I can’t understand God by feelings. I understand God by what the Word says about Him.

Get Acquainted With Your Heavenly Father
by Kenneth E. Hagin

Spiritually speaking, there are only two families on the earth: the family of God and the family of Satan. Every person, regardless of heritage or background, belongs to one of those two families.

Which family do you belong to? Who is your father—God or Satan?

The only way you can be delivered out of the family of Satan is to be born into the family of God (John 3:3; Col. 1:13). You must receive Jesus as your Savior and be born again in order to belong to the family of God and call God your Heavenly Father. Once you are born again, you begin to grow spiritually as you get to know your Heavenly Father.

God Is Everything to You

The number one way you become better acquainted with God the Father is through His Word. Smith Wigglesworth once said, “I can’t understand God by feelings. I understand God by what the Word says about Him. He is everything the Word says He is.”

You see, many people want to get acquainted with the Father through experiences. And it’s true, you can learn some things about God the Father through different experiences in life. But the number one way to get to know the Father is through His Word.

In the Word we find out about the Father’s nature and how much He loves and cares for us. Jesus revealed God as a loving Father who cares for our every need. In Matthew 6:8,26, it says, Be not ye therefore like unto them, the Gentiles, for YOUR FATHER knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER feeds them. Are ye not much better than they?

Notice the utter tenderness in this picture of the Father caring for His children. Our Heavenly Father knows our needs, and He desires to meet them before we even ask Him for help!

God Is Love, and He’s Your Father

Many Christians have a difficult time comprehending God as a Father who loves and cares for them. Often Christians have been religiously taught to fear and to shrink from a God of justice. They have the idea that God is like a judge who sits up in Heaven and looks for a chance to punish people the moment they make a mistake.

But, no, God is love! Thank God for the Father’s love which Jesus came to reveal to us. So have no worry or anxiety. Do not fret. You can be sure of this one fact: As you trust God with your life, He will take a Father’s place and perform a Father’s part in your life. He is your Father, and He loves you and cares for you with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3).

Think about natural parents. Most parents want the best for their children and know how to give their children good things. Well, the Bible asks the question, “If natural parents know how to give good things to their children, how much more does our Heavenly Father know how to give good gifts to His children?”

What are the good things the Father wants to give to His children? If you have a need, it is a good thing to have your need met. For instance, if you were hurting, it would be a good thing to be healed. Healing is a good thing, and your Heavenly Father delights to give you the good gift of healing, as well as anything else you might need.

Get a hold of this fact: God the Father doesn’t love Jesus any more than He loves you. Walking in the light of that one truth will make all the difference in the world in how you live your life. For instance, since the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus, then you never have to be afraid of life’s problems.

Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” What can man do to a child of God whom the Father loves and protects? The Father was for His Son, Jesus, as He walked upon the earth, and He is for you too.

Some people start feeling sorry for themselves if a few friends forsake them. They have a pity party and think, “No one loves me.” But that’s just not true. People who think this way need to get acquainted with the Father through the Word. Their Heavenly Father loves them, and He promised never to leave or forsake them! (Deut. 31:6,8; Heb. 13:5).

When you get acquainted with the Father through His Word and begin to walk in the light of what you learn about Him, you won’t need to have pity parties anymore. Your “blue days” will be over because you’ll know that you are not alone.

The Father is always with you just as He was always with Jesus. Therefore, you can always feel safe and secure in His love.

A Father Who Is Near

My natural father left my mother and us kids when I was only six years old. But I can remember one incident with him which illustrates that feeling of safety a child has in knowing his daddy is near.

One day when I was only a little fellow, my father and I walked uptown together. While we were walking in the midst of a crowd of people, we somehow became separated. I remember how scared I was. I frantically looked around for my daddy. When I finally saw him, I ran as hard as I could to him and grabbed a hold of his finger. Once I had a tight hold on his finger, everything was fine again; I wasn’t afraid anymore. I knew no harm would come to me, because my daddy was there with me.

How much more should that be true with your Heavenly Father? Because your Heavenly Father promised never to leave or forsake you, you are not alone. If you’re feeling afraid or overwhelmed by life’s tests and trials, just get a hold of the finger of God and walk on!

How do you get rid of worry, doubt, and fear? Cast all of your care upon the Father. Abandon yourself to His love and care. Having done that, make sure you leave your burden with the Lord. When you have given your cares to the Father once and for all, don’t pick them up again.

God tells us something similar in the Book of Philippians: “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything” (Phil. 4:6 AMP). God is not an unjust Father. He loves us and wouldn’t ask us to do something we couldn’t do. You will only experience victory by refusing to worry and fret about your problems and cares. Instead, take those cares to the Lord in prayer and thank Him for the answer.

A True and Lasting Love

Your Father loves you. He is interested in you. If you will make your requests known to Him and wait in His Presence, He will help you understand what to do and give you the answers to your problems.

As you come to know and experience for yourself the depth of the Father’s love for you, doubts and fears that have plagued you in the past will be dispelled. As the Father loved Jesus, so He loves you. And because of the Father’s great love for you, you are never alone!