Welcome to the series Faithful Father – Restoring Hearts of Children to the Father! I am excited that God has led you to be one of our readers. This series is designed for fathers, mothers, children, and all those interested in understanding the characteristics of God, the Father. By making use of the ancient Hebrew word pictures, Greek texts, and a splash of modern application, Faithful Father will explore the following topics:
Defining the role of the heavenly Father
- Satan’s attempts to steal the role of the Father
- The role of an earthly father
- Detailing the father/child relationship
- The importance of restoring father/child relationships
- The dynamics of viewing the heavenly Father through earthly fathers
- The cost of living in a “fatherless world”
- Outlining the traits of a “great” father
- The promise of God being a Father to the fatherless
- Detailing how to love mothers, wives, and daughters with the unconditional love of God
- Understanding the importance of authority
- And much more
Each lesson will contain a practical tool from the Scriptures to assist you in summarizing the lesson of the day. Sometimes these tools will be Scriptures and other times they will be practical suggestions to apply the principle of the day. These tools are designed to make your journey through this series practical and multipliable. It is my desire that you utilize these tools from the Father’s toolbox to assist you in finding deliverance and hope.
Learning Activities
Throughout the series, you will be encouraged to apply what you have learned in a “real-time” setting. An example of this would be for you to call an individual to seek their forgiveness for an offense you have committed against him or have a “sit down” with an individual to gain more insight as to how they view you as a friend or family member. These learning activities are what many call the “rubber meeting the road”. There is nothing more powerful and practical than living out what you are learning. Therefore, I encourage you not to omit these activities. They will have a significant impact on your ability to retain and apply what you are learning.
Writing Out the Scriptures
A style of learning I have come to love and respect is writing down what I am reading. Statistics prove that we retain over 80% more of what we are learning if we write out what we hear or think. This is why I am so supportive of the practice of rewriting Scriptures or journaling our thoughts. By following this technique, you will find it easier to remember Scriptures and where they are found, as well as obtaining a greater ability to share verses with others. There will be times that you will be encouraged to personalize the verses. Allow me to share an example with you:
Actual Verse:
“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children so that I will not come smite the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:6).
Personalized Verse:
“God will restore the heart of Stephen to his children, and the hearts of his children back to Stephen, so He (God) will not come and smite Stephen’s land with a curse.”
Not only is this one of the primary techniques I use in discipling others, but I use this style of learning in my own daily walk with God. Out of all the ideas God has given me through the years, this is my favorite because it has brought the most freedom in my relationship with the Abba Father.
Hebrew Word Pictures
I am a lover of God’s original language, Hebrew word pictures. You will not need to understand Hebrew in order to understand what I will be communicating using this language. When Hebrew was first written, each letter represented both a sound and a picture.
So what is a word picture? Languages like Chinese, Egyptian, and Hebrew, are formed by adding pictures together to draw the meaning of the word. It is simply a word that is described by making use of a series of pictures placed in a specific order.
To most Christians, the Hebrew language (and many times the Old Testament), may seem “old fashioned” or even outdated. Jesus Himself used and quoted from the Hebrew. In Matthew 5:18, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled (KJV, italics added). The pictorial Hebrew is basically made up of jots and tittles. The jot refers to the smallest of the Hebrew letters, the letter Yood. The tittle is the smallest element of a Hebrew letter, which often distinguishes one letter from another. In my experience, a Christian who does not understand his/her Jewish (Hebrew) roots and heritage will miss much of the legacy of the Father.
Challenge from the Father
You will find questions at the end of each daily lesson. I encourage you to respond to these questions and write the question and answer in a notebook. The heavenly Father wants you to hear Him, know what you heard Him saying, and what you plan to do with His Words. This exercise will help and assist you in applying “works” to your faith. The Word tells us “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
Covenant Prayers
Covenant Prayers
Throughout the series, you will find prayers written out for you. It is vital that you pray these prayers aloud. Praying aloud will accomplish two things: (1) put the enemy in his place and (2) help you stay focused in gaining confidence in your prayers. These prayers will either “set the stage” for your series or assist you in bringing deliverance in areas of personal struggle that apply to the lesson. In my experience as a discipler, most Christians are clueless about how to appeal to God or even ask for deliverance. This certainly is one of the enemy’s techniques for stopping a believer from being set free.
Moving Forward
Please know that our team is committed to praying for you and assisting you in any way we can to make this study a spiritually rewarding experience. We have asked God to fill your study time with the power of His Holy Spirit and the knowledge of His Word. Now commit yourself to God as you go through this series. Pray before you start each lesson. I consider it a privilege to walk with you through the Faithful Father series. I hope you will be blessed in using it as much as I was in writing it. Let’s move forward and discover the heart of the heavenly Father in commissioning us to restore our hearts unto Him.
Please feel free to contact me personally at any time: sphinney@iomamerica.org
All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, public domain.
Next: Definitions of the Heavenly Father
Moving Forward
Please know that our team is committed to praying for you and assisting you in any way we can to make this study a spiritually rewarding experience. We have asked God to fill your study time with the power of His Holy Spirit and the knowledge of His Word. Now commit yourself to God as you go through this series. Pray before you start each lesson. I consider it a privilege to walk with you through the Faithful Father series. I hope you will be blessed in using it as much as I was in writing it. Let’s move forward and discover the heart of the heavenly Father in commissioning us to restore our hearts unto Him.
Please feel free to contact me personally at any time: sphinney@iomamerica.org
All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, public domain.
Next: Definitions of the Heavenly Father
