When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.
Genesis 17:1-2

El Shaddai (EL shad-DAI) translates in the English as God Almighty or All Sufficient One. God first reveals Himself as God Almighty to Abram in Genesis 17. Here is where God first began to set apart a people for Himself, a people to be uniquely His and to be His representatives on earth. He tells Abram that He is God Almighty; not only is He the all-powerful God who is Creator, He is the All-Sufficient One.

As we learned in the lesson on Elohim, El is an ancient word used for divinity. All the definitions for El are related in contextual meaning: “strong, leader, power, might”. But, the fascinating thing about Shaddai (also spelled Shadday) is that a firm single definition is a little more difficult to establish. At first, I was confused by all the variations but, as different meanings to the word began to surface and the more I reviewed the Scriptures related to “God Almighty”, the more overwhelmed I became about the true and complex meaning of the Name that God uses for Himself.

Stay with me for little bit in the next couple of paragraphs as we review all of the meanings tied to the word Shaddai and I’m sure that you will begin to see an amazing and awesome God for yourself.

The reason that the word Shaddai is hard to define is because Bible scholars are unsure of the actual root word that was used in original ancient Hebrew text. The Greek authors of the Septuagint and the fourth century Latin authors of the Vulgate, translated the word El Shaddai as pantokrator and omnipotens (Almighty, Omnipotent).

First, let’s review a couple of English meanings for Shaddai.

Almighty: having unlimited power or influence; extreme. Synonyms: supreme, sovereign, all-powerful.
Sufficient: adequate for the purpose; enough

Now, let’s look at some of the actual translations of different Hebrew root word meanings that are also used to define Shaddai.
• (sdh; sadu): mountain
• (saday; sadeh): cultivated field, open field, pasture
• (shad): a woman’s breasts; to pour out, nourish
• (shadad): to deal with violently, to destroy
• (day):meaning, enou gh, sufficient. Other forms of day mean: what suffices, for need of; abundance

Do you see where I became confused? At first I thought, “This word is too much. It’s too hard to pin down.” Then I just laughed to myself as all of the meanings began to mingle and I saw that the word is not “too much” but the word overflows with SO MUCH!

One scholar noted that although El Shaddai describes power, it is not just intended to be a power related to violence or strength alone, but it is power of “all-bountifulness”. Shaddai is the Pourer forth of blessings, both temporal and spiritual.

If anyone needed to believe that God Is Who He Says He Is, as God revealed himself, it was Abram. In this passage, God tells Abram that He is El Shaddai (God Almighty) and if you believe in Me and do as I command, I will provide for you. I will make an everlasting covenant with you and I will make you fruitful and many nations and kings will come from you. I will provide for you and care for you. You will be my people. Abram was 99 years old and God promised him heirs with his 89 year old wife! Abram, now called Abraham, had to believe in El Shaddai!

My personal meaning of El Shaddai: God Almighty, the All-Powerful and Sovereign God who created all things, who is The God that nourishes like a mother gives milk to her babe the God who gives me strength and destroys my enemies, The God who is a Mighty Mountain and protects me, The God who provides in abundance all that I need. El Shaddai, The God whose grace is sufficient and The God who pours out His Life Blood for me.

Read the following passage and list all the different names for God that you see. Also, note any reference to some of the definitions we reviewed above:

“Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.[a]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed[b] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty,[c] who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[d] the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[e] his brothers.
GENESIS 49:22-26

God Almighty study verses:
1) Who first used God Almighty as a name for God? (Genesis 17:1)
2) What did Abram do when God revealed His name? (Genesis 17:3)`
3) To whom does power belong? (Psalm 62:11)
4) Who has the power to bless and curse? (Genesis 12:2-3; 22:17) (2 Corinthians 9:8)
5) How does God bless? (2 Corinthians 9:8)
6) Complete the following Scriptures:
(Job 5:17) ___________________Is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
(Psalm 84:12) LORD Almighty, _________________ is the one who trusts in you.
7) How does God surround us?(Psalm 125:2)
8) Those who trust in the Lord are like what (Psalm 125:1)
9) Where does God have us lie when we need rest (Psalm 23:2)
10) What are two things that God Almighty is able to do? (Psalm 80:19)
11) What is God called in Zephaniah 3:17?
12) Although El Shaddai means might, power, and destroyer, does He do wrong or evil? (Job 34:10, 12)
13) How will the LORD Almighty be exalted? (Isaiah 5:16)
14) Can anyone stop God from His plans? (Isaiah 14:24, 27)
15) Is God Almighty revealed in Scripture as a Destroyer? (Jerimiah 51:56, 29:17)
16) Does God Almighty restore? (Jerimiah 33:11-12)
17) Who is our Redeemer? (Isaiah 47:4)
18) What else besides bread shall man live on? (Matthew 4:4)
19) What are three things that Paul says were poured out upon him in abundance? (I Timothy 1:14)
20) Write out 2 Corinthians 12:9

Now that you see some of the different ways that God Almighty is revealed in Scripture, please take a few moments and offer a praise offering to God by outlining your own definition of El Shaddai.

ANSWERS (From the New International Version)
1) God Himself
2) He fell facedown
3) To God
4) God
5) Abundantly
6) Blessed, blessed
7) Like the mountains of Jerusalem
8) They are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever
9) In green pastures
10) 1) Restore us 2) save us
11) The Mighty Warrior (NIV)
12) No, it is unthinkable
13) By His justice and He will be proved by His righteousness
14) No
15) Yes
16) Yes
17) The LORD Almighty (NIV)
18) Every word that comes from the mouth of God
19) 1) The grace of our Lord 2) faith 3) love
20) But he said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

El Roi (El-Raw-ee) is the name given to God by Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant (personal hand maiden) of Sarai, when she flees Abram’s camp after being mistreated by her mistress, Sarai. This is the only time the name El Roi is used in the Bible. However, through this story and various other Scriptures, we will discover the loving, compassionate, omnipotent El Roi, The God Who Sees.

In Genesis 16, we come across an Egyptian slave, who by no choice of her own, is “used” by Sarai, the wife of Abram. It was a common custom in that period of time for a maidservant to bear a child that would be given to a barren mistress as her own. The maidservant typically had no choice in the matter. Today, we have a hard time understanding why a wife would offer another woman to her husband to provide an heir; but in ancient rabbinic times, a man could “put away” (divorce) his wife or marry other wives if she didn’t provide children after ten years. Sarai may have been fearful for her status. For whatever reason Sarai made this decision, it turned out badly because after conceiving a child fathered by Sarai’s husband Abram, Hagar began to flaunt her pregnancy in front of the barren Sarai (despise, lowered in esteem). There was now a tug of war in the household.

Because Hagar despised her, Sarai wanted to blame Abram. After being confronted with the situation, he told Sarai to do to Hagar “whatever you think best” (v.6 NIV). Abram told Sarai to do what was right; instead, Sarai mistreated Hagar. The treatment must have been severe, because in desperation, Hagar fled.

Next, we find Hagar by a spring in the desert. She was probably tired, thirsty, hungry and distraught. Oh, yeah, she was also pregnant! She had no husband, no family and nowhere to go. She was a runaway slave.

 ^“Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.” (Genesis 16:7 NKJV)

The New King James Version capitalizes Angel. Some scholars believe that the Angel who visited Sarai was the pre-incarnate Jesus (before He became flesh.) The Hebrew word used for “found” in this text means “finding: to find someone or something that is lost or misplaced”. I’m sure Hagar felt very lost and very misplaced. Have you ever felt this way? Lost? Misplaced? Mistreated?

In v. 8, we see a type of Hebrew parallelism (chiasmus) that shows the compassion of the God Who Sees. In this verse he knows her by name and he knows her history (to whom this slave girl belongs) and yet in the same verse he asks her where she has been and where she is going! God already knew yet He asked the questions anyway. Don’t you wonder what the full conversation might have been? This distraught young woman pouring out her heart of despair to God. The Angel of the Lord brought two things to light in this conversation, Hagar’s social position and the future of her son. I believe our conversations with God work the same way. As we pour out our hearts to Him we open up enough to see our situation clearly. I know many times I have said, “Help Lord, I don’t know how I got to this place and I don’t know what to do!” He wants us to trust him and open up to him. God will not force himself on us, and yet he desires a relationship with us. Although He knows everything about us, he prompts, he encourages, and he draws out the parts of us that hurt so that he can replace them with promises of Himself.

As Hagar pours out her desperation and sees the reality of her life, The Angel of the Lord tells her to humble herself by returning to the household and facing the oppressive life a slave must endure. He doesn’t promise that her situation will change, but he does promise her a grand future! He gave her the blessing of descendants too numerous to count and ensures her future provision. She saw God, she believed Him and she went home. But first, she gave Him a name.

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. Genesis 16:13-14 (NIV)

A few interesting things about a couple of names mentioned in this chapter of Genesis. Hagar’s name in Hebrew means “flight” and the spring where God found Hagar was on the road to Shur, which means “wall”. Have you ever felt like Hagar…with your back against the wall and all you wanted to do was flee?

So, Hagar returns and bears a son and names him Ishmael. She remained in camp until just after the birth of Isaac, the son God gave to Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sarai) in their old age. However, it appears Ishmael may have learned some bad habits from good ol’ mom. After Sarah witnessed Ishmael mocking Isaac, Sarah insisted that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away for good.

In Genesis 21:14 we once again find Hagar in the desert. And once again God comes to her rescue. We see the fulfillment of the promises that He made to her in verses 20-21. Ishmael’s descendants are innumerable and as God promised in Genesis 16:12, Ishmael still fights with his brother (Islam vs Jews).

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—  where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; ⁶ the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; ⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121 (NIV)

  Read the full story of Hagar in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:8-21.

The God Who Sees study verses:

1. Why did Hagar give God the name El Roi? (Genesis 16:13)
2. How well does God know us? (Luke 12:7)
3. Complete this verse: Deuteronomy 12:28 (NIV)
4. Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right ___________________________________.
5. Where are the eyes of the LORD? (Proverbs 15:3)
6. What is he watching? (Proverbs 15:3)
7. What three things did God do for Jacob when He found him in the dessert? (Deuteronomy 32:10)
8. What will God do for us with His eyes upon us? (Psalm 32:8)
9. What are some other things that God watches over? (Deuteronomy 11:12) (Jeremiah 1:12)
10. What is something that might keep us out of trouble if we asked God to watch over it? (Psalm 141:3)
11. How would that benefit us?
12. How long will God watch over us? (Psalm 121:8)
13. Why does God search the earth? (2 Chronicles 16:9)
14. Can we hide from God? (Job 34:21-22) (Hebrews 4:13)
15. Does God only see those things we do in the open? (Matthew 6:3-4)

Read Psalm 33:13-22 and journal you thoughts about The God Who Sees.

Answers:

1. Because she had seen the “God Who Sees Me”
2. He even knows the number of hairs on our head
3. We wake because the Lord sustains us (he watches us as we sleep)
4. In the eyes of the LORD your God
5. Everywhere
6. The wicked and the good
7. 1) shielded him 2) cared for him 3) guarded him
8. Instruct us, teach us in the way we should go, and counsel us with his loving eye on us.
9. The land, His Word
10. My mouth, my lips
11. (your words here)
12. Forevermore
13. To strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
14. No
15. He also sees what is done in secret

First of all, I would like to get my qualifications for doing this study out in the open……..I don’t have any! This study is from a heart running after, towards and  eagerly seeking God’s heart; a heart after Him. What follows is what t I learn through my research and my hunger to know God intimately. I am simply sharing what I discover.

To begin our study on the Names of God, we must first discuss the origin of the name or the words used to describe an attribute of God. The Names we are about to study are, for the most part, names  that you will not see in your current translation of the Bible. The names, titles and attributes  we study go back to the original text. For the Old Testament we research the Hebrew meaning to words and in the New Testament it’s usually Greek, with a little Latin thrown in on the side. Start by reviewing the preface or introduction of your Bible. There will be a history of that translation and the publisher often details how they researched and used the original text.

The English language has “watered-down” so much of the original meaning of words. Ancient Hebrew and Greek words were rich with meaning (and still are for that matter.) One scholar says that it is best to have an Ancient Hebrew perception of God rather than our modern western view. This is not a language study on Hebrew and Greek words,  but we will look at some meanings that help show us how God used them to describe Himself through His Word. I highly encourage you to dive deep into the Word by doing your own word study as you meditate on Scripture. Looking at the meaning of original words makes Bible Study so exciting and fun. But….I warn you, Bible Study is addictive and contagious!

       O LORD, I pray that we all become infected with an addictive desire to study your Word and fall madly in love with You. I pray that we see You as You are and that the Word we study finds a home in our hearts and that we not only know your Word, Father, but we live it out and become a beacon of hope to those you send to us.

So let’s get started with the very first name that shows up in Genesis 1:1.

Elohim (EL-o-HEEM) is the name given to God as the Creator in the original Hebrew canon text of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). It appears in the very first sentence.

“In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth” GENESIS 1:1 (NIV).

Let’s start with a background on the word first used for God in the very first Scripture of the Bible.

EL comes from the Hebrew root אלה (‘ih) which means “strong, mighty, leader, authority” and was used to describe any god. When the Ancient Hebrews (hereinafter called “Ancients”) first used this word for God, it was written in pictograph form using the head of an Ox and a shepherd’s staff. Now this is where I get excited! The Ox represented strength and the staff represented authority. The Ancients saw God as the strong one with authority. But now it just gets even better! The staff also represented a staff on the shoulders….a yoke. When oxen were used to plow a field, two were “yoked” together, one older, stronger and more experienced, the other one younger and less experienced. The older guides and teaches the younger. The Ancients saw themselves yoked to God in this manner. I just absolutely love this depiction of God. Our Strong Authority guiding us and teaching us as we are yoked to Him. Do you also see the significance of the shepherd’s staff? I am awe struck just thinking about this. We will study the Shepherd later in this series.

Elohim is unique to the Hebrew language. It does not appear in any other ancient Semitic language. It is a masculine plural of EL or ELO’AH, the two most common ancient words used for divinity that translate as God. Hebrew, like many languages, has masculine, feminine, and non-gender words. This does not mean that a masculine word is only for males or a feminine word is only for females. It is simply a “form” of a word. Modern English has dropped this style of language and uses gender specific words.

The “im” at the end indicates more than one. The plural of the word does not mean plural “gods”. In English, plural means quantity, but in Hebrew it can also mean quality, something of great size or stature. In Hebrew the word Elohim is always used with singular verbs, adjectives and pronouns. Deuteronomy 10:17 (NIV) specifically says “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords…” Elohim is The God.

The name is unique! Would you really think that it would be anything else when it is a name used for God? A plural name used for one God! How exciting is that? Even in the name that is used in the first sentence of the Bible, there is a shadowing of the Trinity. Three Gods as One (also known as the Godhead).

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD (Yahweh) is our God (Elohim), the LORD is one.Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, together as One, created the heavens and the earth. One in essence, one in character, yet three persons united as one.

As you study the scriptures and questions below, think about all that God has created….even yourself. See the beauty and sovereignty that belongs to God. Ask God to show you His creation throughout the week. We often do not see his beauty because of what sin has done to His creation. But God will show you, in the smile of a child, the beauty of a sunset, the peace of a meadow, or a raging sea. Elohim is God, and Elohim is Creator.

God (Elohim) as Creator study verses:

The answers follow, but I encourage you to look up the Scriptures and answer the questions on your own. Take your time, you may do them all at once or one a day or one a week. The process is up to you. You can even search for more Scripture on your own. That’s the fun part, digging for yourself and finding the treasures.

1. In Genesis Chapter 1, what did God say about his creation? (Also see 1 Timothy 4:4)
2. How many times did he say it?
3. From Genesis Chapter 1, name some of the things created.
4. In Genesis 1:1 and 1:14, what was created that has such significance to us humans here on earth? (You might have to ponder on this one a little bit).
5. What did God create? (Isaiah 45:7) (Ephesians 3:9) (Colossians 1:16)
6. How did God create the angels, heavens, waters, sun, moon and stars (Psalm 148:2-5)
7. Who made rainbows and what is their purpose? (Genesis 9:12-17)
8. Who made mankind? (Genesis 1:26-27)
9. In whose image did God make man? (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6)
10. To whom do we belong? (Psalm 100:3) (1 Corinthians 6:19) (Romans 14:8)
11. Why did God create appointed times and boundaries? (Acts 17:26-28)
12. What job did God give mankind? (Genesis 1:28)
13. In your opinion, have we done a good job?
14. Does this change how you might treat God’s creation?
15. What did God do that brought life to man? (Genesis 2:7)
16. Knowing that God Himself breathed into the nostrils of Adam to give us life, what does that say to your heart about how “personal” he feels in his creation of you?
17. What should all of God’s creation do and why should they do it? (Psalm 148:2-5)(Revelation 4:11)

18. Is there any other God than the one who created the heavens and made the earth and all that inhabits it? (Isaiah 45:18)
19. Who else was involved in the Creation? (1 Corinthians 8:6) (Hebrew 1:2) (John 1:1-3) (Genesis 1:2) (Job 33:4)
20. According to Isaiah 40:12, how big is our God?

Please take a moment and write all the things you know about Elohim and God as Creator.

Answers (based on Scripture from the New International Version)

1.  That it was good
2. 7 (seven is the number of perfection)
3. Heavens, earth, light, (day and night), sky, land, seas, plants, trees, seed, fruit, sun, moon, stars, living creatures of the sea, birds, livestock, wild animals, man and woman.
4. Time (let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, days and years).
5. All things
6. By command
7. God made rainbows to be a sign of His covenant between Himself and the earth and all life that dwells upon the earth. When He sees it, He will remember the everlasting promise he made not to destroy by waters.
8. Please note that it Says “let us”
9. In God’s image and likeness
10. To God, The Lord
11. So that we would seek Him and reach out to Him.
12. Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. To rule.
13. (your own words here)
14. (your own words here)
15. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
16. (your words here)
17. Praise the name of the Lord because he created them.
18. No, there is no other
19. Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit
20. Big enough to hold the universe in the span of his hand!

Read the story of creation in Genesis Chapter one.

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

What’s in a name? A name in ancient Biblical time meant something. Not only did it function to link people to family heritage, a name was thought to reveal a person’s nature or character. A name was important. It was who you were.

To know the names of God is to know God’s nature and character. To know God’s nature and character is to know WHO HE IS.

So many of our problems today are due to a lack of a deep intimate relationship with God. We might know about him, but do we really KNOW him. So many of us aren’t considered His friend (a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard), we are merely acquaintances (a person known to one, but usually not a close friend) and sadly, most of the world doesn’t know Him at all. They have a false belief of who He is or who He is not.

To have an intimate relationship with someone, to be called a friend, we need to spend time getting to know them personally and yes, we actually need to spend time WITH them.

The word intimate means: associated in close personal relations: an intimate friend; characterized by or involving warm friendship or a personally close or familiar association or feeling: very private; closely personal: one’s intimate affairs; of an association, knowledge, understanding; arising from close personal connection or familiar experience.

Wouldn’t you love to have a close personal relationship with God? A warm, personally close, very private friendship where you knew each other’s hearts and you had knowledge and understanding of each other? This is the kind of relationship that Moses had with God. Read what God said to Aaron and Miriam when He heard them jealously complain about their brother.

Numbers 12:6-8 (NLT)

⁶ And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you,
    I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
    I would speak to them in dreams.
⁷ But not with my servant Moses.
    Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
⁸ I speak to him face to face,
    clearly, and not in riddles!
    He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?”

Oh! To be a close personal friend to God. One that He trusts! A friendhip built on clear communication with someone you know. To see the Lord as He is. That is an intimate relationship that we should all pursue with gusto.

A close intimate friend knows the desires of a friend’s heart. Do we know the desires of God’s heart? What gives him joy or makes him sad? Do we know the things that delight him or make him angry? Do we know what He loves or what He hates? Is He merciful or vengeful?   Do we know how much He loves us and to what extent He goes in order to display that love? Do we really know him the way He wants to be known?

There is an illustration that compares the relationship between God and most Christians today in a story about a man (“Joe”) who mentions that he is attending a sporting event with a famous athlete. The athlete was playing in the game and Joe was in the stands watching the game! For example purposes we will just say it was Labron James, one of Joe’s favorite basketball players. Joe knows who Labron is, what sport he plays and that Labron is very good at what he does. They are often at the same events at the same time. However, because there isn’t a personal relationship, Joe knows very little about Labron other than what he does for a living. If they were to pass in the hall or see each other at a restaurant, there would be no friendly exchange or loving embrace between two close friends. There would only be Joe’s admiration from afar of a great athlete. That’s the kind of relationship most of us have with God, a far off admiration of a God we don’t know personally.

The purpose of this study is to become a personal and intimate friend with God. We are going to spend some time with Him and allow Him to tell us who He is …..in his own words! Now that’s exciting! God Himself is going to reveal his awesome and wonderful personality and nature to us through his various names (some are actually titles, but we will call them names all the same.) He already knows every little intimate detail about us, but like Joe and Labron, God knows who we are but we know very little, if anything, about him.

Psalm 91 is one of my favortite passages in Scripture. It has references to several names that we will study. Verse 14 leads us to one reasonwhy we should  learn The names of God. Knowing His name, is knowing Who He Is, and knowing Who He Is, is how we acknowldege Him.

PSALM 91 (NIV)

We are going to discover an Awesome God. One who knows arts and crafts better than anyone I’ve ever known! He can create something from nothing! He is loving, kind, merciful, doctor, healer, judge, unfailing ……. He is Elohim, El Roi, El Shaddai, Lord, Lion of Judah, Savior, Holy Spirit and so much more!

The Bible is God’s story to us. It’s a perfect book where He tells his story through the precious things He created. He tells us so much about Himself through pages upon pages of human history. Yes, God uses us to tell His story! The Bible is complete, but His story goes on forever and we all get to be a vital part of it!

I can’t wait to get started, my friend, so grab your Bible, pen and paper. Things are about to change!

In the sessions to come, we will have study questions that come form Scripture. However, for today, please take a moment to reflect on your relationship with God and do the following exercise.

WHO IS GOD

A good relationship is built on honesty. It starts with a discussion of facts. Where are we in the relationship and how can we make it better. So, in your own words write a description of God and your current relationship with Him on a piece of paper or better yet, in a jouranl that you will use for this study. Be truthful and let it come from your heart. This is personal. You do not need to reveal this too anyone else unless you want to do so. This is between you and your God. This is in an honest inventory of your relationship. He longs to hear what you have to say! He wants your honesty! He wants a deeper more personal and intimate relationship with you! (We will do this exercise again at the end of the study to see if our view of who God is has changed.)