Because of our fallen nature and the negative patterns we may have learned from human relationships, we often relate to God as though we were orphan children instead of who we really are: his beloved sons and daughters. This attitude has repercussions in the way we behave toward God and those around us. Recognizing the ways we fail to see our identity in Christ can be the first step toward a relationship with Jesus that is hopeful, refreshing, and intimate. The following exercise is adapted with permission from Sonship, a discipleship course of World Harvest Mission (www.whm.org). Sonship is designed to renew the hearts of believers by applying the gospel of God's grace to their lives and ministries. Read through each description. Put a check beside any tendency you see in yourself. Orphan ____ I feel alone, lack a vital, daily intimacy with God, sense "a vacuum of self concern." ____ I live on a success/fail basis, need to look good to others, am performance-oriented. ____ I labor under a sense of unlimited obligation, try hard to please, am likely to burn out. ____ I yearn to be right, safe, secure. I am unwilling to fail, unable to tolerate criticism, can only handle praise. ____ I feel like I must always try harder. I rely on self-effort and my "gift package" to get by in ministry. ____ I feel powerless to defeat the flesh. I have no real heart victory over pet sins, yet I have lost a sense of being a big sinner. Son/Daughter ____ I have a growing assurance that "God is really my loving Heavenly Father." (1 John 4:16) ____ I am learning to live in daily self-conscious partnership with God; I am not fearful. ____ Prayer is the first resort. I say, "I'm going to ask my Daddy, Father, first." ____ I am able to take risks, even fail. Because my righteousness is in Christ, I need no record to boast in, protect, or defend. ____ I am trusting less in self and in the Holy Spirit more (with a self-conscious, daily reliance). ____ As I rest in Christ, I am seeing more and more victory over the flesh (Romans 8:1–9). Yet I see myself as a big sinner. Discuss 1. When you feel alone, condemned, or afraid, what false view of God are you likely to believe? 2. In what areas of your life are you most likely to behave as an orphan? In which areas do you most trust in God's goodness, and what gives you that confidence in God? 3. How might seeing God as a good father change how you interact with him?    FuneralsMinister well during a difficult period of grief.  Spiritual WarfareMove your relationship with the Lord to a deeper level. Choosing the Right Words How to speak to a friend who has cancer.
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