Know Him as Father

Know Him as Father TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15, NIV). TODAY'S WORD: When you acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of the living God, that He came to earth, lived a sinless life, died for our sins and rose again on the third day, then you have a new relationship with God. He becomes your Savior. People receive this truth and know God as the all-powerful, all-mighty Creator of the universe—the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And, He is all of that and worthy of our praise! But, many people don’t realize how personal God wants to be with you. He doesn’t just want you to see Him as living far off, He wants you to know Him as a close, loving and gentle Father—your Daddy.If you didn’t have a good father growing up, don’t let that taint the image of who your heavenly Father is. He is merciful. He is forgiving. He is loving. Let the Word of God show you how good and faithful He is. Get to know Him in a more personal way. Talk to Him on a daily basis. Remember, you don’t have to go through anybody else to talk to God. You have a direct line. Know Him as your Savior, know Him as your Lord, know Him as your Father, and know His love in a new way. PRAYER FOR TODAY: God, I want to know You more today. Show me Your ways that I may walk with You. Show me Your love and Your grace. I surrender every area of my heart, mind, will and emotions to You, my Father in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grateful Prayer Brings Peace

by Rick Warren

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace." (Philippians 4:6-7a NLT)

In Philippians 4:6-7 we find one of the most difficult verses in the entire Bible to obey: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace" (NLT).

It’s not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of our lives, but God tells us how in the next part of the verse: “pray about everything … thank him for all he has done.” Grateful prayer brings peace. God says, when you start to worry, pray.

Parents understand the power of grateful prayers. Most parents wouldn’t appreciate their children always making requests without saying “thank you” for what they’ve already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, we’re told to “ask” him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness.

The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests — and our praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything," he wants us to tell him what we’re grateful for. When I say to my wife, "I'm so grateful for you,” she tells me to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I'm grateful for about her.

God wants to hear the same things. So when you pray, tell God what you’re thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God “thank you.”

Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. The Bible says that when we have the faith to thank God ahead of time, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He empowers and uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives.

Talk It Over

• Why do you think gratitude is so important for our spiritual lives?
• Being as specific as possible, for what are you thankful to God? Spend some time in prayer, thanking God for those things.
• What are some ways you believe God will bless you in the future? Thank God for those things — even before they happen.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veYzIx4oODc&list=HL1385845324