Father’s Spirit

John 8:^49-50 “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honour my Father—and you dishonour me. And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge.”

Have you ever been called crazy or a fanatic for holding on to a conviction, maybe you gave your life to Jesus or because you want to follow God to a level that everyone else thinks is unnecessary? Has anyone accused you of mixing madness with your religion? I am not talking about being unbiblically fanatical, that is not what I am referring to. But if you are following Jesus, at some point in your relationships people will think you are crazy. It is good to do crazy things for Jesus; do I get an Amen? Please study John 8:51–55. I want you to declare this statement out loud; I am who God says that I am. I know what God has revealed to me. Very often, the devil tries to confuse us about who we are or what God is saying to us. At such points, let this be your declaration; I know who I am in God and I know what God has told me. I know who I am with my Father and I know what my Father has told me. You are who God says that you are.

John 8:⁵⁶ “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” (NRSV, emphasis added). Remember, in preceding verses, Jesus had said that Abraham was not their father and that the devil is their father. But in this passage, Jesus says ‘your ancestor Abraham’, another translation says, ‘your father Abraham’. Meaning that Jesus knew that Abraham was their biological father, if you will. It means that you can be a biological son without being a proper son. If you do not catch the spirit of your father, you can be a biological son, a structural son, an organizational son, or an institutional son without being a proper son.

That is why you see that not many children of Pastors actually catch the spirit of their fathers. The people that become the proper sons of the Pastors are usually other people. But our generation is changing that; our children and other people as God will draw, are catching our spirit in the Name of Jesus. A lot of us would have experienced times when we are worshipping in our homes, and as we kneel to worship, our children do the same. These men were biological sons, but they were not ‘proper’ sons. The difference between being a structural son [an institutional son, or an organizational son] and a proper son is, the former is bestowed upon you and the latter enters into it by himself. The proper son catches the spirit of the father.

In John 8:^56-58 “Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” Jesus said to them, ‘I preceded Abraham. I made Abraham. I revealed Myself to him and Abraham was excited to see Me’ [paraphrased]. We will delve into this in detail in tomorrow’s devotional.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help me catch the spirit of the one You have appointed as father unto me and make me a proper son, in Jesus Name. Amen!