Episode #364 Not Ashamed to Call You His – Real Peace, Secure Faith

Hey, friend. Today I want to talk about our first assumption, our first heart posture when we draw near to God. And I've been reflecting on this for myself and in my over 35 years of walking with the Lord. Most of those years, I approached God bracing for or preparing myself for correction, before anticipating God's affection. And I knew, like, “Okay, well, part of his love is his correction. It's his training in righteousness.” But the way that I pictured God, the way that I assumed he would come near to me in those times, was he couldn't wait to tell me what I was doing wrong.

I thought God was mostly after my performance and I needed to represent him better to the world and he was going to let me know how. But that is not true God's character or nature. And so if you can relate to that at all of coming to God, assuming he first wants to correct you or even instruct you, before he wants to bring you his care and affection, that's what we're inviting God to change in us in this conversation. We want to ask him to speak his truth, to shed his light in areas where we've misunderstood him. And maybe we've allowed these misunderstandings to hinder our relationship with him.

I'm going to read for us Hebrews 2:11. It says, "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers."

And that translation for brothers also means brothers and sisters. Jesus is not ashamed to call us family. Even though we are those that are still being sanctified, that are still being purified and transformed more into Christ’s likeness. See, in his death and resurrection, Jesus opened the door for us to experience belonging with God. Jesus, as he sanctifies us, is not ashamed to call us his siblings. We don't have to brace ourselves when we come near to him, even in times of correction, even in times of instruction. With steadfast and loyal and faithful love, he invites us to come near and receive what we need.

I'm not trying to contrast here, like correction and instruction on one side and affection is on the other. They are intermingled. I want to draw our attention to the assumptions that we make about how God feels about us when we draw near. Especially when we draw near in repentance, knowing that there's an area where we need forgiveness and help.

We're practicing these habits of talking with God as we go throughout our days, but sometimes there's something we know to be true about God. Because we see it in his word. It's true of his nature and character, but there's a way it becomes solidified in our spirits when we hear God say it to us directly.

And so I'm giving you a yes or no question to him today. And we know the answer to this question already because God tells it to us in his word. But my encouragement to you is not to just answer it because you know the answer, but to keep pressing into God until you feel a sense of him answering it for you specifically. To hear it in your mind. Feel it in your heart. To know that it is true because God tells you in a way that you can hold onto. You have a sense of him. Maybe he even says it to you with your name.

And our question is, Jesus, are you ashamed to call me yours?

If you feel like his answer to you is, “yeah, he's ashamed to call you his,” I invite you to interrogate that. Put it under a spotlight. See where that comes from. Because that is contrary to his word. What he tells us by his voice and our mind and our hearts and our internal knowing will always line up with his written word. And so there's something else that's lying to you about that. It could be past experiences. It could be the enemy. It could be other relationships. Interrogate it. Don't let it off the hook. And press into God. Even telling him, “I know your word says you're not ashamed. But I need you to help me receive that from you. Make that real to me. Jesus, are you ashamed to call me yours?” And receive the truth of his answer, not just in general, because it's written in Scripture, but specifically to you as one who has received saving grace and is being sanctified by him. And then continue that conversation he leads.

Jesus, are you ashamed to call me yours?

Wait for his answer and have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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