Every man has had authority figures in his life, and much of what a man perceives about God and projects onto God was shaped by those authority figures. At the top of every man’s authority list is his earthly father.
How your dad handled your heart has shaped you and contributed significantly to how you perceive God.
The odds of an unsettled heart falling then arriving at a disoriented man’s view of God and life is 100%. You can have all the theology right and still have the Father wrong. Like memorizing facts for a history exam, you can pass the test but still not love the characters, enjoy the story, or engage in the drama.
It is the difference between the head versus the heart. Starting from varying degrees of inaccuracy, men must journey individually with God to discover both who they are and who they aren’t—and just as importantly, a man must discover both who the Father is and who he isn’t.
A man has to know (experientially) his value and worth ... why God loves him so, and how He is personally speaking to him, revealing, entrusting, and giving His love. Trusting God the Father and experiencing what He is like is essential to our healing. Jesus is key to the rebuilding of that trust and is committed to seeing it done.
Many men don’t trust the Father because they have subscribed in their childhood to the lies about Him. Jesus is what the Father is like. Critical to us getting right is getting the Father right.
How has your story and relationship with your earthly dad shaped how you see God? Write out three beliefs or agreements that you believe about God as a Father based on those agreements. Take them to God, ask Him to come, heal, and show you what is true.
An excerpt from The Heart of a Warrior. Learn more here.
