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Kingdom Living - Sons of God

by Nathan Ogden

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Our perception of ourselves and almost everything else in life creates our belief system and our reality.
The bible tells us in proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks within himself, so is he.”
I believe this truth shapes our lives as Christians; what we really think of ourselves and how we imagine God sees us has a great bearing on what kind of life we lead.
In my career as a pastor, I have had the opportunity to write two books. The first is called I Am the One He Loves and the second is called Sons of God - A Supernatural Existence.
The second book and its title have always been a bit tongue in cheek because I have always had this sneaking suspicion that most “Christians” don’t feel comfortable referring to themselves as “sons of God”.
The content of this book was meant to counter act religious thinking that often infers that to be boastful in our new identity in Christ is somehow not humble or godly. The truth is however, completely the opposite.
Sometimes, unabashedly, I proclaim out loud that I am a son of God. If it sounds strange, I say it again, sometimes until any sort of shame or doubt loses its ability to silence me.
It may sound silly to you, my reader, but I challenge you to do it sometime and repeat it until all the uncomfortable feelings subside and you can say it aloud without reservation.
I am a firm believer that the more we embrace and confess the truth of our relationship with God our Father and the truth about our relational identity towards Him, the more it will shift our relationship paradigm with God.
Part of the problem with modern day Christianity and Christians is that our new existence is seen through the lens of a servant and not of a son, but the facts are simply this; that we have been adopted into the family of God and been made joint heirs with Christ Jesus.
This is reinforced over and over in scripture:
John 1:12 (NKJV)
12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
1 John 3:2 (NKJV)
2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Galatians 4:6 (NKJV)

6  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So, it begs the question, “Why do so many people who claim to be “Christians” have an uncomfortable reservation about making God familiar to themselves?”
Why do so many believers approach God in a way that is full of hesitation and reservation and with no confidence that our “Abba” or Poppa, is inclined to hear us, speak to us, and give us good gifts so that our joy may be full?
Jesus asks it like this to paraphrase, “If we as parents know how to be good to our kids and give them good things solely on the premise that they are our kids, how much more will God, our Father in Heaven, who really is good not give us good things?
So many Christians have a poverty mindset when it comes to approaching God as their Father because they really have not experienced Him as family.
The book of Hebrews paints a wonderful picture of how kids should behave towards their parents in terms of having confidence of their parents love for them:
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
16  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The key word I want you to notice here is “boldly”. Not like a servant, not like a criminal, but as a son, welcomed in the presence of the Father.
Let me give you an analogy. My wife and I have six children and we currently have five grandchildren. To this day, anytime our kids come to our house or our grandkids come to Nonna and Poppa’s house, they immediately go into the kitchen go through our cupboards, the refrigerator, or any other area of the kitchen and get whatever they want to eat or snack on.
They all prop up on our sectional couch, kick their shoes off, and grab the remote to watch whatever they want on the TV. They don’t even think a second thought about making themselves completely at home.
Even though most of our kids are grown and have their own houses, when they come to our house, they act like our sons and daughters. There is no question in their minds that they are our kids and that they have free access to everything in our house to partake of, just as they should.
It’s a picture in the natural of how we should see ourselves and conduct ourselves in the presence of God our Father. Even if we are in a place of trouble or have made mistakes, we can still boldly go before the throne of our Father, running into His presence because we are His sons, we are His daughters, we are His family.
I want to challenge you today as part of kingdom living to no longer live your life relationally speaking towards God as a servant, but to boldly proclaim and embrace this truth; that you believe, you are a son of God, not just a Christian.
When you begin to allow that truth to shape and aim your perspective, it will become your reality.



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