“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4

            What does it mean to be a child of God? What is it that we possess that make us completely different from the rest of the world? What benefits might we have that come from being a child of the Most High? I’m going to name off some things I have found that might help those who have just started their walk with God or have been walking with God for some time now, but could still use some help with knowing just what it means to be a child of God.

            Romans 8:15-17 says: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons (and daughters), by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” So, if you have the Holy Spirit, the still, small voice in your head, leading and guiding you in your day to day life, that makes you a child of God. The Holy Spirit is like a seal or a mark that God uses to claim you as His own. No one can take that away from you but your own free will can lead you away from the Holy Spirit. The devil will also continually try and lead you astray to follow after false doctrines, which is why it is crucial to stay in communion with the Holy Spirit and talk with Him daily. “…for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5. There may be times when you get led astray for a time but He will never stop fighting to get you back to The Way as long as you are still seeking Him, looking for His truth, and seeking His presence.

Despite everything and anything that happens, God can and will use everything for good like it says in Romans 8:28. When people reject you, God will use that to draw you closer to Him. God will comfort you when you ask Him to and when you don’t ask Him to. God will point out things that you’ve been holding onto and help you to let go of those things, especially unforgiveness. The relationship you have with Him is meant to be more intimate than any other relationship you have with anyone on earth, including your spouse. I have never been married but I know that a marriage is a union that God created that is meant to last, not some temporary relationship when times get hard. It is meant to go through ups and downs, thick and thin, good and bad. That is exactly what it’s like to have a relationship with God and I also believe that a relationship with God can teach you how to have that intimate of a relationship with someone else, especially when you were never raised to endure and deal with a relationship that serious. I am a child of divorcees and never really understood what loyalty meant or what love was until I encountered God. I am still struggling with those concepts but God is renewing my mind daily and showing me daily how to love and be loved.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

            Not only does God help comfort you, but He helps guide you in life too. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5, 6. There are some things I would never have been able to stop doing if God didn’t help me to stop doing, or even give me a desire to stop doing them. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. I would not be drug free or alcohol free right now if it wasn’t for Him. I have dabbled in alcohol here and there from times to time. I’m starting to feel like it’s just pointless and not worth my time anymore. Someone who used to be a hardcore alcoholic would never reach that point on their own if they started drinking again. It would most definitely turn into a binge. So why is it different for me? Because the Holy Spirit is renewing my mind daily and helping me see there is a better way to live. I have now delighted myself in the Lord and one of the desires of my heart is to be closer to Him more than anything now, not only that but to be a better person and heal from the trauma that made me want to drink and do drugs in the first place. God knows the way to your heart and how to give you a better life if you would only trust in Him!

When you start letting God take the wheel of your life, you will begin to see some things starting to grow, which is commonly known as the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24 Sometimes in order for those fruits to grow, you have to go through some trials and tribulations. These things are meant to test you and cause you to break, but also cause you to draw closer to God as He helps you deal with these issues and brings you through them. Trials and tribulations are meant to refine you like gold in a fire to the point it takes all of the imperfections out of you, leaving no stain or blemish on your spirit. These things can be painful but they are necessary if you want to be transformed forever and be more like Christ than when you started your journey with God.

            Being a child of God hasn’t been easy and there have been times that I have gotten off the path because I strayed away from prayer and being in constant contact with Him. I listened to other voices instead of His. I followed other teachings instead of His, teachings that are in the Bible but have been severely misinterpreted by man and twisted by the devil to get people off the path of The Way. But, I am back on this path and I strongly urge everyone who is on this path to resubmit themselves to Christ by making a commitment to be with Him daily, making it a habit to pray to Him and talk to Him daily. When it starts to feel too routine, shake it up a bit. Look at it as a relationship that is more vital than any other relationship, because it is. Being a child of God isn’t meant to be boring or get old: it’s a relationship that is meant to grow and not only last a lifetime, but an eternity.