Romans 8:14-17
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
All of us have grown up in a unique family of origin. Even in the same house, our experiences with a mom or dad can be very different. Some of you may have had both parents present and living in the same home. Some come from homes where your parents were divorced with parents present or not present to various degrees. Some of you have lost parents, been adopted, grown up in the foster care system, or lived with extended family, etc… Some of you know imperfect but loving parents, and some of you have not had parents that were capable of loving well. All of this can affect how we view our Heavenly Father and our relationship with him.
In God, we have a perfect Father. He loves perfectly, provides perfectly, and corrects perfectly. He is always with us, always for us, always available when we call on him, and always working on our behalf. He is filled with grace and compassion, justice and truth. All that he does for us is filtered through a love so big we will never fully comprehend it. He is patient with us as we sort through our earthly filters to come to an understanding of, and trust in his great love for us, as we walk in the Spirit of adoption as his sons and daughters.
As his kids, we get the full benefits of being his heirs. My sons know they have access to all that my husband and I have. They can walk into the refrigerator and help themselves to what is there. They know if there is a need, we will make sure it is met to the best of our ability. They know we will be their transportation, clothe them, advise them, and invest in their dreams. They know we love them even though we don’t get it right every time. If an earthly parent with limited abilities and resources can do that, how much more will our Heavenly Father who is perfect with no limits or lack? We can walk into his Word and grab ahold of every truth, every promise and know God will be faithful to do everything he says.
He does not just have what you need personally, but he has more than enough to supply what we all need. There is no need for sibling rivalry, jockeying for position, vying for the father’s attention, or angling for your portion of the inheritance. He has grafted us into his family so that we can work together in unity knowing he provides abundantly and loves deeply with plenty to go around.
Knowing he is a good and perfect Father, we can safely and confidently walk in our identity as sons and daughters. We have a Father worth emulating. He has all the love we could ever desire and he knows how to meet our needs. He fills us up so we can pour it out on others. He gives us abundantly beyond what we could dare to hope for or dream so we can share it with others. We don’t have to keep it to ourselves because he always has more to give. Let’s take some time to reflect on His goodness and allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see where we can grow in our understanding of what it means to be a son/daughter of God.
Listening Prayer:
Holy Spirit, reveal to me any area of my life where I am operating in the mindset of an orphan. What thoughts about me or about you do you want me to let go of? What lies am I believing that are holding me back from walking as your son or daughter. What are the truths about you and about me that you want to replace those lies? What scripture backs up those truths? Write down what the Holy Spirit reveals to you and use it to fill in the blanks in the following prayer.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank you that you are a good and loving Father. Thank you for calling me your son/daughter and for adopting me into your family. I confess there are things about you that I have believed that are not true. I repent for believing the lie that you are____________(say what he revealed in the listening prayer). Forgive me for believing those lies. I choose to replace them with the truth you revealed to me in my time of listening, based on your word, that you are____________. Additionally, I repent that I have not always operated in the Spirit of adoption. Thank you for showing me where I did not believe your truths about me. I repent for believing __________about myself. Forgive me for believing those lies. I choose to believe your truth about me, based on your word, that I am ____________.
Resource: Bible Verses on Being Sons and Daughters of God
1 John 3:1
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Philippians 4:19
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Proverbs 3:11-12
“My son, do not despise the Lord‘s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”