What are you afraid of today? Sickness. Rejection. Conflict. Poverty. Loneliness. Those are some of my fears. God is teaching me to be still in the midst of fear because I have been adopted by God.
The fear feels real, but as you claim the promises of God, fear falls away. Why is that possible? Living in the truth of your identity as a literal child of God gives us victory over fear like nothing else can.
What Does the Bible Say About Being Adopted by God?
As Christians, we are called sons and daughters of God. There are many Bible verses about Spiritual adoption that detail what that looks like.
Related Post: 10 Adopted By God Veres
Of those, Romans 8:15 is my favorite adopted by God verse.
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:15 NASB)
Today we will dig into this passage, understand its context, and see how it teaches us to be still and know HIM more. We will also see that when fear comes, trusting in that adoption calms fear and anxiety in amazing ways.
Adoption Does Not Promise A Life Without Fear
The author of Romans 8:15 is the apostle Paul is writing to the gentile church in Rome. This was a time when Christians were being persecuted and Paul knew it first hand. Historians tell us he wrote this letter shackled to a Roman guard.
If anyone could have been afraid it would have been Paul.
Christians Have Always Faced Trials
Some things to know before we begin about the context of the book of Romans and the entire New Testament church are:
- Early Christianity was in conflict with traditional Judaism.
- The Jews held strongly to their laws and traditions.
- They believed that Jehovah was the God of the Jews only.
- The Law and sacrifices had been their way of dealing with sin and bondage to sin.
- Jesus Christ came in and revolutionized everything!
- No longer are we slaves to the law.
- Traditions are not the way to God now.
- God made a way for the whole world to come to Him, not just the Jews.
Aren’t you glad Jesus came to make a way for us as Gentiles to know God?
All of these things meant that the New Testament church would face trials. Trials easily prompt us to respond in fear.
Does The Bible Say We Are Adopted?
Romans 8:15 tells us, in fact, throughout Romans we see that fear does not have to define our lives because we have been adopted into the family of God
Romans is a beautiful letter telling us how to live the Christian life. In it we learn how to live free from the bondage of sin. It is amazing!
Right smack dab in the middle of chapter 8 Paul tells us, “Do not fear. You were adopted by God.”
What Do You Mean by Adopted?
The message is clear from Paul, that being adopted by God chases away fear. I get his point, that God is amazing, faithful, trustworthy, and able to protect us and defend us. All of that is tied up in the image of God the Father. But what happens when you don’t naturally relate those titles with the word father?
How was your relationship with your daddy?
Mine was an on-again-off-again relationship for most of my life. Most of the time I felt like an orphan, unwanted, unloved, and unimportant.
On the other hand, I’ve seen kids use the very idea of their daddy as a way to scare bullies away.
“If you do that again I’ll get my daddy,” is not uncommon for children with a good dad.
Imperfect Father Figures
For a long time, I didn’t have a right understanding of God being my dad because my earthly dad (doing the best he could) didn’t act like my Heavenly Father. It took a long time to connect with this part of the character of the Lord.
Today I imagine using my Father’s name to warn the devil he’s picking on the wrong Jesus Girl! Powerful right?!?!?!
Regardless of the relationship you had or have with your earthly father, you can also get to that place. Keep pressing into what the Bible says bout adoption and fatherhood. Ask the Lord to give you good godly examples of fathers, even Spiritual fathers to help you learn. You will get to that place too.
Related Post: What Does The Bible Say About Orphans
What Does It Mean to Be Adopted by God?
We are adopted by God. Accepting that truth leads to a natural question. What does it mean that we are adopted by God, especially when we don’t have a good earthly example?
Your Heavenly Father is far superior to your earthly dad. Maybe like my dad, you’ve been hurt, let down, abandoned, or neglected. God the Father would never do that.
Instead, your Heavenly Father loves you unconditionally, provides for you, and protects you. He can not lie or act falsely with you. He is amazing.
Related Post: Knowing God as a Loving Father
What Your Abba Father Does For You
What will your Abba Father do for you to show His love (unconditional, unrevokable love)?
- Your Abba loves you
- Chose you
- Delivered you
- Redeemed you
- Called you by name
- Claims you as His own
- Made you a Royal Priest
- Calls you beloved
- Removed your shame
- Is with you
- Hears you when you cry
- Is for you
- Fights for you
- Never leaves you or forsakes you
- Made a way to have a real relationship with Him
- Is coming back to take you home to be with Him for eternity
Related Post: 60+ Identity in Christ Verses To Pray Over Your Spouse
A Promise About Adoption Into God’s Family
When we see some of the adopted by God Scriptures we see a promise that can’t be denied. In fact, there are promises you can claim when You are adopted by the Lord!
- God gives you His name.
- The LORD makes you a co-heir with Christ.
- God blesses you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
- Your salvation and adoption are eternal.
- Once you are adopted you can never be written out of God’s will!
Did you find this mid-series? Go back here and read the intro and keep up with the series.
How To Be Still and Not Fear Because You Are Adopted By God
When we look at the practical application of Romans 8:15 we see several points.
- Fear is real.
- It has been an enemy of Christianity from day one.
- Trust is hard.
- Regardless of the fear, however, God is faithful and trustworthy.
- Believing the Lord grows your confidence.
What are you believing the Lord about?
- God cares so much that He brought you into His family as His child.
- Not as a servant.
- Not as a guest.
That confidence in your position in God’s family is powerful for fighting fear!
1. Fear Is Real
Know this, fear is real.
What are you afraid of in life today?
- If I am not needed, I fear that I won’t be wanted. #PeoplePleaser
- There is a fear that my marriage won’t endure the test of time. #BeatTheOddsOfDivorce
- When I don’t do it, it won’t get done is often in my mind. #ControlFreak
- I fear pain and fatigue will rob me of the joy of life. #AutoImmuneDiseaseLife
Those are just a few of my fears.
Fear is real. It comes in when we are facing real-life situations that seem impossible.
Do you ever say to the LORD, “God I am scared?” He hears you and cares about what you care about!
Let’s hit some of the hard things head first here.
What Do You Mean by Adopted? The message is clear from Paul, that being adopted by God chases away fear. Share on X2. Trust is Hard
Let me rephrase that. Trusting God in uncertainty is hard
When I don’t know what’s happening or why it’s happening I am afraid. I am afraid to trust the Lord because there have been some real things in my past that were too hard. He allowed them. It’s made me fearful to trust Him or anyone else.
Can you relate?
Related Post: How To Trust That God is For You
Learn To Trust God Anyway
How do you learn to trust God when life has been so hard?
You step out in faith, believing He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do. Believing God requires trusting that the hard parts of your life were not for nothing.
The hard parts of your life were not a waste of a life. Don’t skim past that truth.
He has a plan even if we don’t understand or like it.
Learning to trust God requires us to internalize Scripture which means we need to be reading our Bible each day. Do you have a daily time with the Lord, in prayer and in the Word?
When a season is especially challenging, I focus on the Scriptures about overcoming fear. It is encouraging to remember that fear didn’t have to be the end of the story as we see in Scripture!
Trusting God means we step out in faith despite the fear! We don’t allow fear or anxiety to paralyze us, instead, we act by pushing through fear! He promises He will give us the strength to do just that if we ask Him!
Related Post: 40 Bible verses on overcoming fear and Anxiety
Remember God’s Faithfulness
I trust in God because I’ve seen Him show up. Have you?
Honestly, God has shown up in my life in miraculous ways! Miraculous ways! It was hard to see at first because I was so fixated on the problems that I was missing the beauty. That has been a theme in this study, have you noticed? Get your eyes off of the problem and onto the Lord! (We need to be reminded.)
When I step back and begin fixing my eyes on Him, I begin to see His hand working in ways I never dreamed possible! The Lord is always working, but we can’t always see His hand. We must be intentional to look for Jesus at work even in the hard times.
“The steadfast mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 NASB)
When you look at Bible verses on trust in God you see a pattern, things get hard and then God shows up! Keep your eyes open for Him.
Has God Shown Up in a Powerful Way in Your Life?
The way we trust Him when He says, “Don’t be afraid for I am with you,” is to remember the times He’s shown up in the past.
3. Believe The Lord About Adoption
Remember He has adopted you into His own family. You are chosen, loved and wanted!
He chose you, before you were born, fully knowing the mess you would make of this life. Chosen. He loves you enough to have sent His Only Son to make a way for this adoption. Loved. He relentlessly pursued you until you gave your life to Him. Wanted.
You have the rights of a child of God. Once adopted, the law protects a child. You can not be written out of His will or abandoned. You have the same rights, provisions, and protections as a natural-born child.
Start living like one. Don’t be afraid to come to God when you need help. In fact, come to God all the time and it won’t even be a question!
Live in the identity of a child of God, who can call on His name when fear comes, with confidence that your Father will always come running to help. Believe the Lord about all the promises of this adoption.
A Prayer to Be Still Trust in God’s Adoption
Abba! Father!
When I am afraid I will trust in you. I choose to trust You today. Thank You for choosing me. I praise You for adopting me into Your family. It’s hard to remember I am Your daughter, a princess to the King of kings. It’s so much easier to be afraid than to come to You. Make it my daily habit to talk to You, bring You my needs, and be in an active, intimate relationship with You.
Thank You for breaking the bondage to sin that has held me for so long. I praise Your name Father for being a God of second chances. Thank You for forgiving me and bringing new mercy into this new day. Be my help and strength to not blow it today.
Amen.
You Are Adopted By God – Will You Let It Change Everything?
Romans 8:15 is just another truth fitting the theme in our study on how to be still. Have you noticed the theme? The Bible pits fear against trust in God over and over!
I want to say I put my trust in God in every circumstance but I know that is a lie. Usually, I get there, but it takes a lot of wrestling. How about you?
Today we saw another reason and way to learn how to trust God more. You are adopted by God. You don’t have to be afraid because your Abba is far bigger and more powerful than the enemy! Call out to Him. Lean on Him. Trust Him. Be still with Him when fear comes.
How can you overcome fear through the adoption of God?
- Know that fear is real
- Understand that trusting God is hard
- learn to trust God anyway
- Remember God’s faithfulness
- Believe what He says about adoption
Will you embrace the identity of God’s adopted child today and let Him fight your fears?
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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