- God is...
Being a Christian doesn’t make us immune to the problems of life but it does give us a means to cope with issues which gives us hope. Being a believer (referred to in the scriptures as “being in Christ”) puts us in a different standing with God that non-believers don’t have. Knowing where we stand with God creates a completely different paradigm (world view) of how we view life and the issues that go along with it.
Some people have a belief that God is so incomprehensible that there is no way we can comprehend Him in any way, shape or form. He is out there doing His thing and has nothing to do with us. He has moved on to bigger and greater things. Some “faiths” actually believe this. What a depressing point of view!
The reality is that God has given us the bible which contains scriptures that tell us about some characteristics of God. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the truths within these scriptures which gives us some level of understanding, but we will never understand the true depths of these attributes in their full totality.
At a study group I attended we were given a homework assignment of coming up with a list, from A to Z, of attributes that describes God. The next week we worked our way through the alphabet listing the attributes we came up with. There may have been little one liner comments here and there but there was no preaching. At the end of the study everybody was so blessed by what the Holy Spirit was revealing to each person there. We left feeling the peace of God that passes understanding, no matter what our situations were.
I divide these attributes into three categories, which sometimes has a fine line between one and the other. They are summed up in how they relate to us; directly or indirectly. I will simply refer to them as “who God is,“ “who God is to us,” and one area we often forget “who we are to God.” I think when you look at these lists you will quickly understand the differences.
I highly recommend that when you pray, that you randomly pick one or two characteristics from each category and incorporate them into your prayers and meditation. Ask the Holy Spirit to make these so real in your understanding and life that they change both your walk and prospective of God.
Who God Is…
(contemplate of the implications)| Omnipotent | Having unlimited power, all powerful. (
Ps 115:3But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases. (NKJV)
Ps 115:3
,
Ps 89:8O Lord God of hosts,Who is mighty like You, O Lord?Your faithfulness also surrounds You. (NKJV)
Ps 89:8
,
Isa 40:28Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable. (NKJV)
Isa 40:28
) |
| Omniscient | Having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. (
Isa 40:14With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,And taught Him in the path of justice?Who taught Him knowledge,And showed Him the way of understanding? (NKJV)
Isa 40:14
,
Isa 40:28Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable. (NKJV)
Isa 40:28
) |
| Omnipresent | Present everywhere at the same time. (
Jer 23:23“Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord,“And not a God afar off?24Can anyone hide himself in secret places,So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord. (NKJV)
Jer 23:23,24
) |
| Love | A profoundly tender, passionate affection for mankind; His creation. (
1 John 4:8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (NKJV)
1 John 4:8
,
1 John 4:16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (NKJV)
1 John 4:16
) |
| Creator | The one who made all things. (
Gen 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NKJV)
Gen 1:1
,
Isa 40:28Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable. (NKJV)
Isa 40:28
) |
| Righteous | Moral purity. (
John 17:25O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. (NKJV)
John 17:25
,
Eph 4:24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (NKJV)
Eph 4:24
) |
| Unchanging | No matter the circumstance or what we do, He is always the same; therefore He is dependable/faithful. (
Mal 3:6“For I am the Lord, I do not change;Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. (NKJV)
Mal 3:6
,
Jam 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (NKJV)
Jam 1:17
) |
| Gracious | Giving unmerited love to His creation. (
Ex 34:6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (NKJV)
Ex 34:6
,
Ps 145:8The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,Slow to anger and great in mercy. (NKJV)
Ps 145:8
) |
| Patient | Slow to anger. (
Ex 34:6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (NKJV)
Ex 34:6
) |
| Faithful | Will do what He said He will do. (
Ex 34:6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (NKJV)
Ex 34:6
,
1 Cor 1:9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NKJV)
1 Cor 1:9
,
1 Cor 10:15I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. (NKJV)
1 Cor 10:15
) |
| Peace | A serenity in any situation, good or bad. (
1 Cor 14:33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (NKJV)
1 Cor 14:33
) |
| Everlasting | Without end, lasting forever. (
Isa 40:28Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable. (NKJV)
Isa 40:28
) |
| Merciful | A willingness to forgive an offender. (
Neh 9:31Nevertheless in Your great mercyYou did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;For You are God, gracious and merciful. (NKJV)
Neh 9:31
) |
| Holy | A quality of perfection, sinlessness, and inability to sin. (
Eph 4:24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (NKJV)
Eph 4:24
) |
| Wise | Having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right. (
Isa 40:28Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable. (NKJV)
Isa 40:28
) |
| Supreme | Having authority above all others (
Ps 115:3But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases. (NKJV)
Ps 115:3
,
Ps 47:2For the Lord Most High is awesome;He is a great King over all the earth. (NKJV)
Ps 47:2
) |
| Sovereign | The right to do as He wishes. (
Ps 50:1The Mighty One, God the Lord,Has spoken and called the earthFrom the rising of the sun to its going down. (NKJV)
Ps 50:1
,
Isa 40:15Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,And are counted as the small dust on the scales;Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. (NKJV)
Isa 40:15
,
1 Tim 6:15which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (NKJV)
1 Tim 6:15
,
Ps 115:3But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases. (NKJV)
Ps 115:3
) |
| Good | Morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious (
Ps 119:68You are good, and do good;Teach me Your statutes. (NKJV)
Ps 119:68
,
Ps 34:8Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (NKJV)
Ps 34:8
) |
| Jealous | His fervent desires that His due status and honor be preserved, that the worship that belongs to Him should be given to Him. (
Deut 4:24For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (NKJV)
Deut 4:24
,
Ex 20:3“You shall have no other gods before Me.4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, (NKJV)
Ex 20:3-5
) |
| Spirit | Being spirit He is not tied to one place, (
John 4:24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NKJV)
John 4:24
) |
| Impartial | He holds everybody to the same standard. (
Acts 10:34Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (NKJV)
Acts 10:34
) |
| King of Kings | Supreme ruler; second to none. (
Ps 82:8
Arise, O God, judge the earth;For You shall inherit all nations. (NKJV)
Ps 82:8
) |
| Light | He illuminates all things, whether they are openly visible or hidden. (
1 John 1:5This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (NKJV)
1 John 1:5
,
Jam 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (NKJV)
James 1:17
) |
Who God Is To Us…
(Think of what this means to you, personally)| Salvation | Deliverance from sin and its consequences. (
Ps 62:1Truly my soul silently waits for God;From Him comes my salvation. (NKJV)
Ps 62:1
,
Isa 12:2Behold, God is my salvation,I will trust and not be afraid;‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;He also has become my salvation.’” (NKJV)
Isa 12:2
) |
| With us | Always present; ref Omnipresent in Who God Is...(
Deut 31:6Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJV)
Deut 31:6
) |
| Great Counselor | The source of knowledge and wisdom in the time of our need. (
Ps 32:8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will guide you with My eye. (NKJV)
Ps 32:8
,
Eccl 2:26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. (NKJV)
Eccl 2:26
) |
| Comforter | The source of comfort that is beyond what this world could ever provide. (
2 Cor 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (NKJV)
2 Cor 1:3,4
) |
| Healer | Both physically and spiritually. (
Ps 103:3Who forgives all your iniquities,Who heals all your diseases, (NKJV)
Ps 103:3
) |
| Provider | Like ‘Healer’ above, God provides both our physical and spiritual needs. (
Philip 4:19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
Philip 4:19
) |
| Compassionate | Merciful, willing to forgive us, takes pity on us. (
Ex 34:6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (NKJV)
Ex 34:6
) |
| Advocate | An intercessor, consoler. (
Job 16:19Surely even now my witness is in heaven,And my evidence is on high. (NKJV)
Job 16:19
) |
| Hope | The expectation that God will fulfill what He promised. (
Jer 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)
Jer 29:11
,
Rom 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)
Rom 8:28
) |
| Helper | God will assist us. (
Ps 121:2My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth. (NKJV)
Ps 121:2
,
Ps 54:4
Behold, God is my helper;The Lord is with those who uphold my life. (NKJV)
Ps 54:4
,
Isa 41:10Fear not, for I am with you;Be not dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you,Yes, I will help you,I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (NKJV)
Isa 41:10
) |
| Source of perseverance and encouragement | (
Rom 15:5Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
Rom 15:5
) |
| Guide/counsel | (
Ps 73:24You will guide me with Your counsel,And afterward receive me to glory. (NKJV)
Ps 73:24
,
Ps 48:14For this is God,Our God forever and ever;He will be our guideEven to death. (NKJV)
Ps 48:14
) |
| Joy | (
Eccl 2:26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. (NKJV)
Eccl 2:26
) |
| Peace | (
Isa 26:12Lord, You will establish peace for us,For You have also done all our works in us. (NKJV)
Isa 26:12
) |
| Faithful | (
1 Cor 1:9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NKJV)
1 Cor 1:9
,
Ps 89:8O Lord God of hosts,Who is mighty like You, O Lord?Your faithfulness also surrounds You. (NKJV)
Ps 89:8
) |
| Protector | (
Ps 97:10You who love the Lord, hate evil!He preserves the souls of His saints;He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. (NKJV)
Ps 97:10
,
Zech 2:8For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. 9For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. (NKJV)
Zech 2:8,9
) |
| Patient | (
2 Pet 3:9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (NKJV)
2 Pet 3:9
) |
| Refuge | (
Ps 94:22But the Lord has been my defense,And my God the rock of my refuge. (NKJV)
Ps 94:22
,
Prov 30:5Every word of God is pure;He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (NKJV)
Prov 30:5
) |
| Strength | (
Ps 54:4Behold, God is my helper;The Lord is with those who uphold my life. (NKJV)
Ps 54:4
,
Isa 41:10Fear not, for I am with you;Be not dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you,Yes, I will help you,I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (NKJV)
Isa 41:10
) |
| Merciful | (
Deut 4:31(for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. (NKJV)
Deut 4:31
) |
| Shepherd | God is the one who protects, guides, and watches over us. (
Ps 23:1The Lord is my shepherd;I shall not want.2He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.3He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousnessFor His name’s sake. (NKJV)
Ps 23:1-3
,
Isa 40:11He will feed His flock like a shepherd;He will gather the lambs with His arm,And carry them in His bosom,And gently lead those who are with young. (NKJV)
Isa 40:11
) |
Who We Are To God…
(the devil continuously lies to us about who we are!!!)| Known before we were born | (
Jer 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;Before you were born I sanctified you;I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (NKJV)
Jer 1:5
,
Ps 139:13For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother’s womb...15My frame was not hidden from You,When I was made in secret,And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.16Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.And in Your book they all were written,The days fashioned for me,When as yet there were none of them. (NKJV)
Ps 139:13... 15,16
) |
| Forgiven | Having all accusations dismissed (
Ps 103:12As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV)
Ps 103:12
,
Heb 10:17then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (NKJV)
Heb 10:17
,
2 Cor 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)
2 Cor 5:17
,
Isa 43:25“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;And I will not remember your sins. (NKJV)
Isa 43:25
,
Isa 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord,“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool. (NKJV)
Isa 1:18
) |
| Royal Priesthood | (
1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NKJV)
1 Pet 2:9
) |
| Chosen | (
Deut 7:7The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; (NKJV)
Deut 7:7
,
1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NKJV)
1 Pet 2:9
) |
| Loved | (
Rom 5:8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)
Rom 5:8
,
John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)
John 3:16
) |
| Not Ashamed | (
Heb 11:16But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (NKJV)
Heb 11:16
) |
| Cared For | (
1 Pet 5:7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)
1 Pet 5:7
,
Zech 10:3“My anger is kindled against the shepherds,And I will punish the goatherds.For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock,The house of Judah,And will make them as His royal horse in the battle. (NKJV)
Zech 10:3
) |
| Delight | (
Ps 147:11The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,In those who hope in His mercy. (NKJV)
Ps 147:11
,
Zeph 3:17The Lord your God in your midst,The Mighty One, will save;He will rejoice over you with gladness,He will quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NKJV)
Zeph 3:17
,
Ps 37:23The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,And He delights in his way. (NKJV)
Ps 37:23
,
Ps 18:19He also brought me out into a broad place;He delivered me because He delighted in me. (NKJV)
Ps 18:19
,
Ps 149:4For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;He will beautify the humble with salvation. (NKJV)
Ps 149:4
) |
| Object of desire | (
Song 7:10I am my beloved’s,And his desire is toward me. (NKJV)
Song 7:10
) |
| His | (
Song 6:3I am my beloved’s,And my beloved is mine.He feeds his flock among the lilies. (NKJV)
Song 6:3
) |
| Thought about | (
Ps 139:17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!How great is the sum of them! (NKJV)
Ps 139:17
,
Ps 73:23Nevertheless I am continually with You;You hold me by my right hand. (NKJV)
Ps 73:23
) |
| Your Loving Devotion | (
Isa 49:15“Can a woman forget her nursing child,And not have compassion on the son of her womb?Surely they may forget,Yet I will not forget you.16See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;Your walls are continually before Me. (NKJV)
Isa 49:15,16
,
Ps 139:17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!How great is the sum of them!18If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;When I awake, I am still with You. (NKJV)
Ps 139:17,18
,
Luke 12:6“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (NKJV)
Luke 12:6,7
) |
| A child of God | (
John 1:12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (NKJV)
John 1:12
) |
| Cherished | (
Rom 5:8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)
Rom 5:8
,
Zech 2:8For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. 9For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. (NKJV)
Zech 2:8,9
) |
| A temple of the Holy Spirit | (
1 Cor 6:19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (NKJV)
1 Cor 6:19
) |