"God is not your father!" Why our view of our father is our view of God.

By: Aimee Colbert

I always remember my father being far away. I can remember always expecting him but him never being there. I never felt protected or understood by him and always wondered if he really loved me.

My relationship with my father now is great. Though of course that was due to much healing that began with Christ. As I sit back and think of it now I realized that before I came to the truth about God, my relationship with God was pretty much like my relationship with my father….or the lack there of.

What do you believe about God? What is he like to you? If you could describe how YOU believe him to be what would he sound like? I challenge you. Make a list. Write down all of your preconceived notions about God…. good or bad. Then make a list in the same way concerning your father. Do they seem to be the same? Then after you have compared them, read on. We are going to go through the scripture to find out who God really is. The one thing that I hope that you learn from this article is that , God is not your father!

Numbers 23:19

"19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?"

God is not a man: This is a key thing to remember.1Corintians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Put simply God is God he is like no man you have ever known.

God does not lie: As the scripture above states. What has your father told you that you have found to be lies? But what has God said that is not true? Things may come to mind. But what has God promised you? Do you believe that he has made a promise to you that he never kept? When?

Psalm 37:25

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

Examine yourself: Have you been living your life righteously before the Lord? Maybe you have prayed to him but he never gave you what you wanted.

John 9:31

" 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will."

You may be thinking of a time when you were a child and something bad happened to you. Why wasn't God there then?

Revelations 12:12

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

Satan had plans to destroy you from the moment you were formed. Because of the Lord's plans….you are still here.

"Your father is a man before he is your father. He won't always say the right things or do the right things because God never made him to love you more than he did."

God would never allow me to judge my father with out reminding me of where he brought me from. My father has never been the picture perfect dad. But when had I been the picture perfect daughter? I know that because of my father I was caused a lot of pain but I gave him his share of head aches as well.

Your father is not God: When I was attending college I had a psychology course. I learned about something called "The God complex". It is defined in a couple of ways but this is what it means in this instance: When you hold someone at such a high esteem and or standard and expect them to not fall short of your idea of how they should behave. When this happens, if and when they make a wrong choice of words or actions, you classify it as unforgivable.

I've seen so much of this. Parents also do it to their children. Maybe I can give you an example here. Have you ever heard of people saying that they could never forgive their parents or in this instance father for:

A. Not being there when they were a child.

B. Leaving their mom alone.

C. Molesting them or a relative.

D. Hurting someone that they love dearly.

E. Beating them or their mom.

F. Or even murdering someone very close to them.

It's good to remember that we all fall short. Look at these scriptures.

1Samuel 2:2

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."

Mark 10:18

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.

Don't try to push upon anyone the responsibility to be as good as God. Especially when you can't even do that.

"Your father is an imperfect man capable to change. (Capable does not mean willing.)Many men fall short in various areas. God is unable to change. He can not be improve because he is the very definition of perfection."

What kind of father do you have? When you think of him, was he very passive, mean, cold, undependable... etc? Try to think of that while you read these different descriptions.

Passive Peter:

Your dad is the type that never has a big complaint. He's laid back. He doesn't know much about what's really going on in your life. He usually let's mom take care of the issues concerning the kids.

Passive peter:

If you have this father you may look at God as if he is more loving than strict. You believe that God sees you as a good person. Because of that you don't believe that you are bad compared to murderers and thieves.

Mean Mark:

Your dad is the one who is always difficult to talk to. He never let's you get a word in. He thinks that "Children should be seen and not heard." Your punishments are always harsh.

Mean Mark:

Because of this dad you see God as a loud and thunderous, lightening bolt throwing old man. He has to always be appeased because there is "hell" to pay if you get on his bad side.

Loving Luther:

Your father is the type of father who will always have a listen when you're in a bad mood. He reasons more than anything. He's always affectionate and kind.

Loving Luther:

If this was your dad you think God is super sweet. You may not even believe in hell. You think that God is all love. You believe that he excepts you as you are and you'll walk right into heaven when you die. You probably believe that most people will

Cold Calvin:

This dad is unapproachable. He wants his rules followed and only expects the best. He doesn't care about your feelings. All he cares about is your performance.

Cold Calvin:

This dad makes you think that God is very strict. God only loves perfect people. You'll never be perfect so he'll never love you. To you, the only way to keep God happy is to be sinless.

Sneaky Stephen:

This father is too affectionate. Maybe a molester. You feel unsafe around him. He makes you feel used, ashamed and lower than dirt.

Sneaky Stephen:

Because of the abusive nature of this dad you feel like God is the enemy. He is the one who left you alone to be mistreated. He isn't the God in the Bible to you. He could never really love you.

Crazy Casey:

Your dad is so unpredictable. You never know when he is about to erupt. Some days he's sweet and others he is just plain weird.

Crazy Casey:

If this was your dad you believe that God is unpredictable and you'd never know when he'll go off. You can't stay on his good side because to him everything that you like is wrong. He's just too hard to please.

Fun Fred:

Your father is always joking. You never can take him seriously, he's doesn't really act like a father… more like a brother.

Fun Fred:

He's got you convinced that God is not really worried about what you do in your spare time. When you see those people living their lives so restricted you don't understand them. You think that they are taking things too seriously.

Busy Ben:

This dad is always gone. To you it seems like you are last on his list. You may have good times when you seen him but that's not often.

Busy Ben:

Because of his influence, you believe that God is just too busy doing everything else to bother with your life and prayers. You don't pray much because you don't think that he'll bother to answer.

Lying Larry:

This dad was never around when you needed him. He always makes promises that he never keeps. He can not be trusted. You wonder why he doesn't want to be there for you.

Lying Larry:

This dad makes you believe that God never answers prayers. "Why pray?", you ask yourself. You see God as a God who serves himself and his special chosen people.

I have to admit after I came to know the truth about God. The relationship with my father did not effect my perception of the Lord. Though I can't say the same for some people that I've seen. There are some people that go on and turn their lives over to the Lord but still carry the same perception. Or should I say, deception.

What happens when your dad is not there at all?

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source: National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.)

75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God`s Children.)

Daughters of single parents are:

1. 53% more likely to marry as teenagers

2. 111% more likely to have children as teenagers

3. 164% more likely to be a single parent

Let me give you another example. Pay attention to these testimonies.

I'll give you three:

Example 1:

I've had a person say to me: "My dad was a good person. He was a hard worker. He never let me get away with stuff. He taught me not to do the wrong things. He told me all about life."

And when I asked them about what they thought of God they said: " God is good. He's my hero."

Example 2:

Some one have told me: "My father, I didn't even know him. I didn't ever know him. If I could meet him, I would ask him why he ran out on me like that. I wondered why me."

When I asked about God they said: "I prayed and asked God to let me meet my father and He hasn't let it happened. I'm asking God why he isn't letting me meet him."

Example3:

I asked someone about what their father was like and they said: "My dad was always strict. Very strict. He would always give me tough love. He always whipped me. No one understands how strict he was."

I didn't need to ask that person how they looked at God because it was obvious from our previous conversations. They believed that you have to keep the old testament laws in order to be pleasing to God.

How does this effect our lives?

Well this is simple. What we believe is critical to how we behave. The way we behave altars our life. What we believe about God is the most important thing because our lives will be centered around how we think of him. Let me explain.

"Think about how your perception of God has altered your life. People are only different because of their perceptions of him."

Thinking that God doesn't care about your concerns and you'll seldom pray for yourself. You'll end up with a distant relationship and never knowing the God who gives you your hearts desires.

Like wise if you believe God to be like a "loving Larry" you'll live your life in a cavalier way. Thinking that God excepts anything and everything. This is very dangerous. These people believe that they are going to heaven because they are "good people". But they are much more in danger of hell fire than anyone else. It's called being lukewarm.

God is not just your moms God. He wants to be your God too. Don't be deceived. Just because your parents make you go to church, it doesn't mean that you are going to heaven. You have to know God for yourself. Don't use your fathers bad behavior as an excuse on why you don't believe in God or going to church. They will be held responsible at the appointed time believe it!

If you believe that you have been perceiving God in the same ways you perceive your father then let me tell you the effects of that.

If you have a strained relationship with your father because of the wrong he has done or his way of thinking then that is how your relationship with God is….strained. If you barely talk to your father, never want to talk to your father, are afraid of him, feel rejected by him etc…. The same will be true between you and God. But it doesn't have to remain that way. You have the choice of reading the Bible to figure out what God is really all about. Maybe church people can describe him or your parent but what if they are looking at him the wrong way too? Know him for yourself, there's nothing better than that.

You are special to God.

Isaiah 49:15-16

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

I pray that this article helped you. I felt so stirred to write this to you. It's sad when we perceive God be other than who he really is. I feel so disturbed when I hear of peoples opinion of God being bad because of unaware figures in their lives. There is a father like no other in God and you have direct access to him for yourself through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May God continue to increase your wisdom.

Have you forgiven your father? If not you most definitely need to. Remember don't judge him. Because none of us has lived up to Godly standards. Ask God for a more forgiving heart.

Article Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com

Please Share and Bookmark this Article