abba's heart

Abbas Heart

Finding Our Way Back to the Fathers Delight

N E A L L O Z A N O w i t h M AT T H E W L O Z A N O

G(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)

Lozano_AbbasHeart_NS_djm.indd 5 6/2/15 7:18 AM

Neal Lozano with Matthew Lozano, Abba's HeartChosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2015. Used by permission.

2015 by Neal Lozano

Published by Chosen Books11400 Hampshire Avenue SouthBloomington, Minnesota 55438www.chosenbooks.com

Chosen Books is a division ofBaker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataLozano, Neal.Abbas heart : nding our way back to the fathers delight / Neal Lozano with

Matthew Lozano ; foreword by John Eldredge. pages cmIncludes bibliographical references.ISBN 978-0-8007-9684-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)1. God (Christianity)Love. 2. Spiritual lifeChristianity. I. Title.BT140.L69 2015231.1dc23 2015009422

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations identied esv are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permis-sion. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations identied nabre are from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations identied nasb are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations identied rsv are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, names of individuals and some details in the stories have been changed.

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(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)



Today the threat is against the very core of the

Christian faith[which] is the revelation of God

the Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

as St. Paul calls Him, and therefore of the Trinity

Itself. If Providence is today making again aware

of the mystery of Gods su+ering, this is not just

by chance but because the Holy Spirit knows that

this is a necessary remedy to cure the sick mind

of modern man, who has found, in su+ering, the

stumbling block that keeps him far from God.

Raniero Cantalamessa




To Fr. Michael Scanlan, for starting me out on

my journey back to the Father.N.L.

To Ray Liptrap, whose warmth, wit and wisdom

showed me the Fathers heart.M.L.




9Contents

Foreword by John Eldredge 11

Foreword by Fr. John Horn 13

Preface 17

Introduction: Discovering the Father 19

Section 1: The Way Home

1. The Promise 25

2. A Broken Heart 32

3. The Tragedy of Slavery 40

4. Adoption: From Slaves to Sons 51

5. Freedom in the Son 58

Section 2: The Fathers Heart

6. The Fathers Heart 71

7. A Father Who Loves to Say Yes 84

Section 3: Coming Home

8. Dreaming of Home 99

9. Coming Home 110




10

Contents

Section 4: Life in the Fathers House

10. A New Foundation 123

11. The Fathers Table: Sitting at Jesus Feet 135

12. Standing in Authority 148

13. Empowered to Serve 160

14. Walking in Forgiveness 169

15. Overcoming the Counterfeit Father 183

16. The Father Seeks Worshipers 197

17. Conclusion 208

Appendix: Unbound: Five Keys to Greater

Freedom in Christ 215

Notes 219




11

Foreword

This is a beautiful and hope-lled book. A very impor-

tant book.

I tell you the truthI began to experience the Holy

Spirit using it in my own heart as I read the manuscript on

a recent ight. Right there, on an airplane, in the midst of a

very hectic week, I suddenly found myself drawn into a sort of

sanctuary of truth. The Spirit was so present in these pages,

ever so gently drawing me back to my Fathers heart in the mo-

ment. Like a drowning man coming up for air, I found myself

coming to realize Gods love for me, and just what it means to

be His son. Neal is rightcoming home to the Fathers heart

is our deepest and most desperate need.

Like many of you, I have mixed feelings about father. The

word does not always evoke warm feelings for me. My father was

an alcoholic, a good man but a very broken man who wounded

me deeply. And though for many years I found in Jesus the

refuge of my soul, I did not want much to do with His Father.

Like many before me, I had projected my own father experience

onto Father God, and my heart was hesitant to draw near. But

the ache for Father was always there. Sometimes it came out in




12

Foreword

anger and frustration; other times it came in loneliness. Often

the ache arose in times of pressing needfor help or direction,

for provision or simply for comfort. I needed a Father. I was

tired of living without one.

My journey homeward has not always been smooth and clear.

Those wounds toward fatherhood needed healing. I needed to

know how He truly felt about me. I needed to know He was as

good as Jesus says He is. Lies had crept in that also needed break-

ing. This is precisely the homeward journey Neal so beautifully

lays out for us in this book. As you read his words, you will

soon discover that this is a man who knows what he is talking

aboutboth the fatherlessness, and the joy of returning to our

Fathers loving embrace. He knows the path home, and he can

guide us along the way.

This book bore witness to my own journey, and is spurring

me on with greater joy and deeper experience of our Fathers

love. My prayer is that it will do the same for you.

John Eldredge, president, Ransomed Heart; bestselling author




13

Foreword

The life-giving truth and beauty of the Fathers love for

each of us is unveiled by Neal Lozano in Abbas Heart.

Neal makes tasting and seeing Abbas tender love easily

accessible. Through narrative, contemplative reections and

personal prayers, the reader is invited to receive anew the great-

est of all gifts: Each of us is beckoned to receive the a+ectionate

and tender embrace of Abba.

Pope Francis frequently speaks about the Fathers tenderness

and His desire to caress us in merciful love. In his apostolic ex-

hortation The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes about

our missionary labors:

Sometimes it seems that our work is fruitless, but mission is not

like a business transaction or investment, or even a humanitar-

ian activity. It is not a show when we count how many people

come as a result of publicity; it is something much deeper, which

escapes all measurement. It may be that the Lord uses our sac-

rices to shower blessings in another part of the world which

we will never visit. The Holy Spirit works as he wills, when he

wills and where he wills; we entrust ourselves without pretending




14

Foreword

to see striking results. We know only that our commitment is

necessary. Let us learn to rest in the tenderness of the arms of

the Father amid our creative and generous commitment. Let

us keep marching forward; let us give him everything, allowing

him to make our e+orts bear fruit in his good time.

Evangelii Gaudium, No. 279

Abbas Heart carries us into new depths of receptivity in faith.

Through this work I can indeed savor interpenetrating intimacy

and regenerating glory within Abbas inestimable desires to

bless me in His mercy. If I listenin the rst personto the

Holy Spirit speaking about the reality of the Fathers heart in

Zephaniah 3:1418 (rsv), I begin to receive some of the fullness

of the love in Abbas heart for me:

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and

exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord

has taken away the judgments against you, he has cast out your

enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you

shall fear evil no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord

your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will

rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he

will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.

Readers of this book learn to ask what song the Fathers

Spirit is singing over each of us. I am called to repent of unbe-

lief if I do not believe the truth that the Father is singing in joy

because of me! Abbas Heart serves us as each chapter unveils

more particularity in relationship with Abbas love. This rela-

tionship is the Kingdom of God.

If I will surrender each day to receiving my spiritual inheri-

tance in and with Jesus, all will be well. He reveals the Fathers

desire to strengthen and console me. This is especially true in

any su+ering that I am being permitted to endure. The artful




Foreword

15

prayers that are supplied with each chapter are keys that open

the heart to receive more of the gift of all gifts, Abbas a+ec-

tionate embrace. As I prayed through these prayers I was very

mindful that Mary was the rst to respond in intimacy to the

Father as she received Jesus into her womb. Her yes echoes

down through history in our yes to the Father.

I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ bless you now with an

increase of faith, and that you will permit yourself to receive

new revelation about the Fathers a+ectionate care.

Fr. John Horn, SJ, co-founder, The Institute for Priestly

Formation, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska




17

Preface

This book has been in my heart ever since I discovered

that I could write something worth reading. My bestsell-

ing book Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance

highlights ve keys to freedom; the fth is the Fathers blessing.

As I have presented this message to eager listeners around the

world, I have noted a great hunger. People want to know the

Father, and I feel called to tell what I have learned about the

Fathers loving heart. As I look back over my 45-year journey

with Jesus, I see one central theme: Jesus is leading me to the

Father. As inadequate as I am, I feel compelled to write about

the mystery of the mercy of God revealed in the Fathers love.

I started writing this book more than eight years ago, but

the time was not right. When I returned to this theme, I again

stopped in frustration, unable to nd the words to express what

was in my heart. I prayed, Lord, this is my lifes messagethe

one book I want to write. Please let me write it before I am

too old.

My son Matthew, who has a masters degree in biblical

theology, now works with me in Heart of the Father Min-

istries, training people in Unbound ministry and sharing its




18

Preface

messagethat there is freedom in Jesus Christ. He has come

alongside me, digesting and editing all I have written on the

Father and weaving in his unique perspective. How appropri-

ate that a book about coming home to the Father be born out

of a father giving what he has to his son and the son giving it

back to his father. How appropriate that a son who was once

estranged from his father came home to help complete the task

at hand. You will meet Matt in the introduction.

As you read, ask God to reveal Himself to you as your Father.

Mark the pages that speak to your heart; come back to them in

your quiet time and seek the face of the Father. It is the work

of the Son and the Spirit to answer your prayer.

The purpose of this book is to draw you into the heart of the

Father. Some may object that such a focus somehow takes away

from Jesus or the Holy Spirit. But we must always remember that

God is a Trinity of Persons. It is impossible to say something

of one Person in the Trinity and exclude the others. As Johns

gospel shows us, Jesus came to reveal the Father: No one has

ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God

and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him

known (John 1:18). With Jesus and His Spirit, we can say,

Father, glorify your name! (John 12:28).




19

Introduction

Discovering the Father

I love you, Dad. Do you love me?

Micah

My son Matt found this note under the Christmas tree

after the last present was opened. His son Micah had

written the two lines in colored pencil along with a

homemade Christmas card. Matt wanted to run and nd his

own colored pencil and write, Yes! right then and there. Mi-

cahs note is now taped to Matts computer as he helps me

compose and edit. Just like the heart of the six-year-old writer,

the sentiment and question have become one of Matts dearest

treasures.

Micah, the third of Matts four children, is a purebred rascal.

Small in stature with big, brown, twinkling eyes, Micah can

nd adventure and excitement wherever he goes. Since infancy,

if he felt something, you would hear about it. Listening to and




20

Introduction

obeying his mother can be a challenge for him, but expressing

emotion is never a problem.

From his rst moments of awareness, he saw his dad as the

greatest hero on the planet. Micah always chooses to be on his

dads team. When his dad leaves on a trip, Micah is the rst

to ght back the tears. When he returns, Micah dives into his

fathers arms. He gets o+ the school bus, runs to his dad and

asks immediately if he wants to have a catch. He bounces with

delight upon his bed every Tuesday and Thursday night, when

his dad comes in to tell him a Micah and Jude story. (Jude is

Micahs cousin and best friend.) One day, watching my oldest

son, Philip, working in the yard, Micah announced, Uncle Phil,

my dad has bigger muscles than you. (This was true only in

the eyes of the young beholder).

Let me allow Matt to speak for himself:

I am not sure I did anything to deserve such exalted status in

Micahs mind. When I go to his parent-teacher conferences,

I wonder if the teacher is disappointed to meet me in person,

having learned the myth of Dad through the stories and pic-

tures Micah writes and brings home. I want to help my dad

take out the trash, Micah writes. I like my dad because he

is nice. While others drew pictures of comic book heroes or

special friends, Micah chose to depict his friendship with me.

I am sure I will disappoint him someday, but there is one thing

I have resolved: This boy needs me, and I am going to give him

everything Ive got. I have the privilege of raising a young man

whose heart is wide open and who has chosen me as his leader.

From his rst moments, Micah instinctively knew that he

needed his dad and that his strength came from being close

to my heart. Micah loved to be held by me. He ran to me

when he was afraid, and he always sought to be close. He

never backed down from a good roughhousing session. My




Introduction

21

older son enjoys my company for a while, but he also likes to

be alone. Micah, however, craves Dad time. When Micah

wrote that Christmas note, he already knew that I loved him.

He hears me say it all the time. Micah tells me that he loves

me because he wants to see me respond to him. He does

not ask, Do you love me? out of fear or insecurity. He asks

because he desires to hear me say, I love you. When he

hears me, his dad, tell him that I love him, when I hold him

close, it is as if my strength is owing into his heart. Micah

has chosen to identify himself with me, his father. As I pour

out my love on him, his heart brims over with condence

and joy in who he is: his fathers son.

Something else has happened: Micahs note has become

my daily prayer. Every time I turn to God, I begin by saying,

I love You, Dad. Do You love me? Deep in my heart, I sense

that my greatest need is to hear my heavenly Father respond

to me and tell me He loves me. It is not that I need a kind

word or touch from God just to feel better; rather, something

deep in my spiritual DNA cries out for my Father. To know

myself, I need to hear from Him. To face the world, I need

to hear Him say it. I need to know that He is my Dad and

I am His son.

My grandsons sincere love for his dad stirs memories of when

my four sons were small and I was discovering what it means

to be a dad. Each one has developed a unique way of receiv-

ing my love and loving me in return. My children made me a

father. With the exception of my beautiful and wonderful wife,

Janet, God could not have given me a greater gift. But today

it is Micahs story that inspires me as I write. It is a picture of

the relationship God wants with us.

Dad, do You love me? Do we dare pray this prayer? If you

are like me, you nd it far easier to ask God for His blessings,




22

Introduction

protection and guidance. Perhaps it is easier for you to bury

yourself in work and ministry, in goals and pursuits, than to

ask this question. But why do we shrink from asking the big-

gest question of all? Why is it sometimes painful even to think

about this question?

Perhaps the memories of our fathers remind us of the love

and blessing we did not receive. The image of God as Father

might churn up memories of fear, violence, rejection or aban-

donment. Perhaps the idea of God as a Father produces a dull

ache that we cannot explain.

This book is an invitation for you to come on a journey of

discovering the Father. Here we will ask some di>cult ques-

tions, such as Who is this Father? and How might I know

Him? Jesus revealed good news about the Father. In this

good news, we will discover our source, our beginning and our

destination. On this journey, you might become aware of a lie

that has hidden the Father from view or a root of bitterness

that has kept you from enjoying His mercy. We will also touch

upon the pain of our greatest loss, the loss of our Father. At

this juncture, you will nd a greater understanding of why Jesus

came, the reason for His death and resurrection. It is there also

that you will nd your Fathers heart. Do not be afraid, for He

is good beyond compare. You have been invited on a journey

to your home in the Fathers heart.




S E C T I O N 1

The Way Home

The Fathers gift of Jesus brings us freedom from

the power of sin, adoption as sons and daugh-

ters and the promise of knowing the Father.

Jesus has broken the bonds of slavery and lifted

the veil that shrouded the Father from view.




25

1

The Promise

Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am

ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God

and your God.

John 20:17

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son,

who is himself God and is in closest relationship

with the Father, has made him known.

John 1:18

I nd it astounding the way many people have loved and

served Jesus for years without knowing the love of God

the Father. One man who recently discovered the Fathers

love told me that he had always thought of the Father as a big

policeman in the sky. Others have told me that they thought

the Father was like a disciplinarian or judge who is waiting

for them to make a mistake. Sometimes I feel guilty, as if He




The Way Home

26

is judging me for every little thing, they say. Other times I

feel the need to prove myself to Him. One personactually

a nun of Mother Teresas Missionaries of Charity orderput

it this way: I knew in my head that God loved me, but I never

thought that He liked me.

Sometimes people are brave enough to ask questions, like

little Micahs Dad, do you love me?: Why does the Father

seem far away at times? Why does God stay hidden? Or even a

basic What is God the Father really like? Can I know Him, or

do I have to wait until I die?

I myself have asked these questions. For many years I did

not know that my restless thoughts were fueled by a search for

freedom, a freedom that can be found only in knowing God as

ones true Father. It is only in the Father, who is revealed by the

Son, that we can know who we really are. I had no idea that I

was searching for my home.

Encountering God

When I rst encountered Jesus years ago, I met Him as my

Savior; I knew Jesus as the One who had cleansed me of sin

and given me new life. Later I yielded to Jesus as my Lord. He

called me to follow and obey Him. Since that time I have been

surprised to learn that Jesus sole agenda was to bring me to the

Father. He wanted me to see the Father by revealing Himself as

the Son. Knowing Jesus as the Son gave me access to knowing

God the Father.

Not everyone nds the Father in this way. In the New York

Times bestseller I Dared to Call Him Father, Bilquis Sheikh,

a wealthy Pakistani woman, shares how a vague awareness of

God prompted her to ask questions of a medical missionary

doctor. The nun said, Ask Him to show you His way. And

then, Talk to Him . . . as if He were your father.




The Promise

27

Bilquiss Muslim faith allowed no room for such an intimate

relationship. Talk to God as if He were my father? The thought

shook my soul in the peculiar way truth has of being at once

startling and comforting.

She went home and hesitantly prayed, Father, O my Fa-

ther God. Suddenly, she says, He was there! I could sense

His presence. I could feel His hand laid gently on my head.

Sensing that divine presence, she boldly asked a question. She

picked up her Quran and a Bible and asked, Which one is

Your book?

The response again startled her; an inner voice spoke as

clearly as if I were repeating words in my inner mind. The

words were kind and authoritative: In which book do you meet

Me as your Father?1

The Holy Spirit, knowing Bilquiss background, introduced

her to the Father rst and then to the Son.

My Father and Your Father

I see a key scriptural truth in Johns resurrection account. Mary

Magdalene knew Jesus well; she devotedly followed Him, even

nancially supporting Him, after He delivered her from seven

demons. Mary followed Jesus all the way to the cross, and she

was the rst to return to His tomb while it was still dark

on a fateful Sunday morning. When she arrived to nd Jesus

body gone, she ran in distress to tell Peter and John. They

came, assessed the scene and left, leaving her alone again at

the tomb. That is where Jesus Himself greeted her. When He

called her by name, His voice opened her eyes to His identity.

She recognized her Lord.

To this passionate and unique woman, Jesus would entrust

a message that would echo throughout history, a promise for

you and for me. Go . . . to my brothers and tell them, I am




The Way Home

28

ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your

God (John 20:17, emphasis added).

Every follower of Jesus is an heir to this promise: You belong.

My family is now your family. My Father is your Father. This

was His mission from the beginning: to bring every follower of

His throughout the ages to the Father and to establish each, with

all the dignity of a child of God, in the Fathers house. Jesus had

already purchased Marys freedom. Now her joy would be com-

plete as Jesus drew her into a relationship with her eternal Father.

Give Me Your Blessing

The promise of a father can be a painful one; until it is fullled,

we yearn for someone to ll the void. The expectation of nding

a worthy father is part of our nature, our very DNA, as it were.

Fathers are the source of life through which we were formed

in our mothers womb. In nding a father, we nd something

of ourselves.

What do we expect from a father? Is it not to protect us? Is

it not to see in us our true selvesour identitiesand to call

them forth? Is it not to teach us to think rightly about ourselves

in relation to the world outside? Because no human father, even

a great one, can ever fully meet our expectation, we all know

fatherlessness. We may feel it as weariness. We may be aware

of it as emptiness. Is there anyone who will love me uncondi-

tionally? Will there be someone to protect me on my journey?

These questions reveal the cry of our hearts for an earthlyif

not heavenlyfather.

In Charles Dickenss A Tale of Two Cities, Lucie Manette

nds her long-lost father in prison, but he is too sick and feeble-

minded to recognize her by name. She says to him,

Oh sir! Some other time I will tell you my name, and who my

mother was, and who my father was, and how I never knew




The Promise

29

their awful story. But I cant tell you right now, not here. All

I can ask right now is that you touch me and give me your

blessing.

Despite his inability to remember her, Lucie knew at some

level that this fragile, gray-haired man held the key to her heart.

It is her father who can answer her deepest questions: Am I

good? Do I belong? Can I be courageous? Am I loveable? Will

I fulll the purpose for my life? Do I have what it takes? . . .

Though Lucies father had long been lost, his touch and his

voice had the power to bring healing to her heart.

I write this book for anyone who desires to know the Father.

Like Lucie, they recognize the need to receive His blessing. It

is for anyone who knows Jesus but has never encountered the

Fathers heart in the Son. It is for anyone who is afraid even to

think or ask questions about God the Father, because you are

not quite sure what a good father looks or acts like.

Rick came to me for prayer because he was ghting violently

in his sleep, sweating, punching and cursing. His wife was afraid

he would hurt her. When I asked about his family background,

Rick described his emotionally absent father, who never showed

him a+ection, verbally or physically. He never blessed him or

approved of his choices. When he was older, Rick discovered

that his parents had conceived him three months before their

wedding day. So thats why they never celebrated their anniver-

sary, he thought. I was a mistake.

Though rejection and anger was deeply rooted in Ricks

heart, he visited his father on his deathbed, desperately hoping

to nd some resolution of the relational pain and sense of loss.

I want you to know that I am grateful for all you have done

for me, and I want to tell you that I love you. He had come

like a beggar, provoking in his father a long-awaited response.

What did he get? An emotionally insu>cient I appreciate that.

Ricks father left him in his emptiness, doubt and pain.




The Way Home

30

As I led Rick to forgive his father, he confessed that he had

changed his namehe had been given his dads nameto dis-

tance himself, to subconsciously reject his own identity. But as

he repented of his anger and renounced a spirit of rejection,

he was reconciled to the Father through Jesus. He took back

his name, and, more importantly, he took back his identity as a

son. Rick entered his fathers hospital room with the spirit of a

fearful, begging slave. That afternoon in prayer, Rick followed

Jesus through repentance and forgiveness, and he left with the

spirit of sonship. This is the promise of Christ, the promise I

hope to relate in these pages.

Starting Out

I largely use the word sons and rely on male pronouns when

referring to the children of God. In this I am following the New

Testament pattern. This is not to say that women are excluded

from the spiritual promises of sonship; quite the opposite.

The promise of the Spirit was specically given to both men

and women on the day of Pentecost in fulllment of Joels

prophecy: I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons

and daughters will prophesy (Acts 2:17). No biblical story

illustrates this better than Jesus conversation with Mary at

the tomb, in which He tells Mary that His Father is also hers.

In the next chapters we will ask and discover, Who is God

the Father? What is He like? What is on His heart? Time and

again, we will note that we see the Father through His Son,

Jesus, who said, I and the Father are one (John 10:30). It is

the Father in Jesus who is drawing us to Himself. Jesus is not

the Father; they are distinct Persons who share the same nature.

But in Jesus we can see the FatherHis character and His heart.

I encourage you to do what Mary Magdalene did. She started

her journey to the tomb while it was still dark. She had no idea




The Promise

31

how she would move the heavy stone that kept her from Jesus.

But the stone was miraculously removed. When she saw the

resurrected Jesus, who carried the Fathers life and light, she

saw the Father.

Here and now, Marys story is our story: As we seek to fol-

low Jesus, we will nd that He is leading us to His Father and

our Father.

Personal Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know the Father. I ask You to give

me the courage not only to keep reading these pages but

to listen to my own heart and Your leading. Inspire me to

see more than what is written on these pages. Jesus, You

are the heart of the Father revealed. Let me see into the

Fathers heart to see who He really is and nd out who

I really am. I believe You are faithful and You will come

to me as You did to Mary Magdalene while she was in a

moment of darkness and unbelief. Thank You, Lord, for

the promise of making the Father known. I want to nd

my true home.




abba's heart

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