本文值得一看,作者是有名的牧師兼作家
他提到當初耶穌教導門徒禱告要稱呼"我們在天上的父"
是一個很大的啟示,因為在這之前從沒有人以這樣的角度來看待這一位大而可畏的神
但是今天在一個地上充滿破碎家庭,父親經常是缺席的時代
很多人在禱告"我們在天上的父"
不但完全沒有感覺
甚至有很負面的感覺
作者和他父親的關係亦是如此
但是在一次神強烈同在的敬拜中
神讓他看到異象
他看到自己父親在天上被恢復的樣子
這位牧師開始哭泣落淚
這時另外一位牧長正好過來按手在他身上禱告:
"There have been those in your life who have not understood you. But the Lord is using all of that crushing and bruising to release a fragrance of Christ from your life that will impact many."
"過去在你生命中有些人並不瞭解你,但是主要使用這一些過去的壓傷與瘀青來釋放基督的馨香之氣在你的生命當中,而且這將會影響許多人的生命."
當這位牧長為他禱告完之後,父親的異象再次浮現在他眼前
然後他聽到一個很小很慢的聲音對他說
"I understand you now!"
我現在了解你了
這位牧師繼續哭泣
他知道一個新的層次的醫治已經臨到他
他重新認識他過去地上的父親
他也從此與天父的關係更加親近
原文出處: http://elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=3637
December 7, 2005
-James Goll
Encounters Network
www.jamesgoll.com
Knowing God as a Personal Father
Prior to the coming of Jesus, the concept of knowing God as a personal Father was virtually unknown to mankind. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He told them to pray to their Father in Heaven. Envisioning the Creator as a loving Father creates a beautiful picture, full of warmth and intimacy. Knowing and experiencing the Father's love is a huge key to sustained revival and to the release of the presence of God.
Unfortunately, many people, even those new believers who are entering the Church, find that the image of God as Father leaves them cold. That's because so many people these days are products of homes with an absentee father--homes broken by divorce or abandonment, where earthly fathers were present and not accounted for, absent, or forced by court order to remain part-time parents at best. For these individuals, the word "father" does not stir up happy thoughts of love and security, but painful memories of rejection, abuse, anger, fear, or loss. Nevertheless, this problem does not set aside the words of the Lord, but rather, puts them in sharp relief.
Everywhere I go, I meet believers and non-believers who long to know the heavenly Father's love. More and more people are coming to Christ while still bearing deep, emotional, and spiritual wounds. Likewise, I am seeing an increase in supernatural encounters, as our loving God moves to meet the needs of His children. I believe that any material dealing with the miraculous, healing, and the supernatural side of God should also include God's role as a heavenly Father, who is full of mercy and compassion for those hurt, wounded, and rejected. Some of the most glorious testimonies in revival history confirm that God's miraculous power occurred as He moved to reveal His "Father's heart" to brokenhearted, wounded people. Like many of you, I too have needed healing from a deep "father wound." Let me briefly share some of my journey with you.
Life With My Father
As a child in rural Missouri, I grew up in the Christian faith under the influence of a praying mother and a hard-working father. I knew Jesus, and I knew He loved me. But "God as Father" was another matter! I just could not connect with this seemingly aloof and stern being called "God!"
My earthly father, Wayne, was the oldest of seven children, and he grew up in rural Missouri during the Depression. As a part of our German ancestry, the Goll's tended to be hard workers. Though he came to genuine faith in Christ later in life, some of those early wounds from childhood still needed the Holy Spirit's healing oil poured into them.
After serving in the army in World War II, being married, raising a family, and running a lumberyard until retirement, Wayne became sick with a serious illness. This once robust man withered away, and eventually, my father graduated into his heavenly reward. I was given the privilege of preaching at my father's funeral service at the Methodist Church in my rural Missouri hometown.
While growing up, I both feared and loved my dad. I knew he cared for me, but I felt tolerated rather than celebrated--ignored rather than embraced. Indeed, I was so very different from him. How could he relate to his only son who was sensitive, scrawny, and a singer to boot? The gap between us seemed huge indeed!
The Lord Wants Us Whole and Free
Some time after my dad had graduated to Heaven, I was ministering in the Atlanta, Georgia, region. One evening as I was ministering, the Holy Spirit swept into the auditorium and several people were prostrate on the floor in worship of the Lord. On the platform, I ended up on my knees, and tears flowed from my eyes, which wet my clothes and the carpet below. Then, I saw a vision of my dad's beaming face in front of me. He appeared vibrant, glowing, and so loving. I then heard words spoken in my heart, "I have a message to give to you from your father."
That very moment, a leader came and laid his hands on my shoulders and stated, "There have been those in your life who have not understood you. But the Lord is using all of that crushing and bruising to release a fragrance of Christ from your life that will impact many." I continued to weep with gratitude, only to have my father's face come before me in a vision a second time. His eyes sparkled with the beauty of God.
Now let's be clear: I was not consulting the dead or any such thing. I was worshipping Jesus! None-the-less, once again I heard words in my heart, "I have a message to give to you from your father." The voice of the Holy Spirit captured my attention as I gazed into the vision before me. Then a message from Heaven shot straight into my heart, and that message forever changed my life. As I peered into the heavenly vision of my restored father's face, I slowly heard, in a loving tone, the words, "I understand you now!" I sobbed. I laughed! I rejoiced. Yes, another level of healing was granted to me which in turn has altered my perception of who Papa God truly is. He is my approachable, loving Father! He wants to be yours as well.
Many of us face different obstacles in our pathway that need to be identified and removed so that our pipeline to Heaven can be clear and clean. The Lord wants us whole and free, able to receive and respond to His love and revelatory ways. How does this occur? First, we must understand our Father's compassionate nature.
God the Father is Compassionate Toward Us
God wants to give us good gifts today, and the first and best gift of all is His Fatherly love. Our first step in receiving this gift is to recognize our Father's compassion toward us. Psalm 145:9 (NIV) says, "The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made."
The New Testament is filled with evidence of God's overwhelming love and compassion for us. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the word compassion refers to "a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." To understand how passionately our Father and His Son care about us, we need to look deeply into His Word.
Jesus had so much compassion for a widow who lost her only son that He stopped the funeral procession and raised him from the dead (see Luke 7:12-15). When Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, He was undoubtedly thinking of His own Father's compassion for His lost, wayward children on earth. You and I are the prodigals in this tale, and God Himself is the loving Father who runs to meet us with great joy.
Run Into His Arms!
The Book of Hebrews tells us that the main reason Jesus is qualified to be our great High Priest is because He was "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15 KJV). The Greek term used there, sumpatheo, stems from a root word that literally means "to experience pain jointly or of the same kind." God has made us kings and priests as well, but the only way we can express and share our Father's love with others is to first experience it ourselves.
Our Father wants to have an encounter with you. He is ready to manifest Himself to you as your endearing Papa, full of mercy and loving-kindness. Run into His arms right now--don't turn away. Run towards your Father's love. Yes, take the leap--jump into His embrace. He is running towards you; now, run towards Him in return! I promise you, He will not reject you or just tolerate you. Father God will "celebrate" you and draw you into His amazing grace. Yes, God is good all the time. Every miracle, healing, act of forgiveness, and demonstration of salvation all flows from the loving heart of our Father!
Yes, our Father God is waiting to embrace you! He flat out thinks you are wonderful!
God's Three-Part Remedy
Our awesome Father's remedy for our wounds includes a gift, a service, and a command.
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First, He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to "heal the brokenhearted" and "set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18 KJV). We must acknowledge that Jesus took our pain and carried our sorrows on the cross of Calvary. He has accomplished it all! This is God's gift to us; it's something that we can't earn. We must simply receive the gift.
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Second, He provided us with the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus called the "finger of God" (Luke 11:20). One of the Holy Spirit's roles is to reveal the mind of God to us and to point out any hidden bitterness, hurts, wounds, or rejection. God, the Holy Spirit, knows all things, and through His inner work, we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the One who will guide us to all truth (see John 16:13).
Before a cure can be pronounced, we must allow the Great Physician, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to diagnose our problem. Let Him service His Body and point out specifics in detail.
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Third, forgiveness is one of the most important ingredients for healing and health in our spirits, souls, and bodies. I tell people that God's great remedy for wounded spirits consists of three words: forgive, forgive, forgive! It may be ironic, but it is definitely true: the person who suffers most from unforgiveness is not the unforgiven one, but the person who does not forgive. Likewise, the person who forgives receives a greater blessing than the one who is forgiven. God issues a command to all of us: Forgive! Let the healing begin!
A Word for This Christmas
As you celebrate Christmas this year, God has a blessing to give to each one of you! He doesn't want you to just see Jesus as the babe lying in a manger--the Holy Spirit wants to give you a "Father Encounter." In fact, Jesus' purpose is to lead us to our Father. This year, let's celebrate Father's Day on Christmas! This Christmas, expect the Father's love to be showered on you!
Now, take a few moments to meditate on the following prayer. Consider its words, make them your own, and pray it back to God.
Embrace the Papa God who loves you, and let Him fill you with a sense of love and acceptance that you have never known before. If there was a "Father Encounter" that awaited me, then there is definitely one for you as well. Embrace the Father who is running to meet you.
Closing Prayer
I receive the love that my Father has for me. I receive my "Father encounter" right now. Come and heal my wounds by Your power and amazing grace. I ask for a revelation of the great grace of God in my life. I believe that the Father is for me and that Jesus Christ died for my sins. By His shed blood, I am forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Heaven is my home. God is my Father. Jesus Christ is my older brother. I am a member of the best family on earth. I am not rejected, but I am accepted. I am a vessel of destiny. Change me and make me into a healing ambassador for the Father's sake. Thank You, Lord! Amen.
Blessings to you and your family in this Christmas Season!
James W. Goll
Encounters Network
www.jamesgoll.com
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James' Upcoming Itinerary:
December 15, 2005
EN Christmas Celebration
EN Staff & Team
Encounters Ministry Center
2389 Henpeck Lane
Franklin , TN 37064
615-599-5552
www.jamesgoll.com/itinerary
January 6-7, 2006
Secret Place Gathering
G.E.T. Intensive
James W. & Michal Ann Goll
Chris DuPré, Sharon Howarth
Nashville Vineyard Fellowship
1400 Donelson Pike Bldg A-3
Nashville, TN 37217
615-599-5552
www.jamesgoll.com/itinerary
January 8, 2006
James W. Goll
Nashville Vineyard Fellowship
1400 Donelson Pike Bldg A-3
Nashville, TN 37217
(615) 360-8463
www.jamesgoll.com/itinerary
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