in the Spirit; sometimes the Holy Spirit can restrain you from going ahead on certain things. Maybe you have wanted to do this. Maybe you have wanted to do that. Maybe you have wanted to go here. Maybe you have wanted to go there. But somehow the Holy Spirit never gives you that peace to go ahead. In other words, the Holy Spirit is restraining you. Now, there is always a reason when the Holy Spirit restrains you from moving ahead in a certain area of your life, and at a certain time in your life. He sees further ahead. He sees further than you. When He restrains, it is because He wants to prevent certain evil or certain danger from happening in your life. So, flow with Him. Flow with His timing. Do not rue those 'missed chances' or 'missed timing'. Do not allow yourself to feel sad about those 'missed chances' or 'missed opportunities'. 

Romans 8:28 says, 'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.' 

Your God is a Good Father. We sometimes don't understand why certain things happened in our life. You know what, it's like an artist drawing on a blank piece of paper. We do not understand, and we cannot even figure out what he's drawing at that time. But in the end, as you look, you begin to see the full picture, the whole picture. Indeed, God is in the midst of drawing a wonderful masterpiece. It is the same in your life. God is in the midst of drawing a masterpiece in you. He knows exactly what He's doing in your life. He always sees the whole picture. He always sees the end from the beginning. He knows what's best for you. After all, He knows you inside out. He is your Creator! 

So, take heart, my friend. He is a Good Father to you, and He is still a Good Father in your life. Keep looking to Him and putting your trust in Him. 

Isaiah 64:8 says, 'But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our Potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.' 

God identifies Himself as a Father to you. He is a Good Father. He is the Perfect Father. He is perfect in all His ways, unlike human fathers, because no human is perfect. But He is perfect, and He loves you. That's how He as your Heavenly Father sees you. That's how He as your Heavenly Father feels for you. He wants you to know today that there's no one else who loves you more than He does. Because of this very reason, you can place all your trust in Him. You can trust that He is always seeking your good. He has never meant to harm you. His thoughts for you are always thoughts of peace, that brings a future and a hope in your life. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' 

You see, this is His promise for you, that you will find Him. When you find Him, you will find your purpose, and you will find your destiny in your life!

So, it doesn't matter what those 'missed chances', 'missed opportunities', or 'missed timing' in your life may be. Let go of those. Look to the Lord instead. Receive from Him afresh. Receive His peace. Receive His hope. And you'll be sure you're going to walk into the greater blessings that He has promised you. Amen!

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The Lord will never abandon you!

I was praying the other day when the Lord spoke these words:
"I will not abandon you. I will not abandon My plans and purposes in your life."

Indeed, these are His words of assurance for you too. The word 'abandon' is defined in Oxford Dictionary as 'to go away from a person/thing/place not intending to return', or 'to leave somebody/something to be taken away'.

Good parents will never abandon their children. And even in extremely difficult situations (e.g. war time), when parents have no choice but to 'abandon' their children, it breaks the hearts of the parents to leave their children with someone else.

But your Abba Father in heaven will never abandon you, and will never abandon His plans and purposes He has started in your life! Philippians 1:6 says, 'Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ'.

Let's see what the Lord had spoken to Jacob as he embarked on his journey to the east, the land of his mother's father (Genesis 28:1-2). When he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it (Genesis 28:11-12). The Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants." (Genesis 28:13) The Lord then spoke further: "Behold, I am with you and will keep (protect) you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (Genesis 28:15)

See the words "I will not leave you" here? The word 'leave' here is 'aw-zab' in Hebrew, meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In other words, the Lord was saying to Jacob that 'He will not fail him'.

Let's now see what Moses said to all Israel and Joshua, just before they began their conquest of the land the Lord had given them. Deuteronomy 31:1-8 (NKJV) says, 'Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel, "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan,' The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said... Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."'

The word 'leave' here is 'raw-faw' in Hebrew, meaning 'to slacken, to cease, to faint'. Indeed He is the Lord who never slackens, ceases, and faints in your life!

Interestingly, the word 'forsake' here is 'aw-zab' in Hebrew (exactly the same Hebrew word for 'leave' in Genesis 28:15 when the Lord spoke that He would not leave Jacob). As you can see here, these words 'leave' and 'forsake' have been used interchangeably, and both can be translated as 'aw-zab', meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In fact, in King James Version (KJV), it is written this way: 'He will not fail thee nor forsake thee'.
Note: The sentence above is a 'double negative' statement, and it puts a strong emphasis that the Lord 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you!

So, take heart, people of God, because the Lord is saying the same to you that He 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you. Keep looking to Him, and keep trusting in Him. Be strong and of good courage, whatever you may be facing at the moment. I pray the Lord shall grant you the strength that you need, and I pray for your breakthrough as well.

For some of you who have been abandoned before, be it by your own parents, your spouse (for another man or woman), your family, or even those friends whom you used to trust so much, this article is especially dedicated for you. The Lord is opening His arms to embrace you today. Receive His love and embrace that only He can give. Take heart also that He knows how to turn things around for good to you.

Job experienced the same. He was abandoned by his spouse (Job 2:9) and his pitiless friends (Job 16:20) at one time or another. But do you know that the Lord had never abandoned Job? It was the people around him who abandoned him! In fact, the Lord had already in view of Job being restored and blessed! When Job began to turn away from his own self-righteousness and began acknowledging who the Lord God is, the Lord restored Job's losses and gave him twice as much as he had before, and the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning (Job 42:10, Job 42:12). And you know what? Job then went on to live another one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations! (Job 42:16) Speaking of happy ending!

The parable of the prodigal son: "Who abandoned who?" (Luke 15:11-32)
Jesus told of a parable where the younger son took the portions of goods given by his father, journeyed to a country far away, and there wasted all his possessions with prodigal (wasteful, wild) living. But when he had lost everything, and came back to senses, he returned to his father, ready even to be made like one of his father's hired servants. But when the father saw him from afar off, he had compassion, ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The father then said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
The 'father' here speaks of 'our Abba Father in heaven', and the 'son' here speaks of 'someone who abandoned Him'. But the moment the son returned to the father, the father was so glad that he celebrated his return with a banquet, and with music and dancing!

People of God, this is the heart of your Abba Father in heaven, who will never abandon you, nor will He abandon His plans and purposes in your life. Will you receive His love and embrace afresh and anew today? He promised Jacob (who later became Israel) and Joshua that He would never leave them, and that He would bless them. Both went on to do great exploits for the Lord in amazing ways. And He is saying the same for you today. As you look forward to a brand new year, I pray that you too will experience the goodness, the power, and the lovingkindness of your Abba Father in many more amazing ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.

In the Father's love and embrace

Luke 15:20 (NKJV): And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck (i.e. embraced him) and kissed him.

This verse speaks of the father's love for his son who had totally rejected him and 'walked out on him', but yet when this very same son came back to his senses, the father was more than willing to accept him back gladly.

The above illustration also speaks of our Abba Father's love for all of us today. He is a God who'll never 'walk out on us'. And if there's anyone who's ever going to 'walk out', it's never Him, as depicted in this 'parable of the lost son' (see Luke 15:11-32). He is a God who'll never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Not long ago, someone whom I was ministering to said this: "Pastor, I feel like God has walked out on me!" Prior to that, he's had a rather trying time, especially in the area of his health, and he had been wondering if God has forsaken him. However, I also know him enough to be convinced that he still believed in God, and that's what mattered the most. So, I answered him, "No, He loves you too much for Him to ever do that! He is still in you and with you." He was never the same person since that day, not just in health, but in every other area of his life. Praise God!

So, how much exactly does God love you? 

He loves you so much He was willing to give (away) His one and only begotten Son to die for you (John 3:16). Here's an illustration to John 3:16 based on a touching, but true story I heard of: There's once a father who was clinging on to his capsized boat in the midst of a storm, and with only one float within his reach, he had to choose between his own son and his son's friend who were both crying out for help. The father then longingly looked at his own son with tears flowing down his cheek, and said, "Son, you know I love you very much", but threw the float to his son's friend. His son was never to be seen again, while the son's friend was eventually saved. Did it break the father's heart to see his own son drown and disappear from his very sight? I'm sure. Well, it broke the Father's heart too to see His one and only begotten Son dying at the cross! But He was willing because He loves you so.

Beloved of God, today, for this very same reason and because you are precious in His eyes, your Abba Father also wants you to know that He'll never hide His face from you. In fact, Numbers 6:25 even says 'He makes His face shine on you'. This verse then ends with 'And He is gracious to you'. Like in the 'parable of the lost son', even when you think you are 'a great way off', know that His eyes are still longing for you (waiting for you), and He also has great compassion for you.

Psalm 91:1-2 tells us exactly how it is like being in the Father's loving arms. It says, 'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High (El Elyon) shall abide under the shadow (i.e. in the loving arms) of the Almighty (El Shaddai). I will say of Him (Abba Father), "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."' In other words, when you are in the loving arms of your Abba Father, He'll also be your El Shaddai, a God who meets more than enough (all-sufficient) for you.

There's also protection and security when you are in His loving arms and embrace. I remember once my daughter Sophia (nine years old then) was at home by herself when suddenly there was an unusually strong wind and heavy rain. At that time, my wife and I were outside briefly for a ministry work, a short distance away. Sophia then called me on the phone and said, "Daddy, I'm scared. Can you come back now?" My heart melted upon hearing her soft, frightened voice, and I immediately left everything behind and drove back. The moment I saw her, I ran to her and gave her a big warm hug, saying, "Daddy's here. Everything's alright now."

Your Daddy (Abba) is also the same to you today. In fact, this word is the most intimate word one can call his/her Father. It is the deepest cry that comes out from a child, especially in times of need and danger. And He has great pleasure to run to you, love you, and embrace you whenever you call out to Him "Daddy!". You see, He is not a distant God the way the world portrays Him to be! The truth is He is always near you, and His arms are always opened wide for you. The Bible says He is your ever-present God (Psalm 46:1).

Romans 8:15-16 says, 'For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear (i.e. to see God as a distant, unapproachable, 'un-embrace-able' God), but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God'.

Like Sophia to me (as her daddy here on earth), I also have this assurance that I'll always be likewise in my Daddy's eyes, and knowing for sure that He'll always love me and be here for me. I know you are too in His eyes. Men's love may fail sometimes, but His love (for you) never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). So, no matter what may have happened in your past, I know it's never too late to let Him love you and embrace you again. As you receive His love and embrace today, know that He's also saying to you, "Daddy's here. Everything's alright now." Amen.