GOD WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND

Do you know that God wants nothing more than to share an intimate friendship with you, His child ? Unfortunately, human perspective and the mechanics of religion have eclipsed the true nature of God. A lot of people think that God exists but they do not understand His true nature and character, and because of that, they are susceptible to believe that He is the One who puts problems on them. Sadly, they don’t know Him intimately as a loving, caring Father.

When you really know a person is trustworthy, it’s not hard to believe him or her. For exemple, in a normal family, a little girl will not strive to believe her father is going to be good to her. She just rests and relaxes in her loving relationship with him. She knows he is going to take care of her, because she knows him and his character. So she completely trusts him.

However, a lot of passages in the Bible appear to give a “schizophrenic” revelation of God. In one scripture in the Old Testament, God commands death by stoning for picking up sticks on the Sabbath day (Numbers 15:32-35), and then in another, in the New Testament, He forgives a woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:3-11). Examples like that have given people a rather strange impression of who God is and some think He is a God of wrath who will wipe out anyone who gets in His way or “hit” them with something.

Many are afraid to come before God because of wrong teachings, and they feel they have to bow and scrape and duck every time they come before Him. That’s not the relationship God desires. Jesus inaugurated a new age. Now everyone can not only have peace with God but also know Him.

In fact, fear would be totally cast out of people’s thinking if they understood the perfect love of God for them. 1 John 4:18 says that “perfect love casteth out fear.” If people become fearful, wondering what is God’s will for their lives, it means they don’t understand His immense love and His willingness to care for them.

God’s nature is not judgment. He does judge, and He is just and holy; but Scripture reveals to us in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.” Love is His real nature and true character.

2 Peter 1.3 tells us also that « His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him… » These « all things » include love, joy, peace, good health, material supply, etc and they come through “the knowledge of Him.” If you have wrong knowledge about God, it will be difficult for you to receive “all things”!

The problem many believers are facing is that they are seeing God through the Old Testament instead of through Jesus. They don’t understand the depth of the love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion God has toward us.  They are continually trying to perform to say, « God, look what I’ve done » to make Him want to bless them. But you cannot impress God with your good works neither twist His arm with your prayers, because God looks on the heart.

Do parents have to teach their children how to « manipulate » them—how to ask them things just the right way, with already made demands and specific rituals—in order to supply their food, clothes, toys, and all their needs? No! We provide for our children because we love them. We also take delight in giving them surprise gifts. How much more does our heavenly Father want to bless us !

The key is to focus on Him, to love Him and seek Him with all of our hearts, and not only to come to Him to ask for things.  

RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING. You are God’s child and He wants to call you into a secret place of close, intimate communion with Him. God longs for you.

Our wrong thinking about God has kept us from understanding His love, and our religious traditions and incorrect concepts have misrepresented Him and kept us at arm’s length from Him.

Develop your personal relationship with God to the point you understand how much He loves you. It will set you free to enjoy a fulfilling and totally satisfying relationship with our Father God.