For me personally, having a true revelation of God as Father has come to me after my earlier revelations of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps, however, it is the most precious.

Many of us have not experienced a healthy relationship with our natural fathers.  This may account for so many believers not having “sonship” in deep in our hearts.

This revelation of sonship, for me, came gradually unlike the revelations of the other two members of the Trinity.  It was gradual but oh so real.  I began to study some teaching that contrasted sonship and slavery, the spirit of sonship vs. the orphan spirit.  I identified more with the attitudes of being a slave or an orphan than a son — attitudes of performance, trying to earn what I thought I might deserve, not being comfortable with my place in the heart of my heavenly Father, and not knowing unconditional acceptance.  As I studied the material and the scriptures the truth of sonship began to dawn.  The joy began to come.  Here are some attitudes to consider, from Amanda Buys teaching on this subject:

CATEGORY                                 ORPHAN SPIRIT                                 SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

IMAGE OF GOD                      See God as master                               See God as a loving Father

DEPENDENCY                        Independent/self-reliant                    Interdependent/acknowledge need

THEOLOGY                              Live by the love of law                         Live by the law of love

SECURITY                                 Insecure/lack peace                            Rest and peace

NEED FOR APPROVAL          Strive for praise/approval                 Totally accepted in God’s love

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINES   Duty, earning God’s favour                Pleasure and delight

I invited Giancarlo Elia to come to our church and minister this truth to us.  I needed to wash myself in this subject over and over again to catch the truth of it and let it wash my soul.  What a difference it has made to my life — the love, security, and blessing of having a close intimate relationship of Abba.  Such an amazing thing.

I highly recommend to you Giancarlo’s teaching on the Father heart of God.  You can listen to three messages on our website on this subject:

1.  The Love of a Father (11 July 2009)

2.  The Father’s Blessing (11 July 2009)

3.  The Yoke of Sonship (12 July 2009)

My prayer for you is that God will reveal Himself to you as Father, as Son, and as the Holy Spirit.  We all need to know and experience all three.  May the Lord bless you in your adventure of discovery.