Larkin Delighting in the Names of God

8 Weeks to a Deeper Prayer Life
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-0-473-45139-4
Verlag: Rachel Larkin
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 140 Seiten

Do you desire a stronger connection with God?
Do you long for a more intimate relationship with Him?
Do you want to know how to delight in God?
'Delighting in the Names of God' will take you on an 8-week journey of reconnecting and delighting in Yahweh through studying 7 Hebrew names of God. It's a simple way of deepening your prayer life.
This study is perfect for individuals and small groups with discussion/meditative questions at the end of each Hebrew name of God.
Taking the 'Delighting in the Names of God' Journey, you will:
Uncover a God who wants to be discovered by you
Get past knowing about God and dig into knowing God at a deeper personal level
Develop a richness and freedom in your prayer life
Grow in faith automatically as you use what you discover
Increase your contentment level as your image of God is renewed
Know God in a fresh way that will lead to inner contentment
Discover Faith Building Scriptures that you can apply to your own life
Learn Rachel's Fear Busting Scriptures that will help you banish fear

Autoren/Hrsg.

Larkin, Rachel

Leseproben

There are many ways to deepen your prayer life which I explain in Simple Prayer: The Guide for Ordinary People Seeking the Extraordinary but the there is one surprising way that I stumbled upon more than a decade ago – delighting in the Names of God. In 2007, I decided to study the first seven Hebrew names of God. I discovered that I didn’t really know God at all even though I had been a born-again Christian for three decades at that time! I uncovered a God who wanted to be discovered by me. A God who was incredibly interested in the individual and in nations. A God who wants to reveal His nature and character to us through His Hebrew names. I learned more about God through studying His names than from any other Bible study that I had done. I began to know God personally, in the nitty-gritty of daily life. As each Hebrew name was revealed to me, I was able to believe in God’s true image - not a false or inaccurate image of God. There are many people who say they know about God but very few who really know God. There is an enormous difference. Anybody can know about God - even satan and his demons know about God. But knowing God is something deeper, more personal, and deeply life changing. It’s moving from acknowledging God’s existence (knowing about God) to surrendering your whole life for Him to invade and transform. When you begin to know God personally in your life you enter an abundance that is absolutely awesome. Abundance of Peace - because God is peace Abundance of Love - because God is love Abundance of Grace - because God gives grace abundantly Abundance of Provision - because God is our provider What is your image of God? Who is God to you? Many Christians have a major problem relating to God in a personal way. This is because of false images of God that people have built up over time. These false images filter everything. In some people’s minds, God seems to be this big “man upstairs” that is just waiting for us to fail in some way. Or a God that is so big and impersonal that there is no way that He would be interested in little old me. Maybe, you have an abusive father and it is stopping you from relating to God the Father. Many Christians feel that God is a God of judgement and they live their lives in a state of guilt and fear. Yes, Jesus is coming as King to judge the world but if you are a Christian, you have already accepted Jesus’ solution for your punishment. Jesus took your punishment! All your past, present and future sins have been atoned for, covered by Jesus’ shed blood. There is now NO condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. You have been sent free. How do you replace a distorted concept of God? The solution is to renew your mind. “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 ESV) To have the right, correct image of God we need our minds to be renewed. When our minds are renewed we will then be able to relate with God. How can you relate to someone when you don’t really know them? How do we get to know God? How do we renew our minds with the truth of who God really is? There is a way that God has provided for us - His Names. We can renew our minds and discover who God really is by His Hebrew names. Once my mind was renewed with the truth of who God is through studying these seven Hebrew names, I began to delight in Him through prayer. I gained a firmer grasp on exactly Who I was addressing my prayers to. A deep revelation of the character and personality of God bought a depth to my prayers that I had not experienced before. I now knew Who I was praying to. Significance of Names
THERE ARE A FEW QUESTIONS that need to be answered before we look closely at God’s names. I know you’re probably keen to skip ahead and discover God’s names, but this chapter is foundational to having a full revelation on who God really is. That’s the purpose of this book:  to gain a full revelation of God so that we can delight in Him and deepen our prayer life.  Who is He? What is He like?  Not just the idea of Him. What is He really like? How does He relate to people, just like me? What is significant about a person’s name in modern times? For most people, nothing much. These days the parents choose a name for their baby based on how nice the name sounds. They may also be encouraged by family to choose a traditional, family, or Christian name. My parents had a disagreement about the naming of my sister; Dad wanted Jeanette and Mum wanted Olive both after close family friends. After much discussion, they compromised and came up with Karen giving her two middle names: Karen Jeanette Olive! When naming our boys, we wanted to make sure that the meaning of their names was positive and would build their character up rather than pull them down. Shaun is the Irish form of Jonathon meaning gracious gift from God and he was, being our long-awaited first child. David suits his name down to the ground. He’s a tough boy, ready to fight for his honor but still has a soft heart, just like King David in the Bible. His name means beloved of God. Nathan is also a form of Jonathon and is a gift from God considering we weren’t planning on having a third child so close to baby number one and baby number two. I wouldn’t have it any other way. He is an absolute gift to our family. It is good to celebrate your children’s names and teach them what they mean. Going even deeper you can pray the meaning of your child’s name over them at bedtime prayers. Nowadays, in most families our names are only labels to distinguish one person from another. It’s the same with God’s name in our English Bible; you won’t find the many different Hebrew names that God revealed because they have all been translated as God, GOD, Lord, or LORD. They are basically labels of a supreme being. But the Hebrew names that God revealed to His people are so much more than just a label. His names are like miniature portraits and promises! What was significant about a person’s name in ancient times? In ancient times a person’s name identified them and stood for something specific. Names meant something. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,” (Proverbs 22:1a ESV) Modern versions of the Bible have translated “name” in this verse as “reputation.” Having a good name and reputation is worth more to a person than wealth! Names in ancient times were often thought to reveal the very nature of an individual. For example, read 1 Samuel 25 where David meets a man named Nabal. His wife, Abagail, describes Nabal in verse 25. “He is just like his name - his name is fool, and folly goes with him.” (1 Samuel 25:25 NIV) From The Message, “He acts out the meaning of his name: Nabal, Fool. Foolishness oozes out of him.” He WAS foolish! Nabal wasn’t going to share any food with David and his army even though David had protected Nabal’s estate, his flocks, and servants. Foolish! Foolish! The word “name” in the Old Testament (or Hebrew scriptures) is “shem”. It means a mark or memorial of individuality. In the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible (Jeff A. Benner), it states that the name of an individual is more than an identifier but descriptive of his character. It was a sign of AUTHORITY and POWER to name a person. I found it extremely fascinating that people didn’t give God his names. God named himself and then revealed them to his people. He has over-all power, over-all authority which is shown in the fact that He named Himself. God also changed people’s names. In Genesis 17, we read how God remembered his covenant promise by giving Abram a new name. Abram means high, exalted father. Abraham means father of a multitude. Every time a person called him by his new name, Abraham would remember God’s promise. Isn’t God good? He didn’t leave Sari out either. He changed her name to “Sarah.” Sarah means princess and mother of nations. God did this to help people to remember His promises. Every time Sari heard her new name, her confidence and faith grew. By calling her Sarah, they were labelling her as beautiful and valuable like a king’s daughter. After a while she began to see herself as God saw her. Our names will be changed as well! “I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17b ESV) God revealed His names for his people to help them through a moment of need. As I began to delight in God’s names I discovered that every time God revealed one of His names, it was in response to a crisis or a time when someone needed help. God is so caring and involved in our lives that He left a record of these times. When, where and how he revealed each name is written in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament. Why should we study and delight in God’s names? God’s names give us a deeper revelation of who God is and how He wants and desires to relate to us. When we study and delight in God, we see His multifaceted beauty revealed through His...