Get to Know God As Father

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Connecting With God

Get to Know God As Father By Rick Warren — Jun 2, 2016 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:9 NIV). In the thousands of years covered in the Old Testament, God is called “Father” only seven times. People just didn’t think of God as Father. They thought of him as other kinds of things — Creator, Almighty One, etc. But they didn’t think of God as Father. Then Jesus came along and said this is how you’re to pray: Call him Father. Jesus uses the expression more than 150 times to refer to God. What he’s doing is exploding all the stereotypes. God is not the angry tyrant. God is not the cosmic cop. He is not the universal killjoy. He is not the impersonal force. God is a personal God. He wants to have a relationship with us, and he created you with the ability to have a relationship with him. There’s only one problem. For many people, the word “father” is a negative term. The word “father” may bring up all kinds of bad memories. A lot of people say, “Our Father, who art in Heaven? If God’s like my father, then no thanks, God.” The truth is, some human fathers can make home a hell on Earth. Human fathers can be fickle, moody, abusive, controlling, and violent. So the words “our Father in Heaven” carry a lot baggage for some people. The reason why many people never connect with God is because they unconsciously think God is like their earthly father, who may have been unreasonable, so they think God is unreasonable. Or, maybe their father was unreliable, so they think God is unreliable. We impose all those mixed-up hurts and emotions onto God, and it’s no wonder we have a hard time connecting with him. Many kids today have very little connection to their father. So why would they be expected to have a connection with their heavenly Father? It’s no wonder we don’t understand God! We need to let go of the misconceptions and myths we have about God so we can understand the truth of what God the Father is really like. Because the truth will set you free! Misconceptions keep you disconnected from God. But when you really know him, you’re going to love him. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What are some other factors or people that contribute to our misconceptions about God? In what ways do you relate well to your father? Do you identify with God in the same ways? How can you get to know who God the Father really is? Our Gift: Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer - 8 CD Boxed Set and Bonus Music CD: FIRST The Bible says very clearly that you were created for connections. In this new message series, Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer, Rick Warren lays out practical steps for you to connect with God and loved ones by examining the Lord’s Prayer. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Connecting With God teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​You've Got To Get Connected Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​The Prayer of Connection Message 3: ​​The Prayer of Surrender Message 4: ​The Prayer of Dependence Message 5: ​The Prayer of Cleansing Message 6: ​​The Prayer of Release Message 7: The Prayer of Deliverance Message 8: The Prayer of Fulfillment PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe