Matt McCluskey
‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ‘ – Romans 8:14-16
It’s unbecoming of a daughter or son of God to get their value out of anything that’s not Him. When you come into Christ, the Lord begins a journey in your heart that takes us to a place where only what He says to us through the word or in times of encounters with Him matters. You have to come to a place where you walk free of all the other voices and places of value. And in that place, you become the men and women that you were called to be: children that are responsive to His voice.
When you have a spirit of adoption, there is an external cause. You know that you are adopted by a good father. You don’t have regret or fear of the future because you truly believe that you have a good Father.
THE RELATIONSHIP
If you were going to create a rocking chair to mass produce a billion times, you would take a lot of time on that first rocking chair and you would make sure it was the full expression of your heart. Similarly, when you look at the Garden of Eden and the relationship that God had with Adam and Eve, you see an expression of His heart and the kind of relationship He wanted to have with us as men and women.
Adam had total communion and friendship with God. Adam wasn’t just a ministry slave, they had a real friendship. They sat together and made jokes together. Adam was not afraid or intimidated by God. When he had a question for God, he would go to Him and God would answer him. Adam’s entire sense of worth was based on how God saw him, and not others.
God’s original design was to have a relationship with His children in the garden. He died to reconcile us back into a relationship with the Father.
There are over 300 different names for God in the Old Testament but Jesus was here for 3 years of open ministry and He kept coming back to one word. He said ‘I’ve come to reveal the Father.’
THE CHILDREN
There are two different types of children in God’s kingdom. There are sons and daughters and there are orphans. Both of these types of children are going to heaven one day. They both have stamps on their spiritual passport and both can move in signs and wonders. Externally, it’s difficult to tell if they’re a son/daughter or more of an orphan, They’re both saved but their inner worlds are entirely different.
Sons and daughters have allowed the Holy Spirit’s voice and thought patterns to convince them thoroughly that at every level as the Father loves Jesus, so He loves them. They truly believed that everything Jesus died for is their inheritance above how good they have been and their perfect behavior. Because of that, they live free of regrets from the past and free of fear of the future. You should come to a place where fear becomes foreign to you.
Orphans, on the other hand, have this feeling that they do not belong to God’s family. They regularly experience fears and insecurities that rule their lives. Without a representation of the Heavenly Father, most of us will be born as an orphan in the body of Christ.
THE TRAITS
The heart of an orphan strives for the praise and approval and acceptance of man. They do tasks in hopes that the person in authority will tell them that they’ve done a good job. With sons, it’s great if they get acceptance or approval, but what matters most is what the Lord thinks about them and what they’ve done. And just like a good Father, He will tell them that they did a great job and they could’ve done better.
The heart of an orphan’s motive for service is the need for personal achievement. They’re looking to achieve an act that will affirm who they are as a person. The heart of a son wants to serve but it is motivated by a deep love for the family. Whether it’s noted in the heart of mankind doesn’t matter.
The heart of an orphan sees correction as a place of pain, they try to avoid it. They can’t wait to defend themselves. The heart of a son willfully hears things out. Orphans see authority as a source of pain. They think leadership is always hypocritical. The heart of a son is always honoring authority.
The heart of an orphan has a poverty mindset and is outraged when someone makes a financial demand upon them. Their definition of well-being is tied to how much is in their bank account. The heart of a son is generous and really understands that everything they have is God’s own.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
How do you see yourself? As a son or daughter? As an orphan?
What lie are you believing about God’s goodness that makes your heart react like an orphan? What are you not understanding about God?
What lie are you believing about yourself that makes your heart react like an orphan? What are you believing about yourself that is not true?
