Father's House Blog

         In my last blog I wrote about the three stages in the journey of true freedom – IN (the ‘Me’ phase), UP (the ‘Him’ phase), and OUT (the ‘Them’ phase).

         Let’s just dwell on the second stage again for a moment – the UP phase, where we learn to worship God by entering into his intimate embrace and calling him Abba, Father or ‘Daddy’.

          When a person has had their heart seized by the power of the Father’s affection, it causes them to want to worship. Having had their father wounds healed, they now find it the most natural thing in the world to look up into the eyes of Abba Father and worship him.
One of the exciting things for those who enter into this UP stage of worship is that there are now more and more Christian song writers who are writing love songs to Abba, Father.

Take Michael W Smith as an example. His life for many years was one of striving and performing. Then one day he had a revelation of Abba, Father’s unconditional love and it ruined him forever. It turned him into a radical lover of God the Father and set him free from the slavery mindset that he had been operating with all his Christian life. Here is an abbreviated version of his testimony

         ‘I had a good home life. My mum and dad are my biggest fans. But somewhere along the lines I found out that my life started to be based on performance, and that was quite depressing in many ways. For some reason I believed the lie that if you did all the right things then maybe God would love you more.

          Then, a little over twenty years ago, I was shaving and looking in the mirror, and my knees buckled. I had to grab the sink to keep from falling down because I had a massive revelation. God said to me, ‘Michael, you know I love you. But you know what? I don’t just love you, I actually really like you. And not only do I like you, I’m extremely fond of you’. At that very moment I began to understand the Father heart of God - that he just wanted to be my Papa. And for the first time I believed – and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt - that he had my name written on the palm of his hands. For the first time I knew that his mercies are new every day. For the first time I believed without a shadow of a doubt that he came to give me a future and a hope. And it just changed my life, because all of a sudden, my life wasn’t based on performance. My identity crisis was solved. I knew I was a son of the High King of the universe.

          My life has really never been the same since because my security and my identity are not wrapped in a piano or in selling records. They’re not wrapped up in my job, my home, in my car.

          That’s the message and it’s really never changed. And that’s my prayer for you that you would come to know the Father heart of God. Ever since that moment and that revelation I‘ve been writing love songs for Papa’.

           Michael W Smith is a man who has really got the message of the Father’s love. Check out his album called A New Hallelujah. Go to the track called ‘Deep in Love with You’. Here are some of the words:

Sitting at Your feet is where I want to be
I'm home when I am here with You
Ruined by Your grace, enamoured by Your gaze
I can't resist the tenderness in You

I'm deep in love with You, Abba Father
I'm deep in love with You, Lord
My heart, it beats for You, precious Jesus
I'm deep in love with You Lord.

          If you’re entering the UP stage right now, these are the kinds of songs that will help you to fall deeper in love with Dad. Check out the video of Michael W Smith singing this song in a recent concert on You Tube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fC3IRQ8iyw. It is truly inspiring and – particularly at the end - deeply moving

          The Bible says this in Romans 8.15-16:

You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

          May the Holy Spirit enable you to approach your Heavenly Father and declare from the heart that he is your Abba, Father. May you be able to say to the lover of your soul, ‘I’m deep in love with you’. May he take you UP – higher than you’ve ever been before, on eagles’ wings.