No Darkness, Not Even A Trace
(5 minutes)
This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it's still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him. (1 John 1:5)
"We have to be flexible with how we're seeing Abba. We have to make sure we're seeing Him correctly." Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday that this is what all of last year was about for those of us who are planted at The Wilderness Place. "Purging ourselves of a broken image of God."
As we take a walk with Abba today this is what is happening. With every step we take, we're soaking ourselves in the reality of who Abba really is. We're seeing Him rightly, some of us for the very first time even after years of being in church. We're seeing that He is not the distant, angry God that religion said He was. He doesn't throw the fruitless branches away. He shows them a greater measure of care and attention, lifting them and propping them up until they are completely restored. (John 15:1-2 TPT)
Pastor Tim asked a great question this past weekend. "How would it look in our life if we really believed that God was a God that gave us special attention in the areas that we struggle?"
Would we continue to hide from Abba if we really knew that this was how we'd be handled by Him?
There are areas we attempt to hide from Abba because we're still unsure of how we'll be treated if that area were to be exposed. Can you imagine not hiding anything from Abba? Can you imagine being joined to a Kingdom family where everyone is open and vulnerable because nobody fears punishment from Abba anymore? When we see Abba for who He is, we'll start running to Him instead of hiding from Him. And if we don't have to hide from Abba, we'll stop hiding from everyone else.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)
When we encounter the perfect love of Abba, the fear of punishment will be driven far from our hearts. And here it is, right from John the Beloved's pen: We love, because He first loved us. When we are fully convinced of His love for us, that is when we'll begin to overflow with a greater measure of love for Him and the people He's planted in our lives. The revelation of His love for us, what we call "beloved identity," is the key that unlocks our hearts to experience the fullness of Abba's presence.
This is great news. Exposure will not get you thrown away. You don't get thrown away because you mess up. You don't get thrown away because you open up. Religion taught us that it was unsafe to open ourselves up. Religion's delusional view of God had us more closed off than ever because we were always trying to protect ourselves from a vengeful God who was waiting to chop us off and remove us if there wasn't any fruit being produced. Not so! That's not our Abba!
He is not anything like religion told us He was.
You are safe in His hands. There is no need to fear. You are wrapped up in His perfect love. Do you think He endured all that He did just to throw you away? You were valuable and loved when you were as far from Him as you could be. We have to start believing in the unconditional love that we've always said that God possessed. Unconditional means not subject to any conditions. Abba's love is unquestioning, unqualified, unreserved, unlimited, wholehearted, complete, total, and absolutely full all the time. This is the perfect love that is flowing from Abba's heart to you. It's always been flowing and it always will. There's nothing you can do to make Abba love you any more or any less than He does right now. If your behavior could move the needle of His love, it would no longer be unconditional. You must start believing this. You can't mess this up.
You can ignore it. You can reject it. You can even choose to believe a lie about Him instead of the truth. But you can't mess up how Abba feels about you.
Let's ask the question again: How would your life look if you really believed that God was a God who gave you special attention in the areas where you struggle?
Can you throw yourself into the perfect love of Abba today? Can you open up and be vulnerable in His presence? Realize that any hesitation or recoiling is just the lie speaking louder than the truth. When you feel that rising up, just say, "No, that's not my Abba! My Abba is perfect love. My Abba is nothing but goodness. My Abba will never leave me. My Abba doesn't do abandonment. He doesn't do separation. No, that's not my Abba!"
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Worship: "Pieces" by Amanda Cook
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
