Heavenly Father is a mighty fortress, and within His walls unshakable love, security, and peace. Heavenly Father completes the father foundation in our lives. He seals the breaks and crevices in our walls against fear with His love. His perfect love casts out all fear and fortifies us against the spirit of fear. Jesus is faithful to walk with us through healing wounds and close up the entry points of the enemy so that we can rest securely in the full peace and strength of the fortress of our Heavenly Father. He is a mighty fortress of security, beyond any security we can find in this world or which any person can provide.
Jesus Reveals Heavenly Father
“..that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
John 17:23
How do you perceive your Heavenly Father? Is it easier to imagine that Jesus loves you but harder to imagine that the Father loves you even as He loves Jesus?
In John 17 Jesus points us to Heavenly Father and we see the shared heart between the Father and Son in the words Jesus prays. Sometimes we perceive our Heavenly Father as more distant, or maybe we perceive His discipline as punishment. If that’s the case we may need to dive deeper into Scripture to really see the heart of the Father.
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
John 14:9
Punishment or Discipline?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Hebrews 12:6-7
We all face difficult times and challenges in the Christian life, which is why understanding the difference between discipline and punishment is crucial. As followers of Jesus, when we go through trials in life they aren’t meant to destroy us. Just as good father allows his children to make mistakes and learn from them rather than interfering in their growth, our Heavenly Father uses these trials and the testing of the enemy to refine and strengthen us. As the writer explains in Hebrews 12, the trials you’re going through don’t mean God has abandoned you, but rather that you are being treated as a son.
- The punishment for sin (death) was taken by Jesus on the cross.
- The discipline from God isn’t for death, but for life and for our good.
God’s Goodness
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
James 1:2
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
James 1:13
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17
Evil does not come from God it comes from Satan. God uses what Satan means for destruction and works all things together for the good of those who love Him. We see in the book of Job that it was not God who afflicted Job with sickness, it was Satan; however, God allowed Job to be tempted and tested. Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness and overcame it, which is the hope that we have when we face temptations of the enemy. We may make mistakes and give in, but Jesus faithfully provides the way out of temptation so that we can overcome the enemy’s schemes.
Earthly Dads Aren’t the Fullness of Fatherhood
Earthly dads are meant to give us a starting foundation, help us build our walls of security, but earthly fathers were never able to give us the fullness of security which only Heavenly Father can complete in our lives. There will come a time when we become adults and can no longer look to our earthly fathers, but must trust in our Heavenly Father through the trials of life.
There are some who didn’t have a dad in their lives, but are still fully adopted as sons by Heavenly Father through Christ. No one in Christ is an orphan. We have been fully accepted into the family of God through Jesus.
Healing in Heavenly Father
There may be cracks and crevices in those walls of fatherhood through which entry points spirits of fear and anxiety attacks. Maybe we have a skewed perception of our Heavenly Father’s heart for us. Maybe we struggle with trusting His provision for our lives, that He wants to lead and take care of us as children. Maybe we feel like we can’t approach our Heavenly Father or are unworthy of Him. Remember the story of the prodigal son. The father RAN to his son eager to embrace him and welcome him home.
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” .. “the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Luke 15:20 , 22-24
God is calling the sons & daughters of God to be healed, to understand our identity and our full acceptance. His love is so boundless and deep. His mercies are so sweet. We need that security that only Heavenly Father can provide. We need that security and protection against the attacks of the spirit of fear and anxiety in the world. We can watch the arrows of fear break against the impenetrable walls of God’s love.