Who's your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father: Middle of the Road

Who's your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father: Middle of the Road: There is a point in life when we stand in the middle of the road we’re on and wonder how all the time we’ve spent so far, has gone by so...

Middle of the Road

There is a point in life when we stand in the middle of the road we’re on and wonder how all the time we’ve spent so far, has gone by so fast.  If memory serves us right, we see details, clips and moments in life’s timeline we hope we never forget and some we wish we could stop remembering.   Some are vivid.  Some are sad.  Some bring us sporadic moments of unspeakable joy.  Most are priceless.

At the midpoint of my life, (which I assume is right about now) I’m recalling, rewinding and remembering the moments that have shaped me into who I’ve become.  The earliest ones laid a foundation I still stand upon to this day.  The latter are part of life’s ongoing “gifts” that continuously shape, mold and pour back into being who I’m meant to be, taking me down this path I’m compelled to follow.  Those treasures, I pray, are the ones that stay ever present in my life each day……

If it were not for my praying mother’s two knees, I would not have these two “feet” that ground and compel me to stand strong in a shaky world

My father scooping me into his arms when I cried in my crib for someone to know I needed comfort taught me to be those “arms” for someone else when my turn came

A small scar from my first scraped knee daily reminds that not getting back up hurts worse than falling down

The first time, at four years old, that I felt the presence of God and simply knew He existed

Labor pains that taught me motherhood is a lifelong lesson about the “birthing” process of another human being and the “joy” of being a mom overrules the “painful” moments that come with both

The spoken words “I love you” from my loved ones trumps any card, present or reward this world could offer

Freedom is not a birth right but a human condition no one can steal from us unless we let them

If you love God, you live to please Him

A loving, faithful and Christ-centered husband is a gift from God

More lessons surely lie ahead but these will be the one’s I treasure most as I continue my journey to learning more…….

Every day is a “birthday” when we live our life to the fullest……

Happy Birthday!

Who's your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father: The "Eleventh hour" God; do you know Him?

Who's your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father: The "Eleventh hour" God; do you know Him?: Who has not known the sound of a ticking clock counting down the seconds to the moment of their desperate need, only to wonder...

The "Eleventh hour" God; do you know Him?

Who has not known the sound of a ticking clock counting down the seconds to the moment of their desperate need, only to wonder if God could (really) hear them as they sat helplessly wondering when their next shoe would drop? When we least expect we can rely upon three things.  God never sleeps. He knows no limit when it comes to His children.  He always meets their needs (not their wants, but their needs).

Think of the recent events in your life that have taught this lesson over and over again. Sometimes, it is as simple as an unexpected letter telling you a debt’s “paid in full” when you thought a greater balance was due. A doctor's report telling you the cancer has mysteriously disappeared or the operation isn't necessary, that your body has healed itself. A lost son's phone call home, telling of the miraculous way in which God has began working in his life through what had seemed more like a desperate situation. All the sudden, your eleventh hour has become another twenty four hours of new life being breathed into your soul, once again.

Christ's death on the cross was for two primary reasons: Payment for our sin and the promise of our new life. One required the other and both were necessary for everyone (the "ungodly" is all inclusive).

Whether our "eleventh hour" moment is birthed from a desperate need for healing, restoration, direction, or some other life changing moment, the same Christ died so that you would have the answer through a relationship with Him. To ignore the price He paid is to let the hands of time tick past the midnight hour in your life sending you into the unknown. It is never too late, but it might be sooner than you realize. Turn to Christ today for the salvation you need has already drawn closer than you realize.

Thought to live by: The moment I need God can be found in every moment, of every day.

"Who's your daddy" is a devotional written by Pat Ferguson (Copyright © 2012, All Rights Reserved)

Fork in the road

The greatest challenge anyone faces in this life is being able to know which way to go when they come to their “fork in the road”.  Not many of us realize it, but our “fork” probably pops up at least once a day.  “How is that?” you might ask.  Think about every decision you make, every word you speak, every thought you think, and you’ll start to see plenty of “forks” coming your way.  The challenge isn’t just a 50/50 chance of making a right or wrong decision; it’s what you will do with where the decision leads you to.  We can make plenty of great choices and still end up at a dead end, least we fail to use what God has given us to its greatest potential.   Think about anyone you’ve ever known (even at a distance) who has risen and fallen along their path to fame, fortune and opportunity.  Weren’t they on the right road at some point in time?  Wasn’t everything “lining-up” in their lives making their destiny seem (almost) assured?  Yes and yes. 

“People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.” (Proverbs 21:2)

What we do with what God gives us is just as important as the direction He leads us to follow.  Choosing the right side of the fork to follow is always a 50/50 chance.  Choosing to follow Christ regardless of the path you’re on is always certain to lead you to Him.

Thought to live by:  I will choose today to follow Christ as I walk by faith.

“Who’s your daddy?  Knowing God as Abba Father” ™ is a devotional written by Pat Ferguson, Copyright © 2012

Only One God

Wouldn’t it be convenient if we could make God into what we needed Him to be for us?  Thus enters in the garden variety of religions.  Each one wants to proclaim they’ve found their God, however, God made it very clear to us from the beginning of time exactly who He was, is, and will always be.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega”

(Revelations 1:8 NIV)

God made no bones about it:  There has and will be only One True God.  He underscored who He was by showing His great love and compassion for a lost and dying world when He reached down from heaven with the best example of Himself through Christ.  God had a plan from the beginning of time to be everything we needed.  When anyone tries to conform God into what they need Him to be they lose touch with who He is.

Thought to live by:  There is only one true God.  Anything less than that is counterfeit.

“Who’s your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father” is a devotional written by Pat Ferguson © Copyright 2012, All rights reserved

The key to prosperity

The Boys Scouts were founded in the early 1900’s and remain one of the few organizations that still embrace an ageless “oath” that embodies the core values they still believe in and live by to this day: 

“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

In a day and age when boys are finding more ways to find more trouble, the Scouts offer their followers a way to stay focused on what they embrace as right.  The benefit of being a “Scout” is to know that you are not alone in what you believe and that you can find common ground with other “a-like” believers through the core values and standards set forth by the organization as a whole.  God’s word provides the same benefits for those who desire to keep it, as well. 

^“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8/NIV)

Uncomplicated and very straight forward, God’s word gives us a way that leads us to prosperity and success, protection and provision, honor and respect.  Following it places us not only in good company but protects us from uncertainty. 

Thought to live by:  Obedience to follow God’s word is the key to prosperity.

“Who’s your Daddy? Knowing God as Abba Father” ™ Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved

Double portion: Heeding the call upon your life

When the prophet Elijah began to make his journey to his final destination on earth, Elisha (his “prophet” in training and closest friend) relentlessly followed him to the very end.  Even though Elijah “released” Elisha from his responsibilities, Elisha dared not leave his friend and God’s prophet.  After having seen the incredible anointing God had placed upon Elijah, Elisha knew that one of two things would happen once Elijah was taken up into heaven:  The end or the beginning of his own ministry would occur.  Wanting so badly to “have” what Elijah had, Elisha asked for a “double portion” of God’s anointing.  However, it wasn’t Elijah’s to give – regardless of how much he wanted his friend to continue on in his shoes.  The only way Elisha would receive the anointing was through God – not man. 

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.¹³ Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

The empowerment of God’s anointing never comes through man but only through our faith in Him.  Elisha spent the greater part of his life relentlessly pursuing God through serving Elijah in his ministry.  So often, when we see the anointing on someone’s life we instantly want “what they’ve got”, don’t we?  Unless God ordains His will in our lives will not receive God’s will for our lives.  Notice how God (not Elijah) controlled whether or not Elisha would receive the anointing?  In the spiritual realm, only God could open Elisha’s eyes to see Elijah’s spirit ascending to heaven.  Even more amazing is how God allowed Elijah’s “garment” to fall away from him as he ascended, to be used once again in the ministry of God’s newly appointed prophet Elisha.

The beauty of this scripture comes through how we see God always remaining in control of our destiny and how He honors our hearts desire(s) when we seek Him.  The anointing we seek only comes through God, our daily discipline for seeking His will in our lives and our obedience to follow Christ.  To be “anointed” by God is to be made ready to serve God fully in the anointing.  Elisha faithfully “served” Elijah and was made ready through his obedience to God.

If you’ve been seeking God’s anointing, asking Him for a “double portion” remember the obedience of Elisha and how he relentlessly followed, obeyed and served God’s anointed leader, Elijah, before God entrusted him with the anointing.

Thought to live by:  Our obedience is a vessel for God’s anointing.

“Who’s your Daddy? Knowing God as Abba Father” Pat Ferguson, Author.  Copyright © 2012; All Rights Reserved.

Altar Moments

The popular catch phrase “Can you hear me now?” from a well known cell phone commercial grew quickly in popularity for one obvious reason:  If you’ve ever owned a cell phone you’ve experienced a dropped call.  We’ve all experienced that “moment” when the conversation we were a part of seem to drop in mid-air.  It’s not until we start waiting for the recipient on the other end of our conversation to respond to us when we realize they’ve not been “on the line” for quite some time.  Although we never fully know exactly when they stopped hearing us, we feel certain it was probably a longer time ago than we realize.

 “Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3 NIV)

God’s people have been building altars since the beginning of time.  Some were meant to sacrifice a burnt offering (something of value from us to God).  Others were built to demonstrate our willingness to submit ourselves to God (a “smoke” signal communicating our message to God expressing our desperate need to hear from Him).  Each holds a common thread; our humble act of obedience and willingness to submit our lives to God.  And each holds a promise; God’s willingness to listen and answer.

The beauty of an “altar moment” is simply this:  It can happen anywhere, at any time.  Our “call” will never be “dropped” and the listener (God) will always be available to receive the call.

Thought to live by:  An “altar moment” with God is a life changing encounter.

“Who’s your Daddy; knowing God as Abba Father” is a devotional written by Pat Ferguson, Copyright © 2012, All Rights Reserved