Identity theft is a multi- billion dollar industry that continues to grow every year, and I believe it is a natural phenomena that is revealing a spiritual reality in our culture. We live in a day where orphan thinking and lack of identity as son's is prevalent in the church, which then multiplies in our society in the form of lack of honor, respect, and the running from correction and authority. Many of our churches are big day cares who have to continually entertain the adult toddlers with the newest and most exciting to keep them coming for they refuse to grow up and put away childish things. Jesus marveled at only one persons faith when He walked the Earth and that was a Roman centurion who recognized that Jesus was a man of authority because He was under authority. Hebrews tells us that Jesus' prayers were heard because of His loud cries and His reverent submission, and not because of His great faith or the "anointing" on His life.
Jesus was above everything else a son who learned obedience through the things that He suffered, and it is those that learn to be led by the Spirit that become the (Huios) or mature sons of God that He can entrust cities and nations with. We are told in Psalm 2:7 & 8," I will proclaim the Lord's decree: He said to me,"You are my Son; today I have become your Father". Ask of Me and I will give you the nations as an inheritance, the ends of the Earth your possession". Notice that this promise is to a son; prophetically speaking of Jesus, but also applicable to us because only son's get an inheritance and we are His offspring (Acts 17). The Fathers desire is to entrust us with nations but we have to embrace growing up as son's for that promise to manifest in our lives. Paul tells us that all of creation is groaning for a manifestation of the son's of God, notice not believers, Christians, or church attenders, but sons (Huios).
Our identity is found in Him alone, it is not found in natural or spiritual fathers even though they can help move us in the right direction as a resource pointing to THE Source. It is also not found in what we do, but who He has made us, and real maturity is when we learn to submit one to another out of reverence for Christ and stop comparing and being full of competitive jealousy. Let me also make this ONE thing very clear; we are "NOT ORPHANS" because God is the Father of EVERY family named in Heaven and Earth ( Eph 3:15), but we can still "THINK" like an orphan. So our identity is as a son, who at times still deals with orphan thinking, so when I compare orphans and son's it is simply in our ways of thinking but NOT our true identity and how God sees us. Here are a few examples of orphan thinking compared to son's thinking.
1: View of God.
-orphans: see God as slave master, and one who you are to be terrified and afraid of.
-son's: see God as a loving Father who is to be loved and adored.
2: Theology.
-orphans: view is a love of law.
-son's: view is the law of love.
3: Need for approval.
-orphans: strive for the praise of men, and acceptance, and love to name drop, and have a need to be acknowledged, and rarely are because they strive for it.
-son's: see themselves totally accepted in the Fathers love, and do not need the approval of men.
4: Self Image.
-orphans: are full of self rejection and jealousy from comparing themselves to others.
-son's: are positive and affirmed, they find their value in their identity from the Father.
5: Motive to serve.
-orphans: have a need to impress others, and a desire to impress and be seen as mature, as well as want the credit for their service.
-son's: serve out of love, and to be sent as a representative of His love and family and realize that they are son's who choose to serve, but out of a want too and not a have too.
6: Sense of God's presence.
-orphans: see it as conditional and distant and something to chase and be desperate for.
-son's: see it as close and intimate and something that never leaves them for they are in perfect union with their Father.
7: View of authority.
- orphans: see it in their lives as pain, distrust, and a lack of submission, with an attitude that says I need no one.
-son's: are respectful, honoring, and submissive towards authority knowing that they need healthy relationships in their lives.
8: Money and stewardship.
-orphans: owners; don't touch MY money or MY stuff, and God don't need MY money.
-son's: stewards; who own nothing, possess nothing, and control nothing, for it is all their Fathers and they know He loves to share with them and meet their needs and give them the desires of their hearts.
I truly believe that no one can truly know who they really are outside of knowing the one who created them, and it is in Christ that we find our true identity, and it is as son's that He is well pleased with. So I want to encourage all of my friends to get to know the Author of life, who is a truly good, good Father, for it is in knowing Him that you will then begin to truly know yourself and be able to love yourself, so you can then love your neighbor.