Who God Is: Loving God and His Attributes a Weekly Devotional

By Catherine H Anderson

We are to be imitators of God. When we feel like God has abandoned us, He is there to carry us. We lose sleep during times of crisis, struggling with fear, doubt, and unbelief. Combat the enemy by reminding yourself how great God is.

Who God Is presents a devotional designed to help you fight the good fight of faith through the raging storms of life by using the alphabet to pray the Lord’s attributes back to Him. It serves as a tool to allow you to meet your trials with a backup plan. Author Catherine H. Anderson shares her heart with the goals of helping the world focus on God, helping Christians become stronger in their faith, and helping those unfamiliar with God see that everyone faces problems. Allow yourself to see God for who he really is: the King of Kings who wants to see you succeed not through fame or fortune, but through peace with yourself, your soul, and your life.

Uplifting and inspiring, this weekly devotional offers an alphabetical explorations of God’s attributes intended to help you build hope and strength through faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781512757606

Catherine H Anderson

Catherine H. Anderson is a wife, mother, grandmother, and caregiver for her mentally disabled adult daughter. She wants to share how God has carried her while equipping others with achievable steps as they walk through emotional and spiritual battles.

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Copyright © 2020 Catherine H Anderson.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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All Scripture is taken from Bible Gateway.com; New Living Translation NLT; New American Standard Bible NASB; New International Version NIV; New King James Version NKJV, King James Version KJV

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5759-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5760-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915868

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/05/2020

Contents

Introduction

My Story

What Jesus is NOT

Why Sin

God is…

ADVOCATE

APPROACHABLE

AVENGER

AWESOME

BENEVOLENT

BONDAGE BREAKER

COMPASSIONATE

CONCERNED

DEVOTED

ENGAGED

EMPATHIZER

FATHER

FORGIVER

FRIEND

GENTLE

GRACIOUS

HOME

HOPEFUL

HUMOROUS

IMPARTIAL

INDISPUTABLE

JUBILANT

KEY

KIND

LOVE

MERCIFUL

NAVIGATOR

NOTICEABLE

NURTURER

OMNIPOTENT

OVER-COMER

PERSONAL

PROVIDER

QUIET

REFUGE

RESTORER

RIGHTEOUS

SAVIOR

STRATEGIC

TRANQUILITY

TRUSTWORTHY

UNCONDITIONAL

UNDENIABLE

VALIANT

VIRTUE

WATCHING

WISDOM

eXONERATOR

eXPECTANT

YEARNING

ZEAL

ZION

ABC Attributes Prayer

Dedicated to:

All those who have lived their lives

Being imitators of Christ

For it is through you

That many have come to know Him deeply

And in doing so live a

Productive successful life

Preface

A couple years ago the Lord impressed upon me that I should praise him more and that I should be grateful for all he’s done for my family, my world, and me. One morning our pastor’s wife, Annette, advised the women of our church to pray the A.C.T.S. prayer.

A — ADORATION or ATTRIBUTES of God

C – CONFESS our sin to the Lord

T – THANK Jesus for all he’s done for us

S – Raise our SUPPLICATIONS to Him

As I went to bed at night I would often times struggle to find sleep, so I would begin the A.C.T.S. prayer. Usually by the time I reached the Supplications part I would have way too much on my mind. The ACTS prayer is a great practice but I was using it at the wrong time. As I pondered my dilemma (see my story) I realized how little we praise God for who He is. If you ask most Christians who God is, you will be given satisfactory answers like:

Lord

Savior

Healer

King

Provider

Which are great answers, but there is more, much more.

As I lay in bed at night needing sleep but unable to get there for one reason or another, I began to focus on the attributes of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. I lay there thinking, praying, God you are awesome… God you are holy… God you are my advocate… God you are my protector… God you are eternal.

As time went on and weeks turned to months I formed a system to help me remember God’s attributes. I thought of so many attributes that I began to alphabetize them. Now, on loud stormy nights or retreat weekends away from my familiar bed, I may get clear up to Z.

This system has not only helped me but it has also helped my 12-year-old (now 18) daughter, Rachel. From the time she was very little she would have nightmares on a regular basis. We would pray for her every night and she would listen to Bible on tape/CD as she fell asleep. These things did help most of the time, but she would still cry out in the night. Then one night, as I prayed with her, I started with A-awesome B-blessing C-caring D-deliverer… By the time I got to H she caught on and I would hesitate so she could fill in the blanks. Soon I realized she had stopped crying out in the night. If I believed in coincidences I would have written it off as one; however, I believe our steps are ordered by the Lord above. My daughter has told me that she now uses this method all the time. Maybe this system will help you as well.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT) tells us to: Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

When God reveals himself to us

It is usually through humanity,

People, and circumstances

Acknowledgements

Special Thanks to:

Editors: Angie Dutton, Nancy Meyers, Pastors’ Annette and Ron Swor, Dr. Pastor Jeremy Wallace, Gary Anderson, Rachel Anderson

Beloved Family: Gary Anderson, Chad &Tiffany Angell, Joy Anderson, Rachel Anderson, Dolores Anderson, Dave & Sandy Spear, Chris Spear, Jean & Jim Smith, Jim & Doreen Spear, Scott Spear, Michelle Yunker, Cindy Morgan, Fawn Garcia, John Spear, Laura Sheely, Nathan Garvison, Katie Spear, Krystal Ramsey, Cecil & Charlotte Cooke, David Spear,

Beloved Pastor Friends: Pastors’ Ron & Annette Swor, Dr Pastor Jeremy Wallace Pastors’ Bobbi & Wayne Wilson, Pastor Jamie & LeAnn Snodgrass, Marty Cunningham, Dr. Pastor J. W. Jepson, Dr. Pastor F. Dean & Wanda Hackett, Pastor Sam & Lovena Flaherty, Pastor Kevin & Ida Wilson, Pastor, Dave & Karen Metsker

Beloved Friends:

Llewella Jeanie Looney, Daryl & Rennea Kimmel, Don & Toni DePeel, Randy & Linnea Worden, Darcy & Karen Lais, Vic and Elaine Lancaster, Jennea & Loren Rowel, Jim & MaryAnn Johnson, Woody & Barb Youngren, Charlene Paulson, Dave & Mary Basham, Suzanne Crow, Sam & Terri Foxworthy, Harry & Ruth Logan, DJ Lancaster, Linnea & Kenny Zednik, Jeff & Lanette Rasch, Amy Teece, Chuck & Lynn Gephart, Dr David Hall, Dr Bret Ball, The Immersion Discipleship Students from Canby New Life Foursquare, The Deacons from Harvest Christian Center,

Note From the Author

I am not a Bible scholar nor do I have educational degrees. However, my hope is that you will find in this study someone with 100% heart and soul who sincerely wants to help you see how real God is in your times of crisis and sorrow.

I am a sinner saved by grace for over 37 years. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom turned caregiver for my mentally challenged middle daughter who is currently 29-years-old. Over those 37 years I have been going to church one to three times a week. I have attended no less than 50 weekly or weekend seminars on how to live a Christian life, in addition to participating in well over 100 self-help Bible studies. I have co-taught with my husband Gary of 34 years, every age group of Sunday school and Bible study classes. I’ve made mistakes in life and have worked on bettering myself; trying to remember WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?). I want to apologize now for any grammatical errors in this book. I know I’m not perfect but I do this as unto the Lord. Where I am weak He is strong. We have three beautiful girls, a wonderful son-in-law, and three precious grandkids. Thank you Jesus.

Introduction

Is it possible to change? You know that Jesus loves you; but, you just don’t understand why life has to be so hard. You are the apple of God’s eye. He loves you more then you could possibly imagine.

My hope is that this devotional book and/or app will help the reader focus on God during their times of trial and tribulation. I would love to see this book in every hospital ICU and in the hands of those struggling from traumatic life events such as natural disasters and victims of human trafficking. The idea is to read it in waiting lines, waiting rooms, while eating, when rising in the morning and at night before bed. Then on nights when one can’t sleep the words, in alphabetical order, can be remembered and meditated on as sleep approaches. It’s as simple as ABC. People need optimism in times of crisis. We need to know how big God really is and how He cares for us. He even cries for us. The world and its human beings at large may attack us, abuse us, neglect us, slander us, accuse us and abandon us. However, God is still on the throne and His greatest desire is to see us through to success, to carry us, and to protect and defend us when we cry out to Him. This book is for those who:

• Worry about their sons; who drove while intoxicated and are now in the hospital with a serious head injury…

• The one who has had a dysfunctional childhood and struggles with why God allowed it…

• The young woman who has recently been rescued from sex street trafficking; and has a desire to erase the past…

• The father who wants to understand what their child, who has PTSD*, is going through and how they can help…

• The daughter that just lost her father and grandmother to a drunk driver…

In many