Are We Living Like “ORPHANS” Or God’s Children ? (Part 1)

I recently preached a sermon on how many believing Christians have what I believe is an “Orphan Spirit” that hinders them from trusting and truly enjoying an intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father. Jesus said that he came to give us “Abundant Life” and he did so because of the Father’s love. Yet,  it seems few believers experience such a life. Far too often professing Christians talk about what they believe without actually experiencing the reality of what they strongly agree biblically.

John 10:10        

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Let me share some of the things in my life, both before and after coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus, that brought about a distorted picture of God. This distorted view of God helped keep me from all that God wanted for me. I want to assure you that if you often feel distant from God you’re not alone and all too often it is a mindset and perception that Satan has used throughout the ages to infiltrate our souls to keep us away from the Father’s heart.

In the beginning days of my walk with Jesus, I realized a great inconsistency in my behavior that baffled me. I am a strong-willed person by nature so I figured if anyone was going to be a strong Christian it would be me. I was determined and committed. I was not a fair weather believer. Then one day the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to a truth that set me free from what I discovered was an “Orphaned Spirit”. This term and its understanding is now taught by many solid teachers in the body of Christ but when I got saved it was pretty much unheard of.

The Holy Spirit gave me a great revelation that set me on a path of discovery about having a greater intimacy with God instead of just having gratitude for his forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Christ. If Satan can keep us in deception he will malign God and his character so that we struggle trusting him. Satan will try to accuse God of being unjust or unloving as we experience our own personal struggles in life and then twists our understanding of the meaning of scripture to cloud our mind so as not to be able to practically trust God. The end result is God’s forgiveness becomes the ultimate end instead of an intimacy towards with Father God. The forgiveness of Christ gives us access to the family of God where we are adopted as sons and daughter of the living God.

John 1:12      

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 

Let me explain my background before Christ a little more and hopefully you see how my understanding of God was still flawed even after coming to a saving knowledge of Christ. Back when I found the Lord in 1969, I was filled with hate towards my own biological father. It was one of the reasons I had such a hard time believing in a loving God. Becoming a Christian was no easy journey for me and there were many hurdles I had to overcome in my personal history and view of relationships. There were a few things that helped softened my heart as I truly discovered God. One thing that was a softening agent was meeting some young believers who were being transformed by Jesus even though they only came to Christ a short time ago. They demonstrated to me, in their own crude and immature love of God, something I knew I didn’t deserve. So few Christians today demonstrate transformation of any kind other than their confession of information about Jesus. My standard question for professing Christians today is: How long have you “Known” the Lord?  The answer is normally…..since I was 8 years old or when I was in my teens at youth camp. I would then proceed to ask the question, “Did you change then“? Most would say something like, “I didn’t until many years later”. This would provoke me to declare that they probably didn’t “Truly” experience the forgiveness of Christ and a “Born Again” relationship until the actual transformation happened. This belief comes from the scripture where Paul tells us what “should” happen when someone comes to a saving knowledge of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18      

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 

When I started to read the gospels I discovered God’s character in his Son Jesus Christ. It was one of tremendous love and compassion even to the vile of sinners, which clearly included me.   I learned about how Jesus lived without bitterness or resentment when so many religious people hated him. I think I was running from God because I thought he was responsible for all the pain in my life and for giving me parents that didn’t seem to know what real love was.

When I came to Christ I had a lot of “baggage“.  In fact, my wife teases me by saying that when I came to Christ I really over packed!

Let me close this first article on the “Orphan Spirit” by saying that our background will most likely color our perception of God and his intentions. If that perception is of a creator who does what he pleases and has the power to do whatever he wants then we will remain distant from him even if we embrace his offer of forgiveness. If the scripture is true, and I believe it is, then Jesus came to do more than just be a sacrifice for our sin. He came to offer adoption into the family of God.

My heart truly aches over the wounded spirits of so many believers who live sub standard lives when they could be living in the abundance of the Heavenly Father’s love. In the next article, we will dig deeper into the cause and cure of an “Orphan Spirit”.

Questions

1) Did you grow up with a father that struggled to be the loving parent you needed? God can heal that perception in your heart if        you will just ask him. Your mind can be wounded just like you body.

2) Are you struggling with approaching your Heavenly Father for more than just forgiveness? He strongly desires to heal you and      fill you as you read the scripture and discover the wonder of his character.

John 14:16-18                                                                                                                                                   

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

[18] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you

Pastor Dale