‍Fathered... By God

‍Resolving Life's Hardships

‍There it was! I read the words again, still not quite grasping it. 

‍"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline." (Revelation 3:19). 

‍For 30 years, I understood God was my Heavenly Father. Still, I had never considered that my hardships might be his loving discipline. Was this necessary since God is love? As I wrestled with this thought, the verse above came back into focus. There it was, in black and white! How was I to respond to this? Then I read this account of David's experience in 2 Samuel 21.

‍For three years, a famine had devastated the kingdom of Israel. The duration and severity finally caught King David's attention, prompting him to ask the Lord about its cause. The Lord informed David that the famine came because King Saul, his predecessor, had killed some of the Gibeonites in violation of an earlier covenant. David made restitution to the Gibeonites and "after that God was moved by prayer for the land" (2 Samuel 21:14) and then famine ended. 

‍It begs the question, if David had been attentive earlier, could he have saved the people and himself one or two years of hardship?

‍Are you experiencing hardships that could be resolved with that same attention to the root cause?

‍This book will interest everyone who knows God as their Father and is looking for answers and resolution to the hardships and maladies presently in their lives.

‍ENDORSEMENTS

‍Dr. Mark Virkler of Communion with God Ministries writes:

‍"Fathered by God is a book that I should have read about 20 years ago. It would have enhanced my growth and my understanding of God as my Father.”

‍"I wanted to thank you for your amazing book Fathered by God—it was one of the biggest blessings of my life. Understanding the consequences of disobedience has been one of the most life-changing things I have ever encountered. I have put the principles into practice, and it is a much better way to live. Thank you!" A.R.

‍"Wow! Dr. Bydeley, your book, Fathered by God, is good. A very slow and reflective read. I have never taken so long to read a book before. Your observation and commendation are amazing. You have hit a home run with this book. I told my daughter that a small group study using this material would be awesome." W.B. 10/11

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‍©2013, Dr Steven Bydeley, a man.

‍All publishing rights reserved. Permission is herewith granted to reprint this article for personal use and to link or refer to it; however, no commercial re-publishing of the material in this article is permitted without prior written consent.

‍Steven is the author of *Fathered by God* and, together with his wife Dianne, co-author of *Dream Dreams* and *Dreams that Heal and Counsel*. They have appeared as guests on the Miracle Channel, Trinity Television, and Crossroads Communication, and have taught various topics around the world.

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‍Without Prejudice. © 2025, Steven., house of bij de Leij., of man.