The Journey – 4. From an Orphan to a Son!

I am beginning to realize what God is doing here within all of us. I just recently had a conversation with a few of the men at breakfast yesterday and we were talking about the culture here at New Day. How it is one filled with love. No longer are we performing for God or others thus we are now free to love.

When you are worried about performing for God – whether or not He accepts you, you actually lose the freedom to truly love people. Nor can we receive love from others or God. When we are more self conscious then love conscious we lose the ability to be a true brother and sister to others.

But its more than just a culture of love that God is forming here. Love is just a by-product of something greater God is doing in all our hearts.

And that is what I discovered this week. I saw it. I saw what Is hindering many of you. I realize now why these messages I have been preaching are making such an Impact on your life but at the same time I now see why there is a heightened level of frustration from people struggling to walk In this new found freedom…

There Is this constant pull to go back to function. To go back to religion. To camp out in a place of DOING for God rather than RECEIVING from God.

Here Is what I saw this week – God is transforming us from orphan minded people to mature sons and daughters.

From those who live with a sense or fear of rejection and disapproval to become one who knows they are fully accepted and deeply loved without condition.

Without realizing It I lived most of my Christian life deeply loving God but with an orphan mindset. I lived with an exchange conditional relationship with God. That It was my job to make God happy or else. That In order to gain His favor I had to earn and win It over. That at any moment He had the right to reject me.

I lived with the a great passion and love for Him but never felt like I was matching up to His expectations of me. I tried hard to live right do right believe right but still knew I didn’t fully measure up.

So unlike others I knew, I stepped up my game and became the best Christian I knew. I never did this consciously but subconsciously In order to be accepted I worked my Christian tail off. I was admired for It. I even received a spiritual father relationship I wanted because Of It. It produced so much apparent benefits In my life. but not until God did an amazing work In me and until this week did i realize what he did In my life. He took me from an orphan minded Christian to a son who now Is secure and knows he is accepted.

This whole Idea of freedom and receiving God’s love is predicated on relational before functional.

Orphans minded believers strive to earn a place in the environment they are in.
Sons rest in the place that has been freely given.

Orphans minded believers are self preservers not sure who is going to care for them thus they fend for themselves.
Sons are dependent upon their Father because they know He loves them.

Orphans minded believers are always out to prove something, mainly two things – “I’m good enough, so please pick me” & “I can do this on my own”
Sons are rejoicing that they have been accepted fully.

One more thing…

Orphans live with walls that surround and protect them.
Sons and daughters have allowed God to break down those walls and learn to love and to be loved.

I could go on but I hope you get the point. We are sons and daughters in this place. And although that is who we are, there is still tendencies and residues of an orphan mindset that lurks within all of us.

And today God is going to do something special in our lives. I just ask that you are open and willing to receive His love.

I want to ask a few simple but very intentional questions –
1. What grade do you start your day off with God?
2. Does He grade before you wake up or at the end of the Day?
3. How are you and God?