PATTERNS

PATTERNS

I’m sure you have noticed a pattern if you have worked through the first two parts of the Father Ladder (if you haven’t done that click HERE  Part 1 and HERE for Part 2).

Father God relates to our natural fathers and father figures. Our earthly fathers are supposed to provide security, protection and provision for us. Fathers help us to know who we are and give us an identity. When that doesn’t happen our understanding of who Father God is gets twisted and warped.

Jesus relates to our siblings and friends. When we have brothers, sisters and friends we learn how to communicate and relate to others. They help us to get a sense of truth about ourselves. If those relationships are toxic and negative it makes it difficult to understand why Jesus died for us or how we can partner with Him to share His kingdom as friends, brothers and sisters.

What this means is that often the issues we have with being able to have intimacy with our heavenly Father and Jesus is rooted in our relationships with earthly Fathers, brothers, sisters and friends.

That is why it is so important to work through forgiving these folks. Please understand this does not excuse them from what they did to us. I heard someone say yesterday, it is like “we have been so hurt by someone we want to just poison them, so we drink a bottle of poison.” That is what holding on to anger, bitterness and unforgiveness is like. It generally doesn’t affect the other person, but it can create sickness in us and possibly death.

Negative thoughts and feelings actually release harmful chemicals and hormones in our brains that destroy not only parts of our brains; they also affect the rest of our body. The good news is that our brains can be restored with positive thoughts and feelings through forgiving others.

Now before we move on to the third part of the Father Ladder, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1) Do I have a relationship with the Holy Spirit?

2) What does that relationship feel and look like?