Names of God – Shepherd

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The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
Psalm 23:1

The original Hebrew word for shepherd is ra’ah (raw-aw): to tend a flock, to associate with as a friend, companion, make friendship with.

The Webster’s Dictionary says; a person who protects, guides, or watches over other people.

I also looked at the thesaurus, and found the following; protector, guardian, shelter, shield, defender, keeper, safeguard, champion, benefactor, and provider.

Before I begin, I just want to say…WOW! God wants to associate with me as a FRIEND! He wants to be my friend! And, I just LOVE what the thesaurus says! He is my shield! He is my Defender! He is my champion! He is my benefactor! What an awesome and Mighty God we serve! Praise be to His Holy Name!

Ok…now, back to the Shepherd…

A shepherd takes loving care of his sheep, and his flock will follow him where ever he leads them. He feeds them. He protects them from hungry wolves. If they get lost, He will search for them until he finds them. He cares for them when they are hurt or sick. He is there for their birth, and helps with the delivery. A shepherd’s whole life is his sheep.

God is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He wants to take care of us in the same way. Unfortunately, many times we jump the fence and go our own way. When we do this, our Shepherd is unable to give us all the protection, peace, and comforts we have while in His pasture.

God loves us so much. He desires our friendship and companionship. He wants us to be obedient and stay within the boundaries of His pasture. He will never force us to though. He wants us to stay willingly, because we love Him.

This verse is a promise to us. However, we must do our part in order to receive the benefits of the promise. We must remain in the pasture.

Of course, He will loves us even when we stray. However, like any parent, He must allow us to go our own way if we choose to. And, He will allow the consequences that come with straying from His pasture. You see, when we are out from under His protection, we lack peace, joy, provision, and all the many benefits that come with remaining in His pasture.

In closing, when the wolves of this world try to pull you away from the safety of a consecrated life…when they try to steer you off God’s path…remember all the protection, provision, peace, love, and joy that you will be losing if you jump the fence.

God is YOUR Shepherd!

Let’s pray,

Daddy God, I love you so very much! Thank You for loving me and wanting to know me as a friend. Thank You that You are a God that seeks relationship. Thank You for always taking care of me and providing for me. Thank You for all of the love and mercy you show me each and every day. I love You, Lord. And I want to remain close to You. I want to remain in Your pasture. I want to have all that You want me to have. Help me to never stray. Help me to stay in the narrow path that leads to You. And if I begin to veer off path, please show me so that I may change my course and remain in Your loving pasture. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Rewarder

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But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

…He is a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him.

Diligently and seek come from the same Greek word, ekzeteo (ek-zay-teh’-o) and mean; investigate, crave. To seek diligently or earnestly after, namely God, with a sincere and earnest desire to obtain His favor.

I also looked up a couple words in the Webster’s Dictionary…

Diligently – constant and earnest effort and application; attentive and persistent in doing something.

Earnest – serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous.

We forget that God is a REWARDER. When we dive into the Word and seek His Face consistently and with zeal, He will reward us. He is our Daddy in Heaven, and like any parent (although He is the BEST , He wants to reward His children.

Our motive cannot be to get “stuff” from God. Otherwise, we aren’t really seeking Him, we treating Him more like a genie in a bottle. And, God does not participate in those types of games.

I thought it would be interesting to look at the flip side of the Greek word ekzeteo. There are three words I found in my Greek dictionary that are its antonyms.

ameleo – to neglect

oligoreo – to regard or esteem lightly

paratheoreo – to overlook

OK, so when we do not diligently seek Him, we are neglecting Him, overlooking Him, and regarding Him lightly. How awful is that? After all He has done for us?

We forget that we will ALWAYS reap what we sow. If we sow His Word into our hearts, we will reap; joy, peace, wisdom, comfort, life, prosperity, healing, happiness, and a love that we can find NO where else.

However, if we neglect our Beloved and overlook His place in our lives, we will be sowing a selfish seed to the flesh. And we will reap; sadness, loneliness, incompleteness, death, sickness, and poverty.

We will NEVER be truly fulfilled until we put HIM FIRST in our hearts, minds, and lives!

I encourage you to make time for your God. Make Him THE priority in your life. When you do…when you REALLY do, you will NEVER be the same. You will walk in blessings and peace every day, because your Daddy is a REWARDER.

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, thank You for Your Truth. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for giving me so many reasons to love You. Thank You for wanting to know me and wanting me to seek You. Thank You for creating me with a purpose. I love You, Lord. I want nothing more than to know You better, and be all that You created me to be. Help me to know You better. Thank You, Lord. You are worthy of all my praise and my time. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Omniscience – All Knowing

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I John 3:20 says; …For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows and understands everything, nothing is hidden from Him.

Omniscience – All Knowing

Just knowing that God knows what I am going through in the deepest parts of my heart and soul makes me feel loved and special.

We cannot hide anything from Him. Not a sin or a thought. He KNOWS everything about us…even the number of hairs on our head! (Matthew 10:30)

And with that knowing comes a love and compassion that we cannot even begin to fathom. We may think, “If God really loved me, He wouldn’t let me go through this…” But, in reality, it is BECAUSE He loves us that we are even able to go THROUGH our storms.

If we would just open our hearts and minds to His Truths and His Word, we would see that He has a perfect and wonderful plan for each of us. And, building our character will help us get there.

Isaiah 64:8 says; You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the Potter, and we are all the work of Your hand.

Sometimes we must go through the fire…just like a clay pot must go through the kiln before it can become a beautiful piece of pottery.

Psalm 145:8 says; The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.

Through it all we can rest in the assurance that our loving Father knows, understands, and cares for every trial, every pain, and every hurt that we must endure. (Ps 78:38, 111:4, Jas 5:11)

Our God is Omniscience!

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, thank You for loving and caring for me. Thank You that You know everything about me and I do not need to wear any masks with You. Most of all, I am thankful that even knowing everything about me, You still love me! I love You, Daddy. I am honored to be one of Your precious daughters! Praise be to Your Holy and Mighty Name! You are Worthy of ALL my praise! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

For further study read James 1:2-12

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Omnipresent – Ever Present

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Psalm 139:7-12

Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be the only light about me,

Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Omnipresent – Ever Present

He is always here…He is always there. He is EVERYWHERE…AT ONCE! We are never alone. What other “god” can say that? No matter what we are going through…no matter how deep or dark the valley…HE IS WITH US!

Isn’t that awesome?! He never leaves us! NEVER!

Hebrews 13:5b says; …for God, Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake, nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!

It reminds me of that old footprints poem we all know and love…There are many times in life we do not think we can go another step…and yet we do…We do, because He carries us! Thank God, He carries me! Thank God!

So, the next time you think you have reached the end of your rope…LET GO AND LET GOD! He’s already there waiting for you to give it to HIM!

Our God is Omnipresent!

Let’s Pray;

Daddy God, Thank You for NEVER leaving or forsaking me! Thank You for Your CONSTANT presence. Thank You for all the times you have carried me through the darkness. Thank You for all the times You wrapped Your loving Arms around me. Thank You for loving me, even when I don’t acknowledge or see. I love You, Daddy. I love YOU! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Omnipotent – All Powerful

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Jeremiah 32:17 says; Alas, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard for you.

Omnipotent – All Powerful

Our God is ALL-Powerful. This is something that we need to get into our thick skulls! No matter what life throws at us, we have the assurance of knowing that our God…our Beloved Daddy in Heaven… is ALL-POWERFUL. Not a little powerful. ALL-Powerful!

We may not have the courage, power, or will to handle the obsticals or issues in our life, but our Omnipotent God does! And His power is available to us.

We need to learn to release EVERYthing to Him, and trust Him with it. He can handle it. He has All the power. Nothing is to hard or difficult for Him…NOTHING!

The devil has ALREADY been defeated. When we choose to focus on the “issue” and forget that the end has already been Written, we set ourselves up for failure, depression, and defeat. We need to remember that our God is All-Powerful and has ALREADY won the battle!

Our God is Omnipotent!

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, You are All-Powerful and Mighty. Thank You for already putting the enemy under my feet by your Great Power. Help me to recognize that I have access to all of Your power. Help me to remember that the enemy has already been defeated and is UNDER my feet. Help me to be VICTORIOUS! Thank You , Daddy for giving me the strength to overcome anything. I submit all to you and receive the victory that you have already given to me! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Love

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He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is Love. 1 John 4:8

God IS Love

The original Greek word used in this text for Love is; agape (ag-ah’-pay) and means; affection, love-feast, the author and source of love.

The synonyms are philia; friendship based on common interests. And, agapai heorte; a feast of festival.

God IS Love

Our God is incredible! He IS love. He created it. He is the AUTHOR of it. This is amazing to me. I am in awe of the love-feast that is our God!! He is some kind of love!

Without God, there is NO love.

If it was not for God there would be nothing good in this world. It is because of God and His Grace that we have this awesome gift of love.

We have the ability to give it to others.

Unfortunately, many of us hold onto it like a closely guarded secret. We are only willing to give it away to those we deem “worthy” of our love. The wonderful thing about love…God’s love in us…is that it is for everyone!

We have NO right to withhold it from anyone. It is a free gift, created and given to us by God Himself. And, our job is to give it away…all the time…and to as many people as we can! How do I know this?

Let’s look beyond just verse 8…

1 John 4:6-12

We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves his fellowmen is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique Son, into the world so that we might live through Him.

In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.

Beloved, if God loved us so very much, we also ought to love one another.

No man has at any time yet seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

We are to GIVE His Love to others. Notice how these Scriptures do not give room for picking and choosing whom we love. It just says to “love one another.”

Let’s put on the fruit of Love, Fellow Moms of Faith. Let’s train our children in the LOVE WALK.

Love is the ONLY thing that will save this lost world.

Hallelujah! Our God IS Love!

Let’s Pray;

Daddy God, Thank You for creating love. Thank You for writing the blueprint of love into my heart. Thank You for loving me…faults and all. Thank You for being the ONLY God…a Mighty and Loving God…a God Who Loves completely and freely. Help me to see others through Your Loving Eyes. Help me to love others, even when they do not deserve it in my eyes. Help me to Love like You Love. Thank You, Daddy. In Jesus Mighty…and Loving Name, Amen!

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Lord God

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This is the history of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens Genesis 2:4

In this text, Lord comes from the Hebrew word, Yehovah (yeh-ho-vah’) or Yahweh and it means; The Self-Existent. It is one of the most prominent names for God mentioned in the old testament. It appears 6,823 times!

What is the significance of this Name?

Well, think about it…God just Is. He does not “need” anything or anyone to keep Him going. He is SELF-EXISTENT. He just IS! That says a TON to me!

Knowing that He doesn’t “need” me or anyone…yet He shows us each such profound love and mercy…the kind of love and mercy we do not even begin to bestow upon others…not even our children.

He loves us just because we are HIS. He could wipe us all out tomorrow if He so desired. However, that is not in His nature. He is filled with such warmth and compassion for us, even with all of our frailties…

He just ADORES us…simply and profoundly!

So, the next time you are feeling down or depressed, remember, LORD GOD, The Self-Existent…TRULY and COMPLETELY LOVES YOU!

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, You are all I ever need. You are Lord God, The Self-Existent. I love You, Daddy. Thank You for loving me even though You do not have to love me. Thank You that I matter greatly to You. Thank You for calling me Your very Own. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Living God

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Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you… Joshua 3:10a

Living comes from the Hebrew word, ehay (khah’ee) and means; alive, fresh, and strong.

I would like to break down each of these incredibly descriptive words. I will use the Webster’s Dictionary (WD) and then my own observations…

Alive ~ WD; living, in force or operation, active: to keep hope alive, alert and sensitive to, aware of.

We can be certain that we are serving a God Who is acutely aware of everything, and that He is sensitive to our hurts, needs, and desires. Our God is ALIVE, and in Him there is abundant hope!

Fresh ~ WD; retaining the original properties unimpaired, not stale or spoiled, not tired or fatigued.

We serve a God that never grows weary of us…no matter how dumb we are or how many times we mess up. He NEVER changes either. He is the same… yesterday, today, and forever! I don’t know about you, but that gives me comfort. Just knowing that God is steady and does not flip flop. He is AWESOME!

Strong ~ WD; very able, of great moral power, courage, powerful, authority, means of prevailing, firm or unfalable under trial.

Our God is very strong…there is none stronger than Him! He is courageous and has all authority. And, He is our Daddy. If God is for you…who can be against you?

The Living God should get you excited! He is kind, sensitive, filled with love and compassion, strong, steady, able, courageous, powerful, the only authority, unfalable, filled with hope, and your Daddy!

Let’s Pray;

Daddy God, You are Awesome! I love You more than anything. I am honored that you have chosen me to be one of Your precious daughters. Help me to remember that You are my Living God and that NONE CAN COMPARE to You! I want my life to reflect Your Greatness! I love You, Daddy. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Jehovah Shalom

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The first thing I would just like to mention is that Jehovah is not actually a Hebrew word. It came later. The correct word is Yahweh. However, I will use Jehovah for familiarity.

Reference Verse: Judges 6:24

Jehovah Shalom (Yahweh Shalom) means; God is Peace.

Shalom (shaw-lome’) or (shaw-lam’) means; safe, happy, health, prosperity, be safe in mind, body or estate, be at peace.

I also looked in the thesaurus for the opposite of peace and here is what I found; conflict, turmoil, disorder, and chaos. Yikes! I would much rather have the peace that God has for me!

Peace is something most people crave. We strive for it. We search for how to get it. We WANT to have peace.

What is the significance of Jehovah Shalom? And, How do we obtain peace?

To find this out, we must dig deeper into the Word and find the hidden treasure of Shalom. The first thing that we need to understand is that peace is a promise of God. And, like all of God’s promises, we must understand the clauses. We must also understand that faith plays a major role in everything that involves God.

Below are a few of our promises for peace. I strongly encourage you to read and STUDY the Scripture references.

• Peace comes through Faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)
• A thankful and unselfish heart brings peace (Philippians 4:4-7)
  The Holy Spirit was the gift of peace (John 14:26-27)
• Peace is a fruit of the Spirit given as we grow in obedience (Galatians 5:22)
• Peace is an undeserved blessing from God (Psalm 29:11)
• Peace came through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:20)

These Scriptures help us understand that peace is a free and promised gift from Daddy. Now, we must understand God’s role for peace.

Jehovah Shalom

His peace is our protection. Our assurance. Our safety.

Be Merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter in You: Yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until destructive storms have passed. Psalm 57:1

David understood that God was Jehovah Shalom. He understood that he had God’s peace in Him. He had faith in this. That is why he was confident living under the shadow of the Almighty God of Peace.

In closing; Jehovah Shalom, our God of Peace loves us all so very much. His desire is that ALL of His beloved children live in the peace and assurance of His unmerited favor and Grace. His peace is a gift. It is YOURS and mine for the taking.

We just need to believe what God’s Word says, and be willing to walk in obedience. And, when we fail, we need to pick ourselves up, dust off, and get right back on the path God has for each of us. The path of peace. The path that Jehovah Shalom has already paved for us!

Let’s Pray;

Daddy God, Jehovah Shalom, My Peace, My Love, You are Worthy of All the glory, honor, and praise. You are Holy and Mighty. You are My God and my Peace. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for creating a way for me to live a life of peace. Thank You for walking with me each and every day…and carrying me on those tough days. I love You, Lord. I love You with all of my heart. I want my life to shine for You. Thank You for choosing me to be Your very Own. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Names of God – Jehovah Nissi

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The first thing I would just like to mention is that Jehovah is not actually a Hebrew word. It came later. The correct word is Yahweh. However, I will use Jehovah for familiarity.

Reference Verse: Exodus 17:8-16

Jehovah Nissi (Yahweh Nissi) means; The Lord is my Banner.

If you read Exodus 17, you will see that God helped the Israelites defeat the Amalekites. In verse 15, Moses builds an alter to signify their victory and WHO helped them win the battle.

Simply Put: The Battle is the Lord’s.

We all have battles that we face every day. They are part of life.

• We battle just BEING a Christian in this world.
• We have the battle of being a wife, Mother, friend, sister, etc.
• We have spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational battles. \
• We have addiction battles.
• We have self battles.
• ALL of the Battles we face are the Lord’s.

We need to realize that the battles we face are not ours. They belong to the Lord. He is our strength. He is our advocate. He goes BEFORE us. He has already GIVEN us the victory over ALL of our battles at the Cross.

The problem is that we take the battles on ourselves and try to fight without Him. We take ownership of what was never meant to be our load. We refuse to lay them down at the precious feet of Jesus, and give our struggles to God.

Sure, there will be trials. Yes, some of them will be seemingly impossible to overcome. I said “seemingly.” In reality, if we would just allow God to DO His job, our load would be SO much lighter (Matt. 11:29).

How?

Easier said then done, right? No, not really. It’s all a matter of obedience. You see God gave us His Word to teach us more than just good and evil. He gave us a step by step plan for living a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and victorious life. However, we must first follow the steps, and walk in obedience in order to have all that God planned for us to have.

I challenge you to get into the Word on a regular basis and begin to search for the countless treasures hidden in the Life-Giving Love letter that God had written especially for you.

Oh, and don’t forget…

The Battle is the Lord’s!

Let’s Pray;

Daddy God, You are an Awesome, Mighty, Loving, and Wonderful God. You are my King. You are the lover of my soul. You are everything to me. I am in awe of Your many wonders. I love You so very Much. Lord, I just want to thank You for wanting nothing but the best for me, and for making a way for me to have the very best in every way. I ask that You help me to make the time to learn of You and Your plan for my life. I ask that you remind me that the battles that I face do not belong to me. Help me to learn to give them to You. Help me to learn how to live an obedient life, and to walk in victory. Thank You for all of Your loving instructions and the blessing of being Your baby girl. In Jesus Mighty name, Amen!

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

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