Our faith—our trust in God—really hinges on what we believe about Him. We could know that our God is the Almighty God—All Powerful God, All Knowing God, Creator God, and even Savior God—but if we don’t know His character personally, all of this knowledge would not lead to trust. We wouldn’t live like we believe that He is who He says He is, and has done what He says He has done, and will do. We might know that He could do it, and we might know that He has done it in the past, but we would not believe who He is.

In the Bible, God places emphasis on His Word. What He has spoken is what He will do. He does not need to swear, He does not even need to write it down—although He has done both—He simply speaks the Truth founded on who He is, and His Word is steadfast.

“For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does” (Psalm 33:4-6 NIV).

He reminds us throughout the Bible to put our trust in Who He is—His character—which solidifies that what He has spoken He is trustworthy to fulfill. When we spend the time getting to know God’s character—who He is personally—trusting Him becomes a natural response. When situations arise that threaten to seed doubt into our hearts and minds, that trust in God’s character reminds us of who He is and what He has spoken, done, and will do. This is the solid rock of our faith—the revelation of who God is to us personally.

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10 NIV).

Many of us grew up hearing about God and His Word, but not all of us understood God’s character. It’s this misunderstanding that even keeps some of us from really understanding God’s Word—despite how many times we’ve read it, heard it, and seen it in action. When I experienced a really sobering time in my life where I was hit with the realization that I really didn’t know God’s character, it radically changed my life forever. It takes a humbling experience—really throughout our journeys—to recognize that there are more depths to God’s character that we’ve yet to know. If we can allow those realizations to come as God reveals Himself to us over and over again, we will discover a continual process to freedom in learning to trust our Beloved Father, Lover, and Friend.

Realizing that living without a continual process to experiencing God’s true character kept us blind and bound—my husband and I purposed to do everything we could do to raise our son seeking the Presence and Heart of God. Whether it is dancing around the room praising God and finding our joy in Him, spending time waiting on God to speak to our hearts so we can write it down or draw it out, playing creative games with Jesus, asking God to show us who He would like us to pray for and how, or asking God for ideas of ways He would like us to bless others; our heart is that our son experiences our Real, and Loving God. In tough times, Jesus has held our son while he sleeps, Father God has comforted him by taking bad dreams and hurt feelings that his heart can’t comprehend, and Holy Spirit has given him pictures to draw and games to play when He needs a friend or needs to be reminded of who He is… These moments are priceless, and as parents, we can trust that our son is in Good Hands. He is a Good Father not only to us, but also to our son. The beauty is, our son is getting to see that, too.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

When we encounter a problem, or our son has a difficult question that natural reasoning would leave us without true hope, we can say to him, “What does Father God say about that?” or “Does that thought sound like Father God? If not then it’s not yours to keep.”  In the midst of our emotions, when we can’t hear His loving voice, we remember what God has said in His Word and we speak it over ourselves like a Father to His child. We speak it every time a thought or emotion challenges the Words that God has spoken. We remember the testimonies of what God has done before, whether in our own lives or in the lives of our brothers and sisters—both here and now and in the Bible.

A simple, “remember that time…” or “the Bible says…” or “what does Father God say about that?” or “let’s go spend time with Jesus and see what He wants to show us…” in response to a complaint, worry, or doubt changes the tape that wants to play in the minds of our family. We encourage one another in this way, and it changes what we believe about our God and ourselves.

Spend some time today speaking over yourself and your children the truth from God’s Word, knowing that He only speaks from who He is. Spend time proclaiming His Word and getting to know God in a particular area that you or your kids need to believe more of His character. No matter the situation or problem, He is our Solution!

The Father’s Blessing and/or The Trinity Flash Cards are great resources to use to speak God’s character over your life & home.