Accepting the invitation extended in the gospel of Christ allows a person to receive a new identity: that of God’s beloved child (John 1:12). After accepting God’s invitation to salvation, however, we must respond to His continual invitation to intimacy, to return, and to rest.
This invitation to experience more of Him is true for a new Christian or one who has walked with Him for decades. Accepting His ongoing invitation to rest in Him both forms and strengthens our identity. Our identity in Christ is important. Confusion about it can derail our intimacy with the Father, His Son, and the Spirit within us.
As God’s child, you have access to many privileges. But you live in a broken, fallen world; a world at war. At both the supernatural level and in the natural realm, you face opposition to embracing your full identity in Christ and all it brings. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds, “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (CSB).
You have an enemy. He wants to bully you into doubting the truth of who you are. One of the ways he does this is by trying to make you believe you are an orphan instead of a beloved child.
The book of Lamentations is thought to have been written soon after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 586 BC. The book looks back at this destruction with grief. Lamentations 5:3 declares: “We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are widows” (CSB). Lamentations 5 goes on to catalog a list of circumstances that led the author to draw such a conclusion. You can skim through this chapter and final all sorts of orphan circumstances.
The Old Testament reveals the difficulty God’s chosen people in Israel had in remembering whose they were. As they forgot, ignored, or fully rejected God over time, they lived more and more like orphans. The consequences for them were disastrous.
Similarly, our ever-changing circumstances can war against us embracing our true identity. If we look only at our circumstances to get our bearings, we also may feel we are orphans. We must remember to look beyond our circumstances.
Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us where to fix our eyes: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This passage speaks of encouragement, endurance, and the example of Jesus. Even more, it points to Christ’s enduring the cross and ascending victoriously over sin and death, finally being seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
He did all that for you.
Even so, an “orphan spirit” describes a reality that is sadly all too true for some Christians who live as though their identity in Christ isn’t real. They live as though abandoned by God, rejected, forgotten, or overlooked. That point of view wars significantly against embracing identity in Christ.
For example, a person living with an orphan mindset might feel powerless or helpless in the face of temptation, or may feel beaten down or in “survival mode.” But the truth of Romans 6:11 assures us we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. From that truth one can live empowered in the face of temptation, victorious in Christ and vibrantly alive.
Embracing truth about who we are in Christ is essential to overcoming the battles we face. Our emotions and circumstances can cement feelings of despair or defeat. We begin to view ourselves through a skewed lens. Truth about your identity in Jesus and what you have as you live more and more in union with Him overcomes all the loud voices and lies that can discourage your heart.
I’ve created a chart that outlines a comparison of orphan and child of the King experiences based on just a handful of truths from the Bible about who we are in Christ. You can get a free copy of it HERE. You might enjoy meditating on these lists, asking the Holy Spirit to help you identify places where you might be living more out of an orphan mentality than out of your identity as a beloved child.
Adapted from Return and Rest: A Study in Isaiah 30.
For an even deeper look at truths about your identity in Christ, check out my latest book Fully Known, Fully Loved: A 30-Day Journey of Your Identity in Christ. It’s available at Amazon or you can read more about it here.