Welcome to the first Reflections Devotional Child of God! For the next 26 weeks, we are going to peer intently into the Word of God to see our true reflection in Him.
There a lot of places we can look for our identity, but no place is more honest and powerful than the Word of God. When we study what God has to say about us, we begin to see ourselves as He intended us to be.
Once we believe who He says we are, we begin to walk in that identity. And as we walk in our true identity in Christ, the fruit begins to grow. Fruit like peace, confidence, love, joy, strength, patience… doesn’t that sound wonderful?!
A few suggestions before beginning:
As you go through these devotionals, I want you to try to pause and meditate on each reflection truth. If you have been a Christian for quite some time, these names will most likely NOT be new to you. But I want you to ask God to refresh these truths in you and to reveal your identity in Him anew.
Read Aloud
If you really want to ‘cement’ the Word into your heart, read each scripture aloud and physically look it up in your bible. Highlight them, make notes or doodle to help you remember them.
Memorize a scripture each week that speaks to you.
Put it on an index card or sticky note and place it somewhere where you will see it often. Journaling in a notebook is also very effective. (Or use the printable cards I’ve made. See below for details)
Be Honest and Ask
If you find yourself struggling with any of God’s truth, be honest with Him about it. Take the time to pray and ask Him to help you receive His identity for you. Ask Him to heal you in areas that are trying to lie to you about who you are. Ask for forgiveness if you see that you have not been accepting who He says you are or have not been acting according to the way His Word says you should be.
Remember, there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Your heavenly Father loves you, and He is not intolerant of your struggles, He desires to help you live as who He created you to be. There is nothing to fear when going to Him– you are loved, cherished and desired by Him.
Okay, let’s go!
Grab your free scripture cards for the Reflections Study!
Week One You Are a Child of God
John 1:12-13
“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God- children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Even though I gave my heart to Jesus when I was in my early twenties, it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I could honestly, deep in my heart, say that God was my Father. Oh I would say it, and I would even preach it, but I didn’t really believe it deep down for ME.
Because of deep wounds in my past, the idea that a father would willingly call me His child was hard for me to conceive. Somewhere, along my childhood path, I internalized the lie that I could never be wanted or accepted as someone’s daughter. Jesus could be my Savior, God could be my God. He could even be my Teacher and Protector… but “Father”??? If an earthly father didn’t want me, then how could a heavenly Father want me as His own child?
“Your heavenly Father loves you.”
It felt like a blanket marketing statement, something that was said to sound nice but wasn’t really true.
Child of God, what filter are you looking through?
Old wounds have a way of distorting truth before it can ever reach us. Do you have a mental filter like that? A filter that says: “Not Accepted.” “Unlovable.” “Unworthy.” “Disconnected.” “Rejected.” “Alone.”…
Looking back, I see how these labels and lies of the enemy kept me from truly accepting and resting in the fact that I was loved for who I was and that I was definitely, most certainly, Someone’s child.
The moment I gave my heart to Jesus, I was adopted by the greatest Father ever. I was made His Child, but my mind and heart needed to know this truth for myself. I needed to believe it.
The power of belief
The above scripture, John 1:12-13, has some keywords that helped to open my eyes to the truth that my Father really did make a way for me to be completely His: through my belief in Him.
What you believe is powerful.
It will direct your actions in this life. What we believe guides us and the direction, or lack of, that we take on this faith journey. It took me a long time to realize that, while I acknowledged Jesus as my Savior, I resisted fully stepping into my identity as His Child because of the wounds of the past.
As I ponder my own journey, I see how not believing that a Father could love me kept me from receiving the greatest love of all- my heavenly Father’s love!
A Child of God is Fully Persuaded
The word “believed” is pisteuo in the original Greek language (Strong’s G4100). It means: to have faith in, to entrust one’s spiritual well-being to– not just a mere acknowledgment of His existence, but to be fully persuaded of Him and of Who He says He is (the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord, the Word)– to put trust in, to commit to.
This belief that we place in Jesus Christ is so much more than simply acknowledging that He exists- we entrust ourselves into His very Care.
We place the whole of our well-being onto Him, giving ourselves to total dependence upon Him. For most of us, this is a daily work of faith- “believing” that He is our Lord and will take care of us.
We are empowered to become His Children
If we “believe” in the Name of Jesus, this scripture tells us, without a doubt, that God gave us the “right” to become His Children. But the meaning of the word ‘right’ isn’t the modern definition of having an attitude of entitlement like we are used to hearing.
The Greek word for “right” in this verse is “exousia”(G1849-Strong’s). It means: “privilege”, freedom, delegated influence, POWER.
What is so amazing about becoming a child of God is that you do not have the power to do it on your own. You believe, but it is God who empowers.
It is God who grants the privilege and freedom to become His child. All He asks for is our belief, our total trust in Him for our well-being. Isn’t that just straight-up blessedness?!
Transformed as His Child
Next, let’s take a look at the word “children”. The Greek word is “teknon” (Strong’s G5043). It means: A child, akin to tikto, to beget or bear. It is used both naturally and figuratively. Properly, a child; (figuratively) anyone living in full dependence on the heavenly Father, i.e. fully (willingly) relying upon the Lord in glad submission. This prompts God to transform them into His likeness.
We believe, He transforms. We trust— He cares for us. We have faith, He empowers. And He gives us a name: Child of God. Children resemble their parents, either in appearance or mannerisms. As we walk this road of ‘belief’, trust, faith… we start to look more and more like Him because of His transforming power at work in our lives. Isn’t that glorious??!!
Born of God
Finally, let’s examine the word “born”, as in “Born of God”.
“Genneo” (Strong’s G1080) It means to procreate (properly of the father, by extension of the mother) Figuratively, it means to regenerate, to be brought forth, to be delivered.
Something beautiful and miraculous happened the day you turned your heart to Jesus. The day you chose to believe in His Name, The Father scooped you up, regenerated you, brought you forth and delivered you unto Himself.
Make no mistake about it: you ARE His! No matter what lies have permeated your life in the past, no matter what labels have been assigned to you by the world, your heavenly Father sees ONE THING very clearly when He looks at you: His Child!
Join me in prayer today:
Father, I believe in your son Jesus, therefore I know that I am Your Child. Thank you for transforming me, for granting me the privilege, for regenerating me and making me completely yours. Help me to continue in faith, always entrusting the whole of my well-being to Your Care. I know you are faithful. Help me also to walk in the Light of Your Word, as your child and may I become more and more like You, resembling my Father to a lost world and bringing glory to Your Name. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dive Deeper as a Child of God
The following scriptures can be studied to deepen your understanding of the Word. Try starting a notebook to record what you find and what the Lord shows you!
If you struggle seeing yourself as the child of God that you are, I want to encourage you to dig deeper into the Word concerning your position in Christ. Here are some scriptures to get started:
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:26-27
Words to pay attention to: sons, faith, baptized, clothed.
“ you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23
Words to pay attention to: born again, imperishable, living, enduring
“We know that we are children of God,” 1 John 5:19a
Words to pay attention to: know, children
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1
Words and phrases to pay attention to would be: be called, sons
Dear one, You ARE a loved, accepted, wanted Child of God– walk in that light today! The past labels, beliefs, hurts, & insecurities– let them fall at the feet of the Word, and step into the glorious identity of being the Father’s Child! It’s time to start seeing yourself as Your Father sees you: HIS. I’ll see you next week for another Reflections Truth!
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Love this! Such powerful truths found only in Christ! I pray women know their true identity in Christ and the freedom it brings!! Your scripture cards are awesome!
Thanks so much Erin! Yes and amen! ??❤