Menu
Bible Gateway logo
account
  • read
    Read
    the Bible
    • Reading Plans
    • Advanced Search
    • Available Versions
    • Audio Bibles
  • study
    Study
    Tools
    • Scripture Engagement
    • More Resources
  • plus
    Bible Gateway
    Plus
  • explore
    Explore
    More
    • News & Knowledge
    • Newsletters
    • Devotionals
    • Bible Gateway App
    • Bible Audio App
    • Bible Gateway Blog
  • store
    Store
    • Bibles
    • Deals
    • More
BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Start for FREE.
close
Go ad-free and access insights alongside every verse—Bible Study Made Simple with Bible Gateway Plus.
close
account Log In/Sign Up show menu
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
Version
Bible Book List Bible Book List
Font Size Font Size

◀Devotionals/Encouragement for Today - Friday, June 14, 2024
Share Print
Prev Day Prev Day
Reading Completed Reading Completed | June 14, 2024 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan. close
Next Day Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

June 2024 Previous Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30            
Return to today's reading

Log in to read this devotional and:

  • Have reminders sent directly to your email
  • Record your reading progress
  • Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace
Log In

Encouragement for Today

Duration: 365 days
Untitled Document
Kia Stephens

June 14, 2024

Building a Secure Attachment Style With God
KIA STEPHENS

Lee en español

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

“I have an insecure attachment style,” I wrote in my journal.

I had recently been researching the different types of “attachment styles,” a psychological term for how our primary caregivers’ engagement with us as infants can impact our adult relationships. I learned that our family of origin can set us up to have secure attachments or insecure ones.

It was eye-opening and painful at the same time as I unpacked how my attachment style impacted my closest relationships. Growing up, I experienced a difficult relationship with my mom and a nonexistent one with my father. Although my mother did the best she could, I still grew up with a fear of rejection and abandonment.

But while many articles I read about attachment seemed to outline human relationships well, they often omitted our most important relationship: the one with our heavenly Father.

Many of us tend to view God through the lens of our biological fathers. As a result, we may sometimes hesitate to place our faith completely in Him. We may wonder, What if He doesn’t keep His promises? What if my circumstances never change? How do I know if God will be a heavenly Father to me? Maybe you have found yourself asking similar questions.

But when our trust in God wavers, we can remind ourselves of who He is. For instance, in Numbers 23:19, Scripture debunks any assumption that God can be compared with a sinful human being:

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

These words were originally spoken to Balak, a wicked prince who sought to manipulate God’s power for his personal benefit, but they also offer comfort for us today. Simply put, God is not in the same category with broken humans. Although we may have erroneously compared Him to our fathers or the fatherly figures in our lives, there is no comparison. God is unchanging and perfectly loving in a way no human parent will ever be.

He can be trusted.
He does not lie.
He keeps His promises.
And He will never change His mind about us.

We can also be sure of God’s character through His past faithfulness to us — real-life evidence that He will never leave us and that He does what He says He will do. God patiently provides us with repeated opportunities to trust Him courageously, in spite of our fears that He will abandon us.

No matter the foundation we've received from our family of origin, God makes it possible for us to establish and build a secure attachment with Him. If we are wrestling with whether our heavenly Father will abandon us, we can silence this fear with the truth of who God says He is in Scripture.

Dear God, thank You for being my heavenly Father. Help me courageously choose to trust that You will never abandon me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

If you have been hurt, rejected or abandoned by your father, it may feel like every aspect of life is affected by that broken trust. In her book, Overcoming Father Wounds, Kia Stephens shares her own story of father wounds, along with eye-opening examples from women in Scripture who were transformed by the love of God. With great compassion, Kia offers practical tools to help you overcome insecurity, low self-esteem, perfectionism, and trouble connecting with God as your loving heavenly Father. Get your copy here!

ENGAGE

Download a FREE chapter of Overcoming Father Wounds here, and join Kia on her YouTube channel as she delves deeper into the topic of “Building a Secure Attachment Style With God.”

To learn more about biblical perspectives on attachment and relationships, you can also check out our Therapy & Theology episode “Knowing Your Attachment Style.”

FOR DEEPER STUDY

2 Timothy 2:13, "if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself" (ESV).

How does the truth that God is not like sinful humans encourage you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

© 2024 by Kia Stephens. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org

Prev Day Prev Day
Top
Next Day Next Day

About

  • About
  • News & Knowledge
  • Statement of Faith
  • Mobile App
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Newsroom
  • Support Us

Help

  • FAQs
  • Tutorials
  • Use Bible Gateway on Your Site
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Cookie notice
  • Site: Terms of use
  • Widget: Terms of use

Our Network

  • FaithGateway
  • StudyGateway
  • ChurchSource
  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Grupo Nelson
  • Editorial Vida
  • Thomas Nelson
  • WestBow Press
  • Zondervan
  • MasterLectures

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences
Sign Up for Bible Gateway: News & Knowledge
Get weekly Bible news, info, reflections, and deals in your inbox.

By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 501 Nelson Pl, Nashville, TN 37214 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateway’s emails at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com.

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences