A Son's Life - Blog by Barry Adams

A son is led by his Father's voice.

2013-05-25T04:01:25Z

John 14:24

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
These words you hear are not my own;
they belong to the Father who sent me. (NIV)

Jesus lived a life of complete dependence upon His Dad. Everything that Jesus did was an exact representatiion of His Father's being (Hebrews 1:3). He was always listening for His Father's voice to guide Him. In Romans 8:14, we read that those who are led by the Spirit of God are really the children of God.

To live in sonship is to live a life of learning to be led by the Spirit of God so that we can tune in to His frequency and hear His voice. Jesus told us in the first part of John 8:47 that Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.(NIV) Part of our birthright is to be able to discern the voice of God when He speaks to us.

In John 10:27, Jesus tells us My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (NIV) It is imperative for us to come into a place of intimacy with the Triune God where we can recognize His voice when He speaks. When my own earthly father would call me on the phone, he wouldn't have to identify himself by the words he said. As soon as I heard his voice, I knew it was my dad.

Many years ago, I had an experience where I was subjected to a harsh, public prophetic word that seemed to be speaking about things that God was already dealing with me on. The big difference was the tone and harshness and insensitivity to how it was delivered. Still, I wondered if it was indeed a word from God because it touched on issues that I was already dealing with.

In prayer I asked God if it was Him speaking to me through this prophetic word. All He said to me was... "Barry, did you hear My voice in the words that were spoken?" Immediately I knew what God was saying to me. He was telling me to listen to the tones in the voice to recognize if indeed it was from Him. When I thought of this encounter in this light, I realized that this is not the way my heavenly Dad deals with me. He doesn't publically humiliate me with harsh words of judgment. It was at that point that I could respond to God and say... "Of course that wasn't your voice!".

As beloved sons and daughters to our Father and beloved brothers and sisters to our elder brother, it is part of our inheritance to be able to hear the loving voice of God speaking to us. Seven times in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus tells us... Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (NIV)

An orphan mindset does not feel intimately connected to a father to be able to be led by His voice. An orphan feels all alone in this world and since he has no one else to guide him, he feels the need to guide himself. Of course we know that we are not orphans! We do not have to live by orphan beliefs and mindsets because we have a heavenly Father who loves us and has called us into an intimate relationship with us so that we could recognize His voice when He speaks to us.

My prayer today is that our God and Father would bring a deeper revelation of His fathering to our hearts so that we would know that we are not alone in this world. I pray that the eyes of our hearts would be opened by the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18) so that we could tune into our Father's voice just as Jesus does.

I pray that every word of judgment and condemnation that we hear from the father of lies would be exposed for what it is and that we would have the grace to resist every voice that does not come from God. May we have the grace to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and live a life of being led by the Spirit of God, always listening for our Father's voice.

Sons are part of the family business.

2013-05-18T04:01:54Z

Luke 2:49

⁴⁹And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me?
Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me
to be in My Father's house and [occupied] about My Father's business? (AMP)

I love the story in Luke 2:41-50 when Mary & Joseph took their teenage boy Jesus to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover feast. At the end of the celebration they headed home but somehow they forgot to bring Jesus with them! Stressed out, they went back to Jerusalem and found Jesus sitting in the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions.

When they asked their teenage son why He decided to stay behind, Jesus seemed perplexed and asked them a question in turn... Didn't you know that I would be about My Father's business???? We know Jesus was not being cheeky to His parents, but was genuine is sharing His heart with His parents. Perhaps it was because He was at the bar mitzvah age where a son would be transferred into his father's care? Whatever the reason, we can clearly see that Jesus saw Himself as part of His heavenly Dad's business.

Sons work with their fathers, not for their fathers. The heart of a son is to be part of everything that His Dad is doing. An orphan at heart on the other hand feels no such connection. A good example of an orphan mindset is the elder brother in the prodigal son story in Luke 15:11-31. Though everything that belonged to his father already belonged to him, he actually saw himself as being a slave to his father.

We pick up on the story in Luke 15:29 where he angrily tells his father how upset he is that his own younger brother was getting a party after returning home... He tells his dad... ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. (NIV)

Even though he was the oldest son and privy to a double portion of his father's inheritance, he saw himself as a slave out in his father's field. I am thankful that the father in the story showed as much love to the older brother as he did to the younger brother and invited him to come in and join the party.

Those of us who still struggle with orphan mindsets might feel the same way if we are not convinced that we are truly part of our heavenly Dad's business. In the prodigal son story, the father told the elder brother that everything that he had belonged to him. Yet, the son struggled to believe that was true and chose to wallow in bitterness and resentment. We don't know whether he chose to accept his father's invitation and join the party or not. I certainly hope he did for his sake.

The truth is that every person who has received Christ into their lives has become born again and part of the family of God. We have become legal sons to our heavenly Dad and are part of His business whether we realize it or not.

My prayer today is that God would reveal to each one of us that we really do belong to him and that everything He has already belongs to us. We are part of the family business whether we know it or not! We are not on the outside looking in, but on the inside looking out! May every person who reads this blog hear the invitation of their Father to come into the house and join the party!

A son lives under an open heaven.

2013-05-11T04:01:47Z

Matthew 3:16-17

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (ESV)

Before Jesus did anything in public ministry, He received affirmation from His heavenly Father. Before He performed one miracle, healed one sick person, etc., the Father proudly declared His love and acceptance for His boy. The Bible says that the windows of heaven were actually torn open as the Father spoke His words of love and affirmation over His Son's life. I have never read where the windows of heaven closed after the Father spoke His words of love and affirmation. If that is the case, then Jesus lived under an open heaven all the days of His life on earth.

We do read where Jesus tells Nathanial that he will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51) so that tells me that the heavens were still open! If we are called to live the same life as Jesus lived because we are in Him, then we too should live a life, hearing the words of our heavenly Dad saying to us... "This is my beloved son, this is my beloved daughter..."

Those of us who still struggle with orphan mindsets might not be convinced that this is true. My encouragement to you today is that IT IS TRUE! Jesus paid the price for each one of us to live our lives under the affirmation of a God and Father who has loved us from before the creation of the world.

My prayer today is that God would give us His Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18) so that we might really believe in our hearts that we can live under an open heaven just like Jesus did.

A son is as bold as a lion.

2013-05-04T04:02:04Z

Proverbs 28:1

The wicked flee when no one pursues;
but the righteous are as bold as a lion. (WEB)

Have you ever had the opportunity to get up close to a real lion? If you have, you would never forget the experience. Lions are incredibly majestic, even when they are in captivity. There is something inside of them that knows who they are and they carry a ferociousness that is quite terrifying to their enemies.

Over the past three years, I have had many opportunities to observe these beautiful creatures. Each time that I have had a lion encounter, it has literally taken my breath away. At one such occasion, I was standing face to face with only a cage and a couple of feet separating us. When this king of the jungle roared at me, his breath swept across my face as he showered me with his spray. At the moment, I was absolutely overwhelmed and thrilled to experience his majestic roar as it continued to reverberate around our concrete surroundings.

In Proverbs 28:1, King Solomon contrasts the lionheart of the righteous with the paralyzing fear that causes people to run away from things that don't even exist. Solomon's father, King David also spoke of this boldness in Psalm 27:1 when he proclaimed... Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? (WEB)

Fear is a powerful adversary. It lies to us. It cheats us. It prevents us from walking in the truth. Fear is the root of worry. Fear paralyzes, it torments, it causes people to hide in the shadows. Fear manifests itself in many ways. Fear of the future. Fear of poverty. Fear of death. Fear of sickness. Fear of man. Fear of rejection... etc., etc.

The only real power that the enemy has over us is deception. Jesus called him the 'father of lies' in John 8:44, so when he lies to us, he is speaking his native language. His hope is that we would believe what he says about us and not believe who God says we are. Jesus told us in John 10:10 that his purpose is to kill, steal and destroy and fear is one of his greatest weapons.

The Bible clearly tells us that God has not given us the spirit of fear. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 2 Timothy 1:7... For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. (WEB) Another apostle, John wrote in 1 John 4:18... There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. (WEB)

The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil 'walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' I believe that the emphasis should be that he walks around 'like' a roaring lion but he is not a real lion. He just wants us to think that he is. The REAL lion, is our elder brother, who has a name above every other name and is called 'The Lion of Judah'.

In Hebrews 2:14-15 we read how our big brother Jesus took on the form of human flesh in order to destroy the works of the one who has caused us to live in fear all our lives... 14 Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (WEB)

The destiny that we have been called into, is that of being joined with Jesus. His life is our life. His power is our power. His inheritance is our inheritance. He has not given us a spirit that makes us a slave to fear, but He has given us the Spirit of Sonship so that we can call out to God and call Him our Abba, Father!

Romans 8:15-17
15 For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. (WEB)

You may be facing many challenges in your life that may cause you to be afraid. Jesus told us in Luke 12:32 that we don't have to be afraid because our heavenly Father is delighted to give us His kingdom. My prayer today is that each one of us would experience a deeper revelation of the love of God in our hearts that would drive all fear away.

May the eyes of our hearts be opened today, so that we could see what our glorious inheritance is in the saints (Ephesians 1:15-23). May we experience a new boldness rooted and grounded in love that would cause us to live a life free from fear. May we know that our Dad is the biggest, strongest Dad in the universe and He has promised to keep us safe in His strong arms.

May we have the security today in knowing that our elder brother, the Lion of Judah, has triumphed once and for all (Revelation 5:5). May we all rest in the unchangeable reality that one roar from Jesus will cause every one of our enemies to flee in absolute terror... just because we are part of God's amazing family!

In closing, I want to echo the words that Paul said in Romans 16:20... And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (WEB)

Editor's Note:
Special thanks to my friend Theo Van Der Plas for designing the background for one of my lion photos. To check out Theo's website, visit... lovetheone.net

A son knows how to rest.

2013-05-02T12:49:14Z

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart;
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(WEB)

The 'rest' that we are talking about is not a word that describes inactivity, but a word that describes the inward state of our heart. Jesus lived a life of complete rest and yet He was very active proclaiming the good news of the kingdom wherever He went. He told us a little about His work ethic in John 5:17... But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.” (WEB)

Yet in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to come to Him to experience a deep rest that will lift off all our heavy burdens. He goes on to say that if we observe Him (learn from me), we will be able to see how the kingdom of God is intended to operate in the heart of every believer.

As we know from His public ministry, life was not always easy for Jesus. He had needy people pulling on Him wherever He went. The only respite that He usually had was in the middle of the night when He would leave the multitudes to be with His Father. Yet in the midst of all the need around Him, Jesus tells us that His yoke was easy and His burden was light.

So what does it mean to have an easy yoke and a light burden? After all, the work of the kingdom is serious stuff. It involves preaching good news to the poor. Binding up the brokenhearted. Setting the captives free. Often we are called to do the impossible, meet the needs of the unquenchable, and to wage spiritual warfare in the midst of a dark world. We all carry within our being a destiny of 'greater works' that Jesus said we would do. We know that all creation is groaning for us to come into the glorious freedom as the children of the Most High.

So how do we balance of enomority of the call with the promise of rest and peace? At first glance, the work of the kingdom and the rest of God seem to be at odds with each other. But I do not believe that this is what our Father has intended for us. I do not believe that these 'greater works' should ever come at the expense of our own personal peace and an inward state of rest in our souls.

I think the key to walking in peace and rest is found in verse 29 when Jesus tells us to take his yoke upon us and lay down our own heavy yokes. After all, His yoke is easy and His burden is light! When we realize that all we have to do is yield to Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) then we can rest in Him doing the work through us! When we stop trying to control our lives and simply yield to the leading of the Spirit (Romans 8:14), I think life becomes more restful and filled with peace.

When we are able to let go of independence, self-sufficiency, striving, etc. and exchange them for a life of simplicity, rest, dependence, waiting, peace, etc... we may be surprised at how productive we can become! God wants us to be anxious for nothing and to cast every care on Him (1 Peter 5:7) simply because He cares for us.

What kind of yoke are you carrying? Is it one that brings restlessness rather than rest and peace? Does your burden cause you to live in another time zone rather than in the moment? Is the work that you are doing causing you to be worn out, exhausted, empty and unable to rest? If so, I would encourage to ask Holy Spirit to show you if you are carrying burdens that God has not asked you to carry.

May each one of us take upon ourselves, the light and easy yoke of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. May the peace that passes understanding guard our hearts and minds in all that we do. May we be able to sleep in the midst of storms and take no thought for our lives. May God give us the grace today to cease from our own works and enter in the rest of God Himself (Hebrews 4:9-11). May a new level of faith in God's ability to do the work through us, rise up so that we can fulfill our destiny and do the works that God has prepared for us to do!

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. (WEB)

A son knows how to rest.

2013-04-27T04:01:52Z

Matthew 11:28-30

The 'rest' that we are talking about is not a word that describes inactivity, but a word that describes the inward state of our heart. Jesus lived a life of complete rest and yet He was very active proclaiming the good news of the kingdom wherever He went. He told us a little about His work ethic in John 5:17... But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.” (WEB)

Yet in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to come to Him to experience a deep rest that will lift off all our heavy burdens. He goes on to say that if we observe Him (learn from me), we will be able to see how the kingdom of God is intended to operate in the heart of every believer.

As we know from His public ministry, life was not always easy for Jesus. He had needy people pulling on Him wherever He went. The only respite that He usually had was in the middle of the night when He would leave the multitudes to be with His Father. Yet in the midst of all the need around Him, Jesus tells us that His yoke was easy and His burden was light.

So what does it mean to have an easy yoke and a light burden? After all, the work of the kingdom is serious stuff. It involves preaching good news to the poor. Binding up the brokenhearted. Setting the captives free. Often we are called to do the impossible, meet the needs of the unquenchable, and to wage spiritual warfare in the midst of a dark world. We all carry within our being a destiny of 'greater works' that Jesus said we would do. We know that all creation is groaning for us to come into the glorious freedom of as the children of the Most High.

So how do we balance of enomority of the call with the promise of rest and peace? At first glance, the work of the kingdom and the rest of God seem to be at odds with each other. But I do not believe that this is what our Father has intended for us. I do not believe that these 'greater works' should ever come at the expense of our own personal peace and an inward state of rest in our souls.

I think the key to walking in peace and rest is found in verse 29 when Jesus tells us to take his yoke upon us and lay down our own heavy yokes. After all, His yoke is easy and His burden is light! When we realize that all we have to do is yield to Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) then we can rest in Him doing the work through us! When we stop trying to control our lives and simply yield to the leading of the Spirit (Romans 8:14), I think life becomes more restful and filled with peace.

When we are able to let go of independence, self-sufficiency, striving, etc. and exchange them for a life of simplicity, rest, dependence, waiting, peace, etc... we may be surprised at how productive we can become! God wants us to be anxious for nothing and to cast every care on Him (1 Peter 5:7) simply because He cares for us.

What kind of yoke are you carrying? Is it one that brings restlessness rather than rest and peace? Does your burden cause you to live in another time zone rather than in the moment? Is the work that you are doing cause you to be worn out, exhausted, empty and unable to rest? If so, I would encourage to ask Holy Spirit to show you if you are carrying burdens that God has not asked you to carry.

May each one of us take upon ourselves, the light and easy yoke of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. May the peace that passes understanding guard our hearts and minds in all that we do. May we be able to sleep in the midst of storms and take no thought for our lives. May God give us the grace today to cease from our own works and enter in the rest of God Himself (Hebrews 4:9-11). May a new level of faith in God's ability to do the work through us, rise up so that we can fulfill our destiny and do the works that God has prepared for us to do!

A son lives completely free.

2013-04-20T04:01:07Z

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (WEB)

The kingdom of God is all about living a free life. When Jesus announced His public ministry (Luke 4:18), He read from the Isaiah 61 passage of Scripture which starts off by saying... The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; (WEB)

Simply put, Jesus came to set us free. In John 8: 36, Jesus clearly states this when He said... If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (WEB) God loves freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom to be who He created us to be.

It was our Father's love of freedom that cost Him everything He had. In order for Adam and Eve to be truly free, they had to have the power to accept or reject the love that God offered them. There is no other way for love to operate. Love does not control, manipulate or oppress. To live in love means freedom to stay or freedom to leave.

Adam and Eve chose to go their own way which absolutely broke their Father's heart and started a chain reaction in heaven that would cost the Godhead everything in order to redeem what was lost in the Garden. That is how important freedom is to God, for wherever He lives, there is complete freedom.

Anything that wars against freedom in our lives is something we that we should take notice of. The spirit of religion moves in opposition to freedom. It sets rules and regulations, customs and traditions, applies pressure and guilt, all in order to keep people bound up... all in the name of God!

I am learning more and more how our Father hates captivity. He created everything to be free. Now just because we are free does not mean we abuse the trusted freedom that has been given to us as a gift. Galatians 5:13 tells us... For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. (WEB)

If we truly live in love, there is no way that we will abuse our freedom. There will be many times in our life when we will lay down our rights in order to serve another. As a matter of fact, I believe the more that we are convinced that we are loved, the freer we will be to be the Lord's bond servant. But it will be for love's sake that we choose to lay down our life, not control, guilt or manipulation.

My prayer today, is that each one of us would come into a deeper revelation of freedom than we have ever had before. My hope is that we would all be free from all of the 'shoulds' that would keep us in bondage in our life. May we all see that Jesus died on a cross so that we could live a free life. Free from sin, free from shame, free from condemnation... Free to be who He created us to be!

May the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation show us today the true heart of our heavenly Father so that we would know His love in its truest form. He doesn't control us, manipulate us or abuse us. His love for us is so pure and so self-sacrificing, that we are free to come and free to go. Just as the loving father in the Prodigal Son story allowed his son to leave his house and take his inheritance with him, our Father entrusts us with the same choices.

May each one of us choose to live a free life and choose to live in love so that the love that God has for us might find its expression in servanthood beyond our wildest dreams, not because we have to, but simply because we choose to.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. (WEB)

A son sees with the eyes of faith.

2013-04-13T04:01:10Z

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for,
proof of things not seen. (WEB)

We are called to be sons of the kingdom of God. Our destiny is to live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). Though we live in the world, we are not of this world. Our spiritual DNA comes from above. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus taught us to ask our heavenly Father to send His kingdom to this earth so that His will would be done here exactly as it is in heaven.

Though each one of us spends our days seeing the effects of the fallen world in which we live in, there is another spiritual reality at work that calls us to set our affections on things above and not on things of this earth (Colossians 3:2). Though the pain and suffering that we see with our natural eyes is very real, there is another dimension of vision that we are called to see with... The eyes of faith.

In this week's Scripture verse, we read how faith is the assurance of the things that we hope for and the proof of things not seen. Faith is not something we see with our natural eyes and it is not something that can be understood from an earthly perspective. Faith requires great trust and belief in order for it to flourish in our lives. In Hebrews 11:6, the author goes on to say... Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. (WEB)

If you continue to read Hebrews 11, you will read of many biblical heros who lived by faith in God, even though their present circumstances seemed to be in direct opposition to the plans and purposes that God had for them. We read how a man named Noah built an ark in a dry land for over 100 years. We read how Abraham left his safe and secure surroundings to go to a country where God told him to go, and then he later had a child with his wife Sarah in their old age.

Time and space prevent me from talking about Moses, Isaac, Jacob, David and all of the other heroes of this chapter that lived a life seeing into the unseen and not living by their natural sight. Some of them accomplished the impossible and wrought great victories while others suffered terribly, knowing that their reward was not of this world.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, the Apostle Paul speaks of the tension between the kingdom of this world that we live in and the kingdom of God... 17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; 18 while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (WEB)

I believe that we have a unique opportunity to touch our heavenly Father's heart this side of heaven when we choose to live by faith. After all, when we get to heaven, we will have no more opportunities to exercise our faith in the way we can now.

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would cry out to God... “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV) I pray that our God and Father would open the eyes of our hearts so that we could really see the reality of who we are and who God is.

May a new boldness to simply believe God and live a naturally supernatural life, knowing that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:4-7) be our spiritual reality today. May we all have the grace today to see into the unseen realm and live a life of faith that is pleasing to our heavenly Dad.

Ephesians 1:15-23
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (WEB)

A son is free to take risks.

2013-04-06T04:01:30Z

Luke 9:24

24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it. (WEB)

The kingdom of God is all about risk. Jesus told us that if we want to play it safe and 'save our life', we will end up losing it. But whoever jumps in head-first into the plan and purposes of God will truly find their life. In the Parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), we read a story where one servant risked five talents to get another five. One risked three talents to get another three and one was too afraid to risk the one talent so he buried it in the ground.

When the Lord came to check on his investments, the one servant who buried his talent responded by saying in verse 25... I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ (WEB) His motivation to not risk losing the one talent he had was not faith-based, but fear-based. He was afraid of losing the little he had so he did nothing with what was entrusted to him.

I truly believe that our God and Father loves it when we take risks. I don't mean taking risks for risk sake, but when we feel in our hearts to do something bigger than is humanly possible and we do it despite our own feelings of inadequacy. I believe that facing our fears and risking failure is the only way that we will accomplish things that are 'exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think' (Ephesians 3:21).

I believe that a son who is secure in who he is, is free to live a life where he is wiling to take risks to go higher and farther into the 'good works which God had prepared in advance for him to do' (Ephesians 2:10). A son who knows that he is loved, can be willing to stumble and fall at times because he knows his value to the Father is not based on what he does... or the mistakes he makes along the way.

In the orphan world that we live in, failure is devastating. Failure is shame-based because it is linked to our own self-image and the image that other people have of us. The fear of making a mistake causes many dear people to live a life of imprisonment of their own making. Instead of boldly proclaiming like David did in Psalm 27:1... Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? (WEB) ...People who live in fear of failure say... I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth.

The fear of man is also a big motivator for us to not risk. What will other people think if I do this? What if it does not work out? Then what will my reputation be? Can you imagine what Noah had to face on a daily basis when he began to build the ark that called God told him to build? Could you imagine over 100 years of daily ridicule from his community? It took great risk for Noah to do what he did, but as we know from the story, there was a great reward for his willingness to simply obey God.

The desire of my own heart is that I would be faithful with the single talent that I have been entrusted with. Perhaps by perseverance and the ability to risk, that one talent might multiply to two and maybe the two might multiply to four? I don't think that the number of talents that we have been entrusted with is the thing that impresses God, but our willingness to risk what we have.

The thing about risking is that there is no guarantee that we will be successful. We all love a success story, but for each success there are probably many more failures that we don't want to talk about. On a personal note, I have had many more failures in my own attempts at risking than I have had successes. And every time I feel Papa wants me to risk again, the memory of past failures are always there to discourage me.

It is no surprise that the average self-made millionaire has a number of business failures before they actually find success. I think the reason for this is simply because they were not afraid to risk and fail. And when they failed, they got up on their feet and were willing to risk again.

When our children were little, they loved jumping off the stairs into my arms. They loved the adventure of risking because they were confident that their dad would catch them. The thing that amazed me as their father, was their willinginess to risk and trust that I would catch them.

At the end of the day, I don't think it is our success that will touch our Father's heart, but our willingness to face the fear of failing and dare to go out on a limb again and again. In Psalm 37:23-24, David says... 23 A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. 24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. (WEB) Even though we may stumble and fall at times, we can take great comfort in knowing that the Lord will catch us in His hand.

My prayer today is that each one of us would know that our value to our Father is not based on our performance, but is based on the eternal truth that He loves us with an everlasting love. May the love that God has for us bring us to a place of complete security and rest knowing that nothing in all creation will ever separate us from His love and acceptance (Romans 8:35-39). I also pray that the security of knowing our value to Him will give us the courage to risk obeying Him when He calls us to risk.

My prayer is that the paralysis that would keep us from simply obeying God and risking would be consumed in the fire of His love for us. May each one of us be encouraged today by the love that our Father has for us so that we can fulfill His plans and purposes for our lives without fear of failure.

Romans 8:28-32
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? (WEB)

A son lies down in green pastures.

2013-03-30T04:01:12Z

Psalm 23:1-3

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. (NIV)

Rest is a much needed part of a son's life. It is not something that we do when we are about to collapse in exhaustion. It is something that God has intended to be part of our every day life. It is so important to God, that He actually told the Israelites to dedicate one day out of seven for the sheer purpose of resting.

Even if you look at our own bodies, they were created for resting. In order for us to live a healthy life, we are supposed to sleep 1/3 of our lives. If we don't, our bodies can wear down and we can get sick. God designed us so that we would need to rest on a daily basis in order to live a good life.

In Psalm 4:8, David says this of the benefits of resting... In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety. (WEB) In Proverbs 3:24, King Solomon wrote... When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet. (WEB)

Jesus lived His entire life with His heart at rest. He was even able to sleep on boats in the midst of the most terrifying of storms. And the peace that Jesus has, He has promised to give to us. John 14:27 says... Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. (WEB)

David starts his beloved Psalm 23 with these words... ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he refreshes my soul. (NIV)

I find it interesting that David says that the Lord MAKES him lie down in green pastures. Sometimes in the busyness of life, we don't take the time we need to care for ourselves like we should, so the Lord causes circumstances to happen so that we have no other choice but to rest. He MAKES us lie down in green pastures and He leads us beside still waters in order to restore our soul!

If you have ever felt that you were backed into a corner and had no choice but to 'be still and know that He is God' (Psalm 46:10), you will know what I am talking about. Sometimes we get to rest by our own choosing and sometimes it comes by an intervention from the Most High. Either way, I believe that our God and Father wants us to embrace these times in our busy days and these seasons in our busy lives when we can truly value resting in His presence.

Psalm 37:7 tells us to "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him". When we learn to rest and wait, we are ceasing from our own works and entering into the Sabbath rest of God Himself (Hebrews 4:8-11). We we learn to rest, we begin to value things that are greater than our own productivity. When we still our hearts, we find that not only does God speak in the silence, He IS the silence!

In an orphan world system that is busy busy busy, the ability to be still and rest and lie in green pastures is not always valued. It may be valued for a short time like going on a vacation, but it is not valued as a way of life. The same shepherd boy who learned the secret of lying down in green pastures, is the same shepherd boy who brought down the giant that was tormenting a nation.

My prayer today is that we would all learn the secret of being able to lie down in green pastures so that our heavenly Father could restore our weary souls. I pray that the rest of God would descend upon each one of us like a warm blanket today. May our sleep be sweet. May we find solace beside quiet waters. May we even learn how to sleep in the midst of the most tumultuous of storms!

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (WEB)