God’s invitation goes far beyond citizenship of His commonwealth. That in itself is remarkable, but Papa has gone further than that, bringing you into His very own family.

Scripture says:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” (Ephesians 2:19 KJV)

And perhaps even more astounding:

“In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.”(Ephesians 2:22 AMP)

Understand this. In prayer there are so many levels we stand upon.

We exercise our identity and see results.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will lead you to exercise your divine authority in Christ, trusting in reality. You may be called upon to stand as a soldier in the army of God declaring truth and routing the devil, plundering his stolen goods.

At other times the Holy Spirit will woo you into a bridal intimacy so naked and open your whole being feels ravished and refreshed to the core by His love.

And again, you’ll step into the closet and sometimes He’ll shine a light on your sonship (that goes for daughters too). The Holy Spirit will powerfully speak to you as an heir of God, chosen and appointed together with Christ.

Will The Father Turn Jesus Away?

Could you ever imagine Jesus coming to His Father with a request and being turned away? I suspect your answer is no. Yet you too come as a son or daughter every time you pray. Why then do you feel God might be reluctant to hear and answer your supplications?

Sonship is a whole realm of deep revelation. As with each of the ‘upgrades’ we’re covering every one of them would take a lifetime of study to comprehend and an eternity to experience. Knowing the Father is revolutionary. Mark those words, knowing the Father, not just knowing about Him.

Many Christians operate more like strangers and foreigners when it comes to prayer. Born-again brothers and sisters acting like orphans!

Consider the prayer path Jesus laid out to His early disciples.

What profoundly simple words do we begin with?

“Our Father…”

The Holy Ghost Himself lives within us and stirs our hearts to passionately cry, “Abba, Father, Daddy, God!”

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15 KJV)

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6 KJV)

What an amazing place to begin. As children!

I’ve rarely seen a child who is confident of their parents love who is shy to boldly ask for what they want. Even I, such a starkly imperfect dad, seek every way I possibly can to bless and build my kids. My highest delight is to meet their needs and answer their requests with unreasonable generosity.

How much more our Father in Heaven?

The following verses are worth citing and reading in full.

In prayer we ask, we seek, we knock.

Our sonship does so with utmost expectation!

“Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7–11 KJV)

Orphan spirit

An orphan spirit may well be the root most responsible for the endless contention and confusion experienced within the Body of Christ. Insecure foundations in the hearts of God’s children makes the devil’s job easy. He doesn’t need to lift a finger so long as we compare, compete, and covet. Sibling rivalries are enough to splinter and dilute our power.

The revelation of sonship is the cure to this confusion!

Sonship roots you in security, a fearless foundation from which you confidently pray.

These roots of relationship are something you must search out and cultivate. A strong, healthy tree has strong healthy roots. Consider sonship your essential root system. Your love for God, and even more importantly His love for you, is the root and ground of every fruit you will ever bear in your Christian life.

Press hard into the heart of God and grasp this reality with both hands.

Draw Near with full assurance

Sometimes painful, the journey requires healing of the heart, letting go of hurts, and taking hold of truths that sometimes seem too good to be true. Sonship digs deep into your identity.

Don’t be in a rush to turn prayer into something transactional. You are not coming into a corporate boardroom to convince the Trinity to acquiesce to your proposals.

You are coming to a loving Father who is eager to answer.

“…at one time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:12–13)

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22 KJV)

Give time and prayer to this. Let His love carry you from law to grace. Come near.

Let every resistance to this remarkable reality be dissolved as you spend time in the presence of the father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prayer, much prayer.

Time, much time.

These are the costly components of a powerful prayer life. Don’t believe for a minute prayer is cheap. Your entrance into grace is paid in full, but your own life must now be laid down to taste the full benefits. What is true in theory and bare theology must become true in your naked and open experience.

Let me encourage you though, the cost is a pittance compared to the prize!