One of Satan’s primary goals is to wreak havoc in our relationship with God through deep-rooted lies. In this 5-day devotional plan, you’ll identify lies you believe about God, their sources, and how they hinder your life. You’ll discover practical steps to experience God for who He truly is as your loving Father.Plan provided by Ben Bennett and Resolution Movement.
Day 1
Scriptures: Psalms 34:18, Psalms 147:2-11
Anger at God
Two summers ago, I received a text out of the blue from my friend Teddy about Alex, one of our mutual friends. For years, Alex had been fighting brain cancer. Teddy told me that Alex did not have much time left. The next day, I flew across the country to see Alex. Though he’d been in remission a few years before, the cancer had come back. Alex had not been responding well to chemotherapy so he had to discontinue treatment. When I saw him, he could hardly sit up. That first night, Alex could have a conversation with me, but over the next several days I saw him slip away right before my eyes.
I was flooded with grief. Within a week of that initial text from Teddy, Alex had passed into eternity with Christ. He was only 29. He left behind his wife and infant son. It made no sense to me. It was heartbreaking. It seemed unreal. Of all people, why did he have to die? Past conversations, old jokes, and fond memories came to mind again and again. I’d hear songs Alex and I used to listen to and would think of texting him before remembering he was gone. It was so painful to have lost one of my close friends.
Over the following months, anger at God grew inside of me. I experienced more anger after the ending of a romantic relationship and the sudden death of a co-worker. Eventually, anger inhibited my daily functioning. I had trouble thinking clearly and enjoying things I normally enjoyed. I wrestled with God. I was honest with Him. I shared my feelings with Him and with others. God reminded me that, throughout my life, anger had been a way for me to deal with fear. Anger was a way to protect myself when I was afraid, to regain control, and to keep others at a distance. I was angry at God because I feared that He wasn’t safe, that He didn’t have good in store for me, and that He would hurt me too. I was believing deep-rooted lies about God.
As I began to process those lies and remembered God’s past faithfulness and goodness to me, I asked Him to forgive me for my anger towards Him. The anger began to dissipate as I remembered what was true about God.
God, help me to understand my feelings and to know whether these are based on truth.
Day 2
Scriptures: Isaiah 49:15, Matthew 7:11, Psalms 27:10
Father Wounds
Over the years, I’ve grown in my understanding about who God is and how much He loves me. But in the past, I struggled much more. I thought God was angry, distant, and obsessed with rules. Intellectually, of course, I knew God loved me, but on a deep emotional level, I believed lies that affected the way I viewed myself, lived my life, and treated other people.
Like me, maybe you’ve had negative core beliefs or perceptions about God. You know that God is loving, forgiving, and always there for you. But deep down, you feel that God is often or always angry, walking around with a wooden paddle just waiting for you to mess up. Maybe you think that God hates fun, that He is this cosmic killjoy whose rules are pointless and impossible to follow. Or maybe you think He created the world and then stepped away; He is disengaged and unconcerned with your pain and suffering.
Often, these views about God come from assumptions we make based on our hurts, the suffering we see in the world, or negative experiences with those in authority. Maybe your family or community emphasized rules over relationships. When you didn’t perform as expected or meet others’ standards, you were judged, shamed, or punished. Perhaps your father was distant, disengaged, quick to get angry, or just didn’t speak many words of love or approval. When a parent, particularly a father, has been absent, hurtful, or disengaged, our longings go unmet, and we develop something called a father wound.
Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as our Father. Our view of God is often filtered through the lens of our earthly father. I once heard author William Paul Young say, “It took me all of 50 years to wipe the face of my father completely off the face of God.” For better or worse, our primary and foundational relationships chart the course for the way we navigate other relationships, including our relationship with God. The reality is that we all have “daddy issues.” We all struggle to see and experience God for who He actually is. And incorrect views about God are toxic to our well-being; they prevent us from thriving and experiencing a life of wholeness.
How has my view of my earthly father affected my relationship with You, God? Give me clarity and insight to assess this.
Day 3
Scriptures: John 17:20-26, Matthew 3:16-17, Psalms 145:8, 1 John 1:9
A Loving and Forgiving Father
People have all kinds of opinions about God. Pantheists say God is everything; polytheists believe in multiple gods and goddesses; deists believe that He created everything but isn’t involved with creation. Even some Christians teach things about God that don’t line up with the Bible. That’s why I want to re-examine a few characteristics God has revealed about Himself in His Word.
First, God is not angry with you. He loves you and is pleased with you. In praying for believers to experience perfect unity, Jesus said, “that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23). God the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus! That’s amazing! On top of that, we see how God relates to Jesus during His baptism. He said He loves Him and is pleased with Him. If you are in Christ, God the Father says the same thing to you today: “You are My son,” or “You are My daughter,” and “who I love and in whom I am well pleased.” Do you see God that way? Do you think that He loves you and is pleased with you?
Not too long ago, my friend Zack was having lunch with his wife and his two daughters. His oldest daughter was going through the phase of what they call “the terrible twos.” Zack kept trying, over and over again, to get her to eat her lunch, and remained calm, despite her refusal to eat and the attention she brought on herself. Seeing how he engaged with his daughter reminded me of how God treats us. Despite our behavior, He loves us and keeps delighting in us.
Second, God is not uptight nor obsessed with rules. God is gracious and forgiving. When we confess our sins, He forgives us—no ifs, ands, or buts. No exceptions. No small font or disclaimers. If you confess your wrongs to God, no matter what, God will forgive you. He is the God of second chances without end.
God, help me remember that You love me, even when I mess up. I want to know, deep down, that You forgive me and delight in me.
Day 4
Scriptures: Jeremiah 23:24, Romans 8:15, 1 John 4:19, James 1:17
God Is Gracious, Present, and Loving
God is not distant. He is present and personal. God is omnipresent—He is in all places at all times. He is with you in your suffering, when you’re anxious or depressed, and even when you sin in ways you promised yourself you’d never sin again. You can’t outrun God, escape His goodness, or cause Him to walk away or turn His back on you. He invites us to address Him as Abba, the Aramaic equivalent of Daddy or Dada. The God of the universe needs nothing from us, yet He invites us to have an intimate relationship with Him.
In God, we find our greatest source of wholeness and joy. What’s amazing about God is that He loved us first. He didn’t wait for us to clean up our act, meet His expectations, or make Him proud; He simply loved us. God is not the kind of father who has trouble hugging His child or saying, “I love you.” He’s not the kind of father who has more important things to do. He’s not the kind of father who treats you differently when you mess up or don’t do what He says. As author Sally Lloyd-Jones puts it in the Jesus Storybook Bible, God loves us “with a Never-Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”
Have you ever witnessed a father like this? While no human being can come close to loving us perfectly, I’ve seen father love through my friend Brian. He is one of the most loving and engaged fathers I know. He cherishes his son and daughter. He’s not just their dad; they’re good friends. I remember being blown away at witnessing how he interacted with his kids, specifically over rules. He modeled to me a father who was not obsessed with authority, rules, and perfect obedience but was gracious, present, and loving.
Do you know who your heavenly Father is? Can you grasp how much He loves you and all the ways He is seeking to engage you each day? The subtle surprises, the good gifts, the simple pleasures you receive every day? Through all experiences, God is showing us who He is and how much He loves us. God is lavishing His love on us day in and day out.
God, You are gracious, present, and loving. Even when I am not aware of it, You seek to bless me.
Day 5
Scriptures: Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Psalms 103:13-14
Steps to Healing
No matter what you have experienced, believed, or have been taught about God, He desires to restore your view of His character. He wants you to experience Him as your true, loving, heavenly Father. It changes everything when we begin to see God as He truly is.
In my life, mentors and spiritual fathers and mothers cared about and invested in me, and this began to shift the way I viewed God over the years. I began to believe, deep down, that He loved me, cared about me, and delighted to spend time with me. Now, when I sin, I feel God’s compassion toward me. When I am disappointed or hurt, I don’t blame God or get angry at Him like I used to. I feel His closeness and interest in the concerns of my heart.
God is a Father who can heal our father wounds. He is a Daddy who can help us overcome our daddy issues. Do you see God as He truly is? Are you experiencing His love and nearness?
As you seek greater intimacy with Him, consider implementing these steps:
1. Remember what God has done in your life. Think about what He did last week, last year, about what He provided, and the good gifts He has given you.
2. Thank Him daily for the good you experience. That’s God speaking His love and His delight into your life. Express your gratitude.
3. Read the Bible meditating on who God truly is. I can’t stress this enough: when you read the stories of the Bible, look for the ways God is showing His goodness and love.
4. Observe loving fathers with their kids. I’ve learned so much from fathers who spend time and hang out with their kids, doing hobbies and activities together.
By identifying the lies we have believed about God, taking steps to renew our minds, and experiencing God as He truly is, we can experience healing and wholeness today.
Thank You, God, for practical steps to help me know and experience Your love. Thank You that You love me so much!