Matthew 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
Take a look at 'The Lord's Prayer', and you'll see that Jesus is instructing His disciples about prayer, and in this verse, He is telling them that their prayers are to be addressed to the Father in heaven. Given this first part of instruction about prayer, we must note that if God is not your father, then you are NOT entitled to pray the kind of prayer that Jesus was instructing his disciples in. In fact, the ONLY prayer you have the right to is one of repentance!
Contrary to popular belief, we are NOT all God's children! Being a child of God is a choice, NOT an automatic fact or accident of our existence. We must act on the right that we have been given to choose to become a child of God.
John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
The key word in this verse is 'power' which is translated from the Greek 'exousia' [strongs number 1849]{pronounced ex-oo-see'-ah} and means power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, leave or permission. This means that when we make the decision to believe in Jesus and receive Him into our lives, then we are given the right, or permission, to decide to become a child of God.
Jesus told the pharisees that they were of their father the devil ( John 8:44). Why? Because they had not chosen to become children of God. If they had, then they would have ACTED like children of God! How did Jesus know that the pharisees had not chosen to be children of God? Because they did not do the things that children of God do. They were busy about fulfilling the lusts and desires of the devil. Therefore, they were not God's children, but satan's, for he is the one whom they were obeying.
Just because you go to church doesn't make you a Christian. You are not a child of God unless you ACT like a child of God and DO the things that children of God do!
What kind of things do children of God do? They live to fulfil the will of God. The first concern they have is seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness so that they may learn what God's will is in every situation.
Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Righteousness in all things is important. The word is translated from the Greek 'dikaiosune' [strongs number 1343]{pronounced dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay} and means integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting. One translation sums it up nicely by saying 'His way of doing and being right' where the king James uses the word righteousness.
1 John 3:10, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
God's children are peacemakers. They are always interested in peace, not just between people and nations, but peace between God and man. This is why we preach, and testify about what God has done for us and wants to do for all people, because we know that God wants everyone to have the chance to decide to become one of His children and gain all the things that He has prepared for them.
Romans 8:14-17, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of 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. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
The children of God allow themselves to be led by the spirit of God. They crucify the desires of the flesh and of the worldly carnal mind, desiring only to know and do the will of God, which is revealed to them by the Spirit of God that is within them. In doing this, they achieve a relationship with God that is more than simply that of a father and his children. The word 'abba' [strongs number 5] {pronounced ab-bah'} is a Greek rendering from Aramaic origin, and expresses warm affection and a closeness that goes beyond a mere father and child relationship. Its meaning comes closer to the modern English 'daddy' than 'father'. Anyone can be a father, but it takes genuine love to be a daddy, and this is the love that God has for us. God did not wait for people to become worthy of salvation to provide it, He shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners bound for the lake of fire, He gave His son as a sacrifice to make us worthy of heaven and all that He has prepared for them that love Him (Romans 5:8).
This brings us to a choice that at some point in our lives, we must all make. "Do I want to accept the love that God has shown toward me? Or will I continue in my life of sin and defiance of the will of God?"
If you choose not to accept this free gift that God is offering you, then that is your decision. God is not going to force you to accept Him. He will simply continue to make that offer available to you, and people who have accepted him, will continue to pray for you. I strongly advise that you do not wait. We are living in the last days and the time befpre Jesus will return is growing short. You do not have forever to decide, nor can you count on being able to repent on your deathbed. God Himself warns that while this offer is open to any who will accept it, it is a limited time offer:
Isaiah 55:6, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"
This verse makes it clear that there will come a time that those who decide to seek the Lord will not find Him, and that He will no longer be near and easy to find as He is today. He is near right now. And He is speaking to you in this verse:
Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
If you choose to accept Him and invite Him into your life, then pray a simple prayer like this:
"Lord, I know that I am not worthy of you by my own merit, and I see now that you love me and do not want me to suffer the fate of the lake of fire. Come into my heart and my life, fill me with your Holy Spirit and show me how to live like a child of God."
If you have just done this, then rejoice! You have just been born again and the Spirit of the living god now lives within you. Read and study the bible, learn to follow the Spirit of God, you are now a child of God, act like one.
