{"id":7471,"date":"2018-11-15T13:39:59","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T19:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=7471"},"modified":"2018-11-15T13:39:59","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T19:39:59","slug":"5-common-misconceptions-of-who-god-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/11\/15\/5-common-misconceptions-of-who-god-is\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things God is not"},"content":{"rendered":"

God is different than us. Yes, that might be the most obvious statement ever made on this site. However, it\u2019s something we often forget because as humans we frame things according to our own understanding. But God doesn\u2019t think like us. He doesn\u2019t act like us. So, when we try to understand Him we have to remember that He gets to define Himself through what He has revealed about Himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t do that, we mischaracterize Him and mold Him into our own images of what we want Him to be. And what do we call making a god in our own image? Idolatry. Nothing could be more dishonoring to our Lord. Here are 5 common ways God is misunderstood in the world today. <\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t a genie<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This is how our American culture has generally treated God in recent times. He is kept at a distance, ignored, and disobeyed, but as soon as something bad happens or as soon as a personal need comes up in life, people want to pray again. Then, once the struggle has passed, God gets shoved back in His \u201clamp\u201d until He\u2019s needed again. Israel tried that in the Old Testament, ignoring God and pursuing all kinds of sins until some foreign enemy threatened. Then they\u2019d fall back on having the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 4) or \u201cthe temple, the temple\u201d (Jeremiah 7), assuming that God would come through for them in their time of need. We all know how that turned out. God is not a gift-dispensing genie. He\u2019s a good Father who gives us what we need when we seek Him (Matthew 6:33, 7:7-11). <\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t your \u201ccool parent\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether from TV or from real life, we\u2019re all familiar with those parents who let their children get away with all kinds of bad decisions (from as little as eating whatever they want to as big as drinking, doing drugs, and the like). As kids, those are often viewed as the cool parents who didn\u2019t enforce discipline because they just wanted to be buddies with their kids. When we grow older we realize that those parents only harm their children when they neglect their duty to discipline and set boundaries. Sadly, too many people think of God as this kind of bad parent. \u201cGod doesn\u2019t judge me, He loves me too much,\u201d they say. <\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t that cool parent who lets us do whatever we want and then pretends it\u2019s ok just because He\u2019s desperate to have a relationship with us. Part of God\u2019s love includes refusing to allow us to have both Him and sin at the same time. He is Light and in Him is no darkness. His goal is to make us like Him (1 John 1:5, 3:2). Because of that goal, He draws boundaries based on what\u2019s good for us, and He\u2019ll discipline us when necessary (Proverbs 3:12). <\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t your abusive parent<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

On the other side of the coin, God has often been unfairly portrayed as one who extends no grace and is just looking for an opportunity to strike back at anyone who falls short. If you\u2019re someone who has become jaded and distant from the church because this is how you were introduced to God, I\u2019m sorry for the misguided teaching you received and I hope you\u2019ll look past that to who God really is. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the Bible gives us plenty of glimpses at just how wrathful God can be against unrepentant sin\u2026 but it also shows us just how patient He is toward His people and how faithful He is to keep His promises. Throughout the Old Testament He had plenty of reason to cut off Israel and start over\u2026 but He kept sending prophets and kept calling His people back. God is that Prodigal Father, patient and full of grace. <\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t your rubber stamp<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A rubber stamp is someone in authority who gives official approval to whatever another person wants. Naturally, God doesn\u2019t operate that way. But, it\u2019s sadly far too common among Christians to go about doing whatever they want and then rip verses out of context to give themselves the illusion that God is in full support of their decisions or lifestyle. <\/span><\/p>\n

Verses like Jeremiah 29:11 (\u201cI know the plans I have for you\u2026\u201d), Psalm 37:4 (\u201cHe will give you the desires of your heart\u201d), Philippians 4:13 (\u201cI can do all things\u2026\u201d) are easy targets for us to adapt to whatever situation we\u2019re going through. But that\u2019s such a backward way of using the Scriptures. We\u2019re suppose to align our lives by what God has already said, not do whatever we want and then find ways to twist the Bible into legitimizing and justifying our own actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

God isn\u2019t your co-pilot<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This may be the most common misunderstanding of God among active Christians, and it\u2019s probably the closest to the truth. We often think of ourselves as living out our lives – our schooling, our jobs, our homes, etc. – with God there to help us along the way. We try to be good church members and avoid sin through the week, and we ask God for help in the struggles we face. That\u2019s close, but it\u2019s not what God had in mind. As Christians, our lives are no longer our own. God is the pilot. When we\u2019re in the pilot\u2019s chair, we aren\u2019t very good at going beyond our comfort zones. When God is, He regularly pushes us beyond what we want to do and even what we think we can <\/i>do. He didn\u2019t just ask us to try to live more morally. He radically shifts our lives to accomplish His will – if we\u2019ll hand Him the reins. <\/span><\/p>\n

We serve an awesome God. The holy, all-powerful Creator of the universe has chosen to reveal Himself to us and pay the ultimate price to have a relationship with Him. The least we can do is let Him define Himself and reveal Himself to us as He sees fit. Let\u2019s always strive to see God as He wants us to see Him and not as we prefer. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God is different than us. Yes, that might be the most obvious statement ever made on this site. However, it\u2019s something we often forget because as humans we frame things according to our own understanding. But God doesn\u2019t think like us. He doesn\u2019t act like us. So, when we try to understand Him we have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7473,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,45,59],"tags":[160,23,1485],"class_list":["post-7471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-bible-study","category-christian-living","tag-god","tag-jack","tag-theology","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n5 things God is not - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/11\/15\/5-common-misconceptions-of-who-god-is\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 things God is not - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"God is different than us. Yes, that might be the most obvious statement ever made on this site. However, it\u2019s something we often forget because as humans we frame things according to our own understanding. But God doesn\u2019t think like us. He doesn\u2019t act like us. 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