I am so grateful for the Godly people that my Father in Heaven has put in my path to lead me to more knowledge of Him. Each step along my journey, He has introduced me to men and women who have grown my understanding of exactly who God is, and therefore expanded my faith. This has allowed me to let God out of the box that religion has managed to keep Him in.
And I would say that is the major issue we encounter in our Inner Healing Ministry ... people don't really know who God is, or know His Nature and Characteristics. I am always amazed at how people [who are struggling from Satan's oppression and torment] actually view God. He is often a remote disciplinarian; a cold, detached and indifferent deity; or an unloving and unknowable figurehead to be feared. When asked to describe any of God's attributes, there is a lack of intimacy and familiarity with His Person.
That's why I am so happy to have benefited from the teachings of Asher Intrater, a Messianic Jewish Apostolic Leader in Jerusalem, whose ministries have a vision for revival and restoration from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and back again. His Biblical teachings are on target, and he is able to give the basic scriptural "Judeo-Christian" view of the nature of God, which so many Christians need.
I'd like to share with you one of his teachings that is foundational to understanding the Most High God. It may sound simple, but it answers one of man's biggest questions throughout the ages .... Is God real? Does He exist? Asher Intrater provides 12 Scripturally Confirmed Truths about God; each building upon the previous Truth. Profoundly straightforward, they provide a clear picture for both the religious and secular world.
1. God exists. Because every action has a cause, the world didn't just "come into existence" without a super-intelligent Designer or Creator. There is such a complexity in the beauty and harmony of natural creation, that it demands there be a Source ... "In the beginning God created ...".
2. God is good. We know that not all who create things are benevolent, well-meaning or kind. In fact, many pagan religions have gods that are evil and selfish. But Scripture tells us that God's will is "good, perfect, and acceptable". He has good intentions for all. "O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His mercy endures forever".
3. God is all-powerful. God has all authority and all power. All the powers in the world originated with Him. He is the One God, and therefore the single, only Sovereign. He is "Almighty God".
4. God is Spirit that created the material world. Spiritual things are not the product of a material world, but the opposite. The awesome spiritual energy of "Let there be light" initiated our universe. Scientific evidence has forced physicists to concede that there must have been a beginning to the physical universe -- an "initial singularity [uniqueness]", which they call "the big bang". The energy that created the universe is spiritual. "God is Spirit".
5. God is a person. God is not a human being. Human beings were created in God's image, both male and female. So, God is personal in nature. We are "persons" because He was first. [Note: In Hebrew, the language for God is in masculine gender, while the language for Spirit is in feminine gender]. As a person, He is "Our Father in Heaven"...
6. God is loving. The deepest quality in the human heart is love. That quality comes from God. He is love (1 John 4:8). All His commands to us are summarized in the command to love God and love one another. "Love comes from God".
7. God desires a personal relationship with you. Since God is love, His primary desire for us is to receive His love. and to love Him in return. He wants to love us. Having a personal intimate relationship with God as our Heavenly Father is the most precious and beautiful of all things. It is the purpose of our existence. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart".
8. God is neither secular nor religious. We can see that different philosophies and religions try to define God to the best of their abilities. But God is bigger than any particular person understands. He is bigger than any group of peoples. He loves all people. He is above religion and racism. He is not an "ism"; He IS! "I am that which I am".
9. God has a plan for a perfect world. We can all agree that there are so many problems in the world today. Those problems are the result of human disobedience and rebellion against God. But God is patiently working on the hearts of people. In the end, those who submit to His plan will be part of eternal paradise. "The Garden of Eden"...
10. God has a perfect plan for your life. Not only does God have a plan for a perfect world, He has a perfect plan for every individual. Not only will paradise be restored, but each person who submits to Him will be restored and made whole. "And God will wipe away every tear".
11. God is moral. God has not only good intentions, He also has clearly defined moral values. He is not corrupt, lustful, or evil. Our moral values came from Him. The Ten Commandments give a basic framework for His morals, in contrast with pagan mythologies describing gods who sin and act selfishly, and the sinful, corrupt hearts of men who reject Him. Those gods and men are not The God. "His judgments are righteous".
12. God is holy. God is more than good; more than moral. He is Holy. Holy means perfectly good combined with absolutely powerful. This level of purity is above anything human and anything found in creation. It is the transcendent glory of a perfect God. "Holy is the Lord".
These 12 Truths about God's identity and nature are just the beginning of discovering who He is to each one of us. They begin with establishing that God is real, and He does exist, and teach us that He is powerful, He loves us, He wants a personal relationship with us, and He is moral and holy. I'm not sure how many Christians could elucidate those qualities in a manner that painted an accurate picture of His Nature. But once we grasp the enormity of these tenets, there is so much more!
Once we've established that He wants a relationship with us, and wants to make Himself known to us, we are left with even more questions ... How would He reveal Himself? Would it be internally [only]? Or would He reveal Himself in nature, also? What about through other people? Or a specific, special person? Has He revealed Himself through history? Through prophecies? Do we know Him through dreams and visions? Or through writings? And if we are able to begin to get a concept of the greater revelations of who He is, what are His expectations of us? Each new level of the knowledge of God begets more questions, and if we are truly seeking to know more of Him, then it is crucial and essential that we search out the answers. He is worthy of the effort, and our time here on earth will be more fruitful as we receive the promises of our existence.
Thank you to Asher Intrater for his insightful manner in which he presents the uncomplicated truth of God, always encouraging us to reach for more. I believe that we will not fully understand God until we are face-to-face with Him in eternity. But this life is so much sweeter in the pursuit of that knowledge.
Psalm 14:2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand (act wisely), Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].