ABC's Father Heart of God "C" (continued)

Feb 4, 2013
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God in the midst of you is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy; he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

SONG: I Have a Maker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60

Song : I Will Change Your Name http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liOzd21u5MY

Welcome to the Monday night Bible Study. We all have heart places where we need a touch from GOD. God has give us ALL we need to live the life which he has given us to live. However, along the way many of us have developed false ideas about Who God is and who we are also. We “see” God not as he really is, but as we “think/perceive” Him to be. In order to heal, we need to know who God really is. For myself it has been a process of replacing lies…deception really about the TRUE Nature and Character of God with the truth, which is found in scripture.
The objectives when we meet on Monday night are to look at the Word to see what it is telling us about the Heart of Our Father, God. We do that by posting verses on a characteristic of GOD and then asking ourselves 3 questions. 1. What does this verse say about GOD, His nature and character? 2. What is going saying about me or to me? And 3. What is my heart response?
Since we all have stories to tell of times God has met us and touched our heart, at any time, please feel free to share you story as it relates to the topic of the week and the verse we are looking at. We learn so much from one another’s stories about God. Our God is personal, relational and when we share what GOD has done for us, we build up our own faith, as well as open the faith of another.

So far we have discussed: The ABC’s Of Father God’s heart and so far...
A - Abba My Father is my Abba, Papa-God. I am His beloved child. (‪Rom. 8:15, ‪Gal. 4:4-7, ‪John 1:12, Jam. 1:18)
B - Bless
My Father blesses me with every heavenly gift. (‪Eph. 1:3)
C- Carry
( My Father gathers me in His arms and carries me all my life. (‪Isa. 40:11, ‪46:3-4; Dt. 1:31)

The next “C” characteristics of God are that he “C” CHOSE each of us. He also “C” comforts us.

‪I know some of you really really prefer KJV or NKJV, so if someone wants to post in that version, feel free. I use AMP a lot when I study and really want heart knowledge because it sort of explains the meaning of the words in the context and is the version that speaks to my heart.

Eph 1:3-6
AMP 3May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! 4Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. 5For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [[a]because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]--
6[So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

NLT 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Right off the bat, I want to say, we are not going to discuss predestination tonight. Maybe some other time, or maybe some other bible leader will do so. For tonight we are simply looking to see what this says about GOD personally to each of us.
God: He is deserving of ALL praise…He HAS blessed us with EVERY SPIRITUAL blessing…He LOVED each one of us PERSONALLY BEFORE he even created the world. He CHOSE each one of us, you and me to be holy and without fault (blameless) in His sight. He can see us that way because of the atoning work of Jesus for us on the cross. He CHOSE in ADVANCE to ADOPT us by bringing us to Himself (again via Jesus). GOD WANTED to do this, WANTED each one of us… CHOSE each one of us. God chose you all and me with Purpose and INTENT.
Isn’t that amazing?
US: All I see here on our part is to receive that which GOD has designed and planned and purposed for us…
Heart Response?

When it seems the world and everyone you wish loved you has hurt, wounded, discarded you, or paid no attention to you…when your and my heart is broken….we can look back to the TRUTH in Eph. 1:3-6. GOD CHOSE us. We are wanted, chosen, planned for.

Two other verses about God WHO CHOSE us ‪Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
God: Knew us and approved of us BEFORE he formed us. We/YOU personally  are CHOSEN, Wanted (desired) and approved to “be” who ever GOD created you to be.
Imagine!!! If our heart really believed that every moment of every day, even when things were falling apart all around us would we act/react differently? If we really really heart-knew all the time that we are CHOSEN sons and daughters of Abba, would we be able to live life from a different perspective?

Can anyone think of a time when things were hard and you suddenly remembered, “Wait, God still loves me and wants me.”
‪Jer 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
God: He KNOWS the thoughts and the plans he has for us. His plans are for our good, for peace and NEVER for evil. God desires to give us hope “in the final outcome”. Which is being in heaven with him forever, I think.
Any comments?
Us: Remember what we “know”. LOL. I tend to forget at times, but when I do forget, I can use the Word to remind and encourage my heart.

The last “C” we will consider is COMFORT.
I remember once… a long time ago…I never admitted to myself, really never realized how desperate my heart had been all my life for comfort. Then God highlighted that passage in Matthew 5:4, where he says (NKJV) Blessed are those who mourn,
    For they shall be comforted. As long I was unwilling to face the extend of my need for God to COMFORT me, he was hampered in doing so. When I began to mourn, for hurts given to me and for hurts (sin) I had inflicted upon others, THEN I began to know the Comfort of GOD.
Anyone want to share?

‪Psalm 69:16
Hear and answer me, O Lord, for Your loving-kindness is sweet and comforting; according to Your plenteous tender mercy and steadfast love turn to me.
God: he is loving and kind and sweet (ever think of God as sweet?) and comforting. He desires to show tender mercy and steadfast love to us.

Us: let him? Come to him?

Steadfast is an interesting word. It means steady, unwavering and fast means like super glue. So God because his love is steadfast (we cant unstick it) wants to comfort us.

Before we go on, let’s pray. Father GOD, Abba who loves us, if there is some hidden place in any heart here which needs your comfort, please open that place just now so that we can heart-receive from you revelation and the comfort you desire to give us. And  Lord if there is someone here who needs comfort right now, would you begin to do that as they open their heart to you? Thank you GOD, in Jesus name amen.

‪Psalm 94:19
In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!
God: His comforts (plural) cheer and delight our soul. You know what else I see? God is NOT angry when we have even a multitude of anxious thoughts that need his comfort. In fact in this verse God is in a way acknowledging that he KNOWS we can have those.

NEAT?

Have you ever been afraid or scared to go to God because you had so many “anxious” thoughts rolling around in your brain?
Has anyone got an example to share with us?
US: admit what we are thinking and turn to GOD and see what He will do.



Isn’t this a NEAT verse? Which is a prayer as well? Would anyone like this to their own personal prayer need?
You know I am thinking. Sometimes we feel so guilty for needing comfort. Sometimes we might think our problem is too small or too big or for some reason we are not “worth” being comforted. Anyone ever think like that besides me? But do ANY of these verses put any condition out there limiting God’s desire TO COMFORT us?
God..again we see “steadfast love” and mercy and kindness and a promise to COMFORT us.
US: yet again look to GOD, expect his comfort to be available.
Xxxxxxxxxxx feb 11



‪Isaiah 49:13
Sing for joy, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion upon His afflicted.
God: Comfort and LOL another “C” word. Compassionate.
Matthew 9:36.
Matthew 9:36
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

I think we will just read the rest unless anyone has a comment and let GOD speak from His Word, directly into our hearts.

‪Isaiah 51:3
For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song or instrument of praise.

‪ ****Isaiah 51:12
I, even I, am He Who comforts you. Who are you, that you should be afraid of man, who shall die, and of a son of man, who shall be made [as destructible] as grass,

‪Isaiah 52:9
Break forth joyously, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem!
Note we are aka as Jerusalem.

‪Matthew 5:4 The AMP version of an earlier verse.
Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

‪****John 14:26
But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

‪2 Corinthians 1:2-4
2Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),
4Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.