A Child of God Mentality

As we saw in yesterday’s reading, in the parable of the prodigal son; Jesus showed us two sons: one who commits the sins of the flesh and the other, the sins of the soul. One son leaves the father’s house and the other one stays. Both represent one mentality that we must break free of and another one that we must embrace for us to bloom again in the Kingdom of God.

When we realize that God is our Abba, Father and we begin to receive His spiritual fatherhood, everything in our inner being begins to change. We now understand that Jesus loves us, that he died for our sins, that His blood cleansed us from any sin, and that the Father raised Him from the dead.

Considering yourself a child of God goes far beyond any feeling. You must understand that once you receive Christ as your Savior you are no longer a creation or just a member of a church, you are a child of God, by His divine will. It is not being a son of God and having a slave or servant mentality. It is not being a Christian because I do not want to go to hell. No! Our thoughts, identity, and the way we see ourselves must change.

The reason or motive why I go to church must change. We need to understand that we cannot continue to live the same way because God has something better for us.

Many times in our life as children of God, He has to take us to a spiritual reset: a state of mind where we recognize that we have failed, that we need His grace, and that His favor for us will continue and direct us towards the prophetic Destiny that He has set for us.

The prodigal son recognized that he had failed. This is my favorite part of this parable, he acknowledged and accepted that he had made a mistake and truly wanted a change in his lifestyle. For us to bloom in our spiritual life and walk with God, we must repent of our past mistakes. True repentance occurs when we experience the following:

• A change of mind: we must change our mentality.
• A change of heart: acknowledge what we have done and decide to change.
• A change of actions: the prodigal son got up and went to his father.

These three elements manifested themselves in the life of the young prodigal son. He reconsidered and recognized that he had been wrong. He decided to change his mentality. Then, he received the conviction in his heart that if he went to his father, even thinking he was going as a servant, he would receive him. The father surprised him with a feast. The same happens when God’s grace touches our lives.

God’s grace changes your life and your thoughts. It gives us what you did not expect and even better. Sometimes, we think that because we have failed and sinned, God will not give us what we lost when in reality He is going to give us something better, because He is really a Good Father. This is the reset that happened in the prodigal son: he came back to life, he was lost, but he returned home.

We can say that he bloomed again. He came back as a son and not as a beggar. It is only the grace of God that leads us to freedom, resurrection, and true identity. We understand that we belong to Jesus and that by His grace we are saved. Jesus Christ took our faults, sins, and wickedness on the cross. Then, we understand that by His blood we were justified, cleansed, and set free.

Reflection:

In your moment of intimacy with God, take a pencil and a piece of paper, begin to answer each of the following questions, and allow God, by his Holy Spirit, to whisper into your heart His answers for you.

• Which feeling of guilt or shame do you have to let go?
• Which areas of your life do you understand need to come back to life?
• Do you believe in your heart that you are truly a child of God?
• Do you understand that you need a reset in your spiritual life?