Losing Track of Jesus -- Just as Mary and Joseph did, it’s easy for us to lose sight of Jesus.

by Frank Viola

The story of Mary and Joseph losing Jesus in the temple is a unique, intriguing gospel account that contains a surprisingly appropriate message for believers today. According to Luke 2:42-50, the 12-year-old Jesus went up to Jerusalem with His family to celebrate the Passover feast, as was the Jewish custom of the day. After a day had passed on their journey home, the Lord’s parents suddenly realized that Jesus was missing. They searched for Him among the caravan of relatives and friends, but He was nowhere to be found.

Frantically worried, Mary and Joseph headed back to Jerusalem to search for Jesus. After three days of searching, they finally found Jesus in the temple courts. They were astonished and asked Him why He didn’t return with them. In answer, Jesus essentially said: “You should have known where I was.”

I believe this story offers a piercing lesson for the body of Christ in this hour. The lesson is simply this: It’s all too easy to lose sight of Jesus Christ, even while one is engaged in good, religious, spiritual undertakings. It’s possible to perform acts of worship and yet miss Christ in the process.

In the story, the Lord’s parents were doing something good, something noble, even something spiritual. They made the hike from Nazareth to Jerusalem to worship God for the religious festival of Passover. Their return home was also a positive act. But they got distracted and unknowingly lost Christ.

So many things are vying for the attention of God’s people today. I’m not speaking of the “cares of this life” or the “deceitfulness of riches” which choke the Word (Matt. 13:22). Those are obvious. I’m speaking of good, religious, spiritual things.

Let me offer an example. Over the years, I’ve been to countless Christian conferences and seminars. It never ceases to astound me how little Jesus Christ gets mentioned by the speakers. Ministers will wax eloquent for an hour on such themes as church multiplication, the gifts of the Spirit, God’s mission, etc. and the Lord Jesus will not be mentioned even once! The Lord said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (see Luke 6:45). What we talk about most is a good index of what we are consumed with. Just count how many times Paul refers to Jesus in his letters—it’s arresting.

In Philippians 3:8, he says, “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” It’s possible to be occupied with the things of God and yet lose God.
by Frank Viola

It’s possible to put something else on the throne—whether it be church multiplication, evangelism, discipleship, spiritual warfare, mission or even the mighty gifts of the Holy Spirit—and lose Christ in the temple. It’s one thing to preach holiness; it’s another to present Christ as our holiness (see 1 Cor. 1:30). It’s one thing to discuss redemption; it’s another to present Christ as redemption. One is a religious thing; the other is the Lord Himself. Jesus should never be replaced by things about Him.

May the Spirit of God give us eyes to see that the Father’s chief passion and pleasure is Jesus (see Matt. 3:17); that the light of the Holy Spirit exclusively shines on the face of Christ, revealing and glorifying Him (see John 15:26); and that the testimony of holy Scripture always points to Christ
(see John 5:39). If we will put the Lord Jesus in His rightful place, then we’ll never suffer the peril of missing the main point of our faith, which is Christ alone.

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FRANK VIOLA is the co-author of the book Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

A Lonely Road....

Sometimes the grace walk seems to be a lonely journey. There's 2 kind of responses that I get. Disinterested people or the casual Christian thinks that I am 'super religious/spiritual', so they stay away from me. On the other hand religious Christians think that I am a heretic and avoid me like the plague.

I am neither"super" religious/spiritual nor a heretic. I am one who has found out that I cannot live the Christian life and so I have given up trying, acting and faking. The only person capable of living the Christian life is none other than Christ Himself. So I have given up all attempts to become like Him or to act like Him. I have discovered that because He is the only person who is able to live this life, He has come inside of me to live this life out, through me. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me, through me and as me.

I have discovered that He loves me beyond my wildest imagination or comprehension, regardless of my actions, whether good or bad. I have found out that He has forgiven all my sins by His one sacrifice 2000 years ago, and I mean all my sins - past, present and future sins. He has injected His righteousness inside me in exchange for my sin that was laid on Him. So I have given up trying to become righteous when I found that I am already made righteous, holy and acceptable to Him. So where is the room for any boasting on my part?

My only desire is that my fellow brethren and friends know that these truths apply to them as well. There is no need to struggle anymore. Just quit working to earn His blessings and simply enter into His rest and enjoy everything He has already freely provided by His finished work.

Updated: I have identified another group of people who say, "You are not an ordained minister, why should we listen to what you have to say? We will get our information from the pulpit on Sunday and that is enough for us".

Does One Who Is Born Of God Sin?

Where there is no law, sin is not imputed (Rom 5:13). Sin is only sin when defined by a law. That is the purpose of the law. For by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). Since Jesus fulfilled the law and nailed its ordinances to the cross thereby canceling it, there is no law left to define our sin before God.

The Seed living in us is Jesus Himself and since Jesus can't sin, by association, we can't either. (Those who are joined to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord 1 Cor 6:17)

Does that mean we can no longer do bad things or are no longer able to do them? No. Of course we are still able to do wrong bad things. They are just no longer held against us as sin. Obviously we don't want to do them, but we are no longer sinners saved by grace, we are saints perpetually justified by grace.

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So What About Sin?
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Someone asked, “what about sin?”

Answer:

“Look, I really don’t know all about the mechanics of sin. I know people who can chart it out and demonstrate how sin happens and why, but I don’t know any of that. We aren’t about sin anymore, why bother with it? We’re righteousness people. The sin issue is for babies and for people who want to argue about it. Get off it! It isn’t our subject anymore. We’re about love now. We’re about others now. Sin doesn’t enter that picture, because love doesn’t allow it. When I was 18 or so and full of oats, I used to call my job and make up some excuse after partying all night why I couldn’t be at work the next day. But when I got a little older and I had kids with mouths to feed, because I LOVED them I didn’t have the luxury anymore of ditching work. Love compelled me to get out there and earn a living and take care of my family. Now that’s who we are now. We’re lovers, not sinners, and it is no longer our issue once we realize we’re He and we live for others. Give it up! Get off it! Sin has no more to do with us!”


The above note is a compilation from two different sources:

The first part was a response posted by a friend Cornel Marais. A more detailed take on this can be found at http://www.newcovenantgrace.com/misunderstood-bible-terminology-pt1/

The second part 'So What About Sin' was taken from http://thesingleeye.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/what-about-sin/.

Confessions of My Addiction

I was born and raised in a traditional pentecostal charismatic family. I was taught the christian values and principles at home. I went to Sunday School and learned everything from Bible stories to the 'deep' doctrines of the church. I memorized hundreds of scriptures, participated in all kinds of church activities, and spent countless hours in the church working for the Lord. I had listened to hundreds of thousands of sermons day in and out. When I reached that age, when all of my friends were being water baptized, I submitted myself to the same.

I used to attend every youth camp, every church convention and every special meeting that was there. Every time I attended one of those meetings I would feel 'super spiritual' and very close to God. However, soon after I would come back home to the 'real world' those feelings would fade away quickly. Gradually I would feel like a million miles away from God. I would then look for the next youth camp or special meeting to 'recharge my spiritual batteries'.

I was like a junkie who was addicted and looking for a 'spiritual high'. I was hopping from one joint to the other looking to satisfy my craving. As soon as the effects of this 'drug' would wear out, I would feel high and dry. I was fighting a losing battle against sin. Every time there was an altar call I would be up there rededicating my life and making new decisions to try harder and be better. I would act and talk Christianese on Sundays and then have nothing to do with that on the other days. I would put on my Christian mask on Sundays and take them off for the rest of the week.

Eventually, I became a Sunday School teacher and taught the same stories and doctrines to other kids. But my life was still the same. I was on a religious treadmill, trying very hard, but going nowhere. I used to show up at church almost every time the doors were open. I was trying harder and rededicating my life at every given opportunity and looking for the next spiritual 'high'. All this time, I looked like a very 'spiritual' guy outwardly. But deep down in my heart, I knew that this is not how the christian life as described in the Bible, was supposed to look like. This religious 'roller coaster ride' went on until I was 33 years old (just a few years ago).

One day, at a youth retreat, as I was crying out to the Lord, He graciously opened my eyes to see what I was missing in my life. Instantly, as in a flash, the Lord gave me a glimpse of His love for me. Over the next few days, weeks, months and years the Lord took me on a wonderful journey of His grace and unconditional love. He showed me that He is SO holy and righteous that I could NEVER by my efforts attain to that level of righteousness. He started showing me how by His one sacrifice He had forgiven all my sins : past, present and future. I learned that the righteousness and holiness that I was so desperately trying to attain, was given FREELY as a gift to me. It could never be earned by my holy living or religious works. All the bible scriptures started coming to life now. I learned that by my works such as prayer, bible reading, tithing & witnessing, I could never EARN any of His blessings. Rather, I was already pleasing to Him because of what Christ had done on my behalf and He has already blessed me with every blessing in Christ. A great sense of peace and rest came into my heart, knowing that I am secure in Him.

Looking back, I can say that, although I knew 'about' Christ until I was 33 years old, I never 'knew Him personally'. I thought I knew His love, but boy, was I wrong. Although I knew all the doctrines and had memorized scriptures, I never knew Him. Now I know Christ as my life. It's no longer I living, but Christ lives in me. What I was lacking was a revelation of Christ. Now I have a such a passion in my heart that I cannot stop talking about Him, regardless of what day of the week it is. Now I 'like' to communicate with Him, read His word, be a witness for Him and be His carrier -- all without any pressure from religion. What religion could not do, Christ made it a reality in my life. Now I have found the 'REAL DEAL' so I don't go looking for a 'spiritual high' anymore. He has given me waters that will never make me thirsty and bread that will never make me hungry.

Dear friend, if you can relate to my testimony, I encourage you to be honest with yourselves and accept that it is not working for you. It doesn't make sense to do the same things over and over again and expect a different result. Don't make yourselves believe that as long as you play church and do all the right things and put the right mask on, you will be fine. Jesus longs to have a relationship with you. He is not interested in your service and what you can do for Him, He is interested in you. He loves you. I would love to hear from you.

P.S. I have to thank God for a dear friend, Jitu Galani,  who introduced me to Andrew Wommack,  who laid the foundation of grace, so to speak. Later on the Lord led me to Joseph Prince, Bertie Brits, Steve McVey, Peter Youngren and now hundreds of friends on 'gracebook'

The Elijah Syndrome

Modern day Christianity seems to be suffering from, what I call, the Elijah Syndrome. We sing songs like, “These are the days of Elijah” and “God of Elijah, send the fire”. We pray for a double portion of the anointing that was upon Elijah, just like Elisha asked.

You may say, “What is wrong with singing such songs and praying such prayers?” I don’t mean to sound critical or sarcastic, but the truth needs to be pointed out that, unfortunately, much of Christianity is still living in the old covenant. We still have an old covenant mindset. It is as if the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus had no effect on our lives.

Dear brethren, someone greater than Elijah has already come and ushered in a new covenant!! These are not the days of Elijah, but these are the days of Jesus Christ. We don’t need a double portion of Elijah’s anointing; rather, the anointed one – Christ – is living inside of us and therefore we have the anointing (I John 2:20). Why ask for something less, when we have the anointed one ‘Himself’ living inside of us. The old covenant saints longed to see the day that we are in and yet we are praying for experiences they had.

Peter suffered from this syndrome on the Mount of Transfiguration. When he saw Elijah and Moses along with Jesus, he got excited and wanted to make a tent for all three of them. I believe that God must have rebuked Peter when He told him (and I paraphrase), “Forget Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets), listen to my Son Jesus” (Matt 17:5). It is His time now. The old is gone and the new has come.

Saints, the truth of the new covenant is that we have been given ‘Christ ‘ who is the power of God, inside of us, through the Holy Spirit of God (I Cor 1:24). In Him dwells all the fullness of the God (Col 2:9). Out of His fullness and power we have received everything needed for life and godliness (John 1:16; 2 Peter 1:3). The power that we have received in Christ through the Holy Spirit cannot even be compared to what Elijah and the Old Testament prophets had. The apostle Paul did not pray that the people should have more power or a double portion, but rather he prayed that their eyes would be opened to see the ‘exceeding greatness’ of this power that was in them and available for them. This power that is in us, is the same power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Eph 1:19,20).

Beloved, it is time that we do not pitch any more tents for Elijah or pray for old covenant experiences. A greater and more powerful reality of Christ –the Anointed One – living in you by the Holy Spirit has been ushered in.

House of God??

Have you ever heard the phrase "the house of God"? I bet you've heard it a million times, like, "thank God for bringing us to the 'house of God' this morning" or "Let us go to the 'house of God'" or "don't neglect coming to the 'house of God'". We welcome the Holy Spirit into the 'house of God' and so on and so forth.

Let us think about it for a moment. Are we saying that God lives in "buildings" that we call 'church'? Acts 17:24-25 and Acts 7:48 says that God does not dwell in temples made with hands. So how can we call 'buildings' the 'house of God'?

So where is the house of God? Today, we are the house of God. He has taken up residence inside our hearts.  1 Cor 3:16 says "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  1 Cor 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?"

The kingdom of God is within us today. His throne is in our hearts. After our church services, God does not stay back in the building that we call "church". He does not go out and come into the building every time we "welcome" Him.

And guess what, He plans on staying in your heart; He has no plans to move out. His name is Emmanuel - God with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He's not the kind that packs up His bag and leaves at the slightest offense.

So, you are the 'house of God'. Where ever you go, you take the 'house of God' with you. You take Him, the resident in you, with you all the time - to your place of work, school, market, ballgame, you name it. We are ONE with Him. The next time you hear the phrase, 'the house of God', bells should go off in your mind saying 'I am the house of God'.

If We Don't, He Won't?......by Christina Wing

Growing up and even recently I was being tossed in the ocean of uncertainty of the Character of God. Thinking somehow instead of trusting Him I could control Him with what I did or didn't do. If I wanted my "vats overflowing" then I would make sure my offering was sacrificial. If I wanted His wisdom then Bible study would increase daily. If I wanted my marriage to be successful then we'd better repent if we fornicated before the rings and the cake! If I wanted to hear "well done faithful servant" then my "holy check list" better be being checked off daily. If I wanted His protection then I'd better be towing the line of spiritual "goodness"...You know what I mean..Make sure He's #1 in the morning, don't make your prayers short, rather long and "holy like". Better not "rush into His presence" with crying out to Him. Acknowledge His greatness before making your supplications known. If I wanted forgiveness and mercy I better be sure I was forgiving others. If I wanted Him to acknowledge my prayers then my sins were being confessed and the slate was clean between us. (to be really honest with you guys I would fall asleep confessing all my daily know and unknown sin before I even begun with anything else). Bottom line if I wasn't doing this "walk with God" program correctly then I wouldn't be blessed and even more frightening I would be cursed by Him..something bad would happen. You guys have been there "oh my car broke down, this is because _____"." My marriage is in shambles because our family hasn't been participating in regular worship at our church." My children have walked away from God because we did this or didn't do that with the youth group."... This may seem like a horribly scary relationship and that we are slaves to our ever increasing desire to "control the way things go in our lives"..It's really draining and sad. There is no "joy in Lord"..Consequently our other relationships in our lives begins to be dictated in like manner. Full of expectations and requirements in order for us to respond with acceptance and rewards also punishment and painful withdraw.

The good news!! Your blessings and love from the God of love is not based on what you do or don't!! When you get this it's freeing and your heart is filled with this new wonder and love relationship with the Father. Then reality hits "Oh no, I am no longer pulling the strings on God's favor in my life. I have to trust this love now, what if something bad happens, what will He do when I give my marriage and my children and finances to Him to do with what He will"? Will He "Job" me! LOL...He say's those in fear have not been perfected in His love. I speak to myself here. If we spend less time trying to impress Him or get His blessings and more time just resting in His love, unconditional love, then I believe Him that He will perfect His love in me. He doesn't intimidate us into loving Him, He doesn't force us into "perfect Christians". There is no fear in love. The age old saying "go with the flow" is true..His flow, His perfect, loving flow. Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind a lot for me. He knows the plans He has for us, and TRUST it's the perfect one for you!


The author Christina Wing is a free believer in Christ and a beloved sister. Visit her on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000193752597&v=info&ref=ts#!/profile.php?id=100000193752597&ref=ts

It Is Time To Expose My Father Publicly......

It is time to expose my father publicly, for who he really is. This is my father, who gave life to me.

As far as my memory goes back, my father was always interested in changing my behavior. He would always nitpick on every little thing I would do. He would constantly ‘convict’ me of everything that I did wrong. He would always keep nagging at me to do the things that he thought I should be doing. He used to have a big rod, just itching to use it, every time I fell out of line. At other times, he would hang over my head, the fear of throwing me into the ‘fire’ in bonfire pit in our backyard. Thus he would scare me into obeying his rules and commands.

As the years went by, the constant threatening and terror of my father kept me in line. This had such an effect on me that before I did anything ‘fun’ in life, I would consider how far I could go without crossing the line drawn by my father. I would indulge in those things to the point that I would be very close to violating his rules, yet not violating them. Once in a while he used to remind me that it was all out of love for me. Fear and torment kept me obeying his rules.

After my father had given me his list of rules, he would often test me by orchestrating some circumstances or situations (he called them “trials”), to display my ‘true nature’ and to see ‘what was in my heart’. He said that these “trials” were to ‘humble’ me or in other words ‘humiliate’ me. At other times, when he saw that there were ‘unsanctified natures’ in me, and despite his repeated admonishments there was no change in me, he would go to the extreme of inflicting severe physical pain. Once he broke my bones by throwing me in front of a speeding car. At another time he brought an illness on me by poisoning my food. At other times he would break things that were dear to me like my bicycle. To make it worse, he often used my idol worshipper neighbor (agent of satan) as his accomplice or agent to bring these ‘trials’ and ‘temptations’ to prove me and build my character.

Talking about gifts, on the very rare occasions that I got something from him, they were not really gifts, because I had to ‘earn’ them. In the midst of my ‘wilderness’ like life, some of these so called ‘gifts’ were like ‘salvation’ for me. But such ‘salvation’ like gifts were given to me on the condition that I behave and keep his rules, if not, he would take these saving gifts from me. I would lose them for eternity. Vacations brought me rapturous joy and it was like heaven for me. But he also threatened me that if I did not live up to his rules and measured up to his standards, I would be ‘left behind’ home alone on our next vacation trip to suffer torture from our demon-possessed neighbor.

This was my greatest fear of all. I couldn’t even imagine being ‘left behind’ in a house haunted by my demonic neighbor. So I would try my best to keep all the “I’s” dotted and the “t’s” crossed. If I messed up, I had to keep an account of those things and at the end of the day with great guilt and shame I approached my father with the list. I had to beg, wail and plead with him to forgive all my misdeeds. Sometimes he would tell me that I had to forgo my meals, in other words ‘fast’, and do a thorough job of searching my life for every rotten thing I had done and every command that I had disobeyed. I had to make a commitment that I would turn from my ways or ‘repent’ and after much begging and pleading I was allowed to sup at the table.

This was the same modus operandi for even getting him to provide for me, protect me and getting my needs met. I used to wake up in the middle of the nights and cry out to him in my heart to grant my requests. I made sure that I had done everything I could have possibly done to obtain his favor. I used to have set appointed times in the day, usually once in the morning and once before going to bed, to make my requests known to him. I would butter him up by heaping praises on him. I would say such things to him that I thought would press his right buttons. Sometimes he would act deaf, so I had to raise my voice and cry out to him. I had to use the right salutations when I addressed him like, “loving, most adorable, precious, your majesty, and highly exalted father.” At other times, I had to get 50 other people to join me and convince him to grant my request.

Such was my relationship with my father, or lack of thereof. Can you imagine having such a life? Everything that I have described above is pure fiction. But yet, this is exactly how religion has portrayed and misrepresented our loving heavenly father to be. We attribute to Him, characteristics that match that of an evil, proud, impatient, angry, rude, narcissistic, masochistic person, which is nothing but the nature of the devil. Some people attribute a split personality or schizophrenia to Him. That is not how my heavenly papa is!

Our heavenly father is love. He is primarily interested in having a relationship with you, not how he can change you or not even in what you can do for Him. He is after your heart, not after your service. Once that connection happens between His heart and your heart, the Christian life will flow effortlessly. Everything you do will be the fruit of a loving relationship with him, not because of fear of going to hell or not making it in the rapture. It won’t be about mindless religious duties and following rules out of fear, but out of love for our daddy. Religion will use fear to control and manipulate you. I challenge you to meditate on these things and be honest with yourselves – is it a religion that you are following or is it a relationship based on love with our heavenly father?

How Do You See God? - Steve McVey

One of the greatest effects of sin's curse when Adam fell in the Garden of Eden was the way it tainted humanity's view of God. Until he sinned, Adam had walked through the garden with God every evening. What a time of intimacy that must have been!

But everything changed when sin entered in. Immediately Adam was filled with fear of God and hid himself. He imagined that God would come storming down upon him in anger and judgment because of His sin. He couldn't have been more wrong. God came that evening for His daily walk. There is no evidence that He came in anger with intentions to condemn Adam. He came for His walk! I wonder what would have happened if Adam had come running out to God from his hiding place and have cried out, "Father, I've done a terrible thing! Help me!" I can only imagine. However, that was not to be. From this moment onward, Adam wouldn't see God clearly again, but would only see a distorted caricature of the true God.

From this day forward, he would smear his own sense of guilt and self-condemnation on the face of God. Adam's sin didn't change God at all, but it radically changed Adam. From now on, He would see God as a Punitive Judge who is first and foremost interested in how we behave. He lost the awareness of the reality that our God is not a harsh Judge but a loving Father whose interest and concern is our welfare. He doesn't hate sin because of its moral implications. He hates it because of what it does to those He loves.

The whole Adamic race would, from that day forward, show all the signs of sin's infection. They would no longer see God as Love but rather would see Him as a Legalist who scrutinizes their behavior for infractions that needed to be judged.

God isn't into punishment. Is there a punishment for sin? Of course, but sin brings its own punishment. The wages (punishment/penalty) of sin is death but be sure that it is sin that punishes, not our Father. (Discipline is another subject. That has to do with being "discipled" when our Father allows us to experience sin's consequence for the purpose of lovingly teaching us its dangers.) Our Father's heart is to pour out His love on us. After all, God is love and Love can do nothing that is unloving or He would contradict His own nature.

Legalism would have us believe that in a world where God isn't out to punish us for our sins, people will go crazy sinning. They think that the only thing that regulates our behavior is Marshall Law imposed on us by heaven. Behave or else. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul wrote, "The love of God compels me." It isn't punishment but Agape that motivates us toward godly lifestyles. The need of mankind today is to understand the love of God. When we understand that His interest in us is that we fully live the life He intends, which can never be motivated by fear, we will begin to find the rest that Adam knew before He sinned.

(This blog is excerpted from this week's Sunday Preaching broadcast now online at www.gracewalk.org.)

What Is The Bible Basically About?

He Removed The Price Tag

Growing up, I've always been asked, "What have you done for the Lord in return for what He has done for you?" This question has always brought guilt and condemnation in my life. I was always unsure of if I had done enough, if there was something more that I could have done? I always felt short of God's expectations. Have you ever felt like that? Well, don't let anyone take you on a guilt trip anymore.

Author Darin Hufford, in his book, 'The Misunderstood God' puts it so beautifully. He says, "Don't ever feel that you have to repay God for the suffering He went through for you. This was a gift to you! Anytime we attempt to repay someone for a gift they gave us, we are diminishing that gift. An attempt to repay someone for a gift is really a rejection of that gift. You'll never know how much it cost to see your sin upon the cross because God removed the price tag from the gift before He gave it to you. Just receive it and go on. It's free. Boasters always expect repayment, and they make sure everyone knows what their gifts cost them. God is not this way. He never boasts!

 

The Misunderstood God - The lies religion tells about God

"Could you imagine me holding my nine-month-old-son, Jude, in my arms and telling him that under no circumstances would I share my glory with him? What if I lovingly told him that if he disobeyed me again and again I would pour gasoline on him and light him on fire? What kind of father would I be if I explained to him that he needed to give me 10 percent of everything he had or I would withdraw my hand of protection from his life and allow the fires of hello to swallow him? What if I told one of my daughters that she was put here on this earth to be a servant and a slave to me? Could you picture me telling my children that I've written everything about me down in a book and unless they read it every day of their lives, they'll never know me? What parent would purposely inject their child with a terrible disease as a punishment for disobedience? What father would turn his head away from his son or daughter the moment the child made a mistake?"

Can you imagine this about an earthly father? Yet we have attributed these things to our heavenly father whose love knows no bound and no conditions.

Every bad thing that happens in this world gets blamed upon God. If we lose our jobs, we think God is a the root of it. If we have heart attacks, God gave them to us. If we lose loved ones, it's because God killed them. If our businesses fail, we immediately suspect that God is punishing us for something we did. Every terrible thing that happened is charged to God's account. We truly believe that God has the character and personality of the devil.