Found Part One - The Lost Son

In the parable of the lost son we see three people directly involved in this story of a son (lost person) being restored and forgiven by his father (God) Read Luke 15:11-31. In this blog we will look at the younger son with the following two looking at the Father and older brother.

The parable starts off with the younger son asking for his share of his inheritance. This would have been particularly hard for the father as his son may as well have said ‘I wish you were dead’. The father would have been very wounded by this harsh demand but nonetheless he divided up the estate between his two sons.

The son immediately took the money and walked away from his father to pursue a sinful lifestyle only to squander his entire inheritance. After leaving his father, the son’s life went to ruin. While in this dark place he comes to his senses and returns to his father.  There were four significant changes that occur in his life that are of value to us today.  

1.       Recognise - Luke 15:17, 18 “When he came to his senses, he said... I will set out and go back to my father...

 Recognising sin in your life is critical to coming into a right relationship with God but also for Christians to walk in the fullness of what God has for them. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and bring us to a place of acknowledging the sin in our lives so we can deal with it.

2.       Repent - Luke 15:21 ...’Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

We can recognise the sin areas in our lives and yet not do anything about it. God calls us to repent/turn away from everything the Bible calls sin and follow after Him. With His help you can overcome anything. The son did not go back to his father the same; he went back a changed, repentant man.

3.       Humility Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble...

The son went from a place of great pride and arrogance when he demanded his inheritance, to a place of heartfelt humility on his return. Humility is having a modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance. It puts other people before you and also elevates God.

4.       Run to God Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father

We need to be people who are humble enough to run to God when we blow it but also know that He wants us to come to Him! Sometimes we can be like Adam and Eve in the garden where we hide from God because we are ashamed of our sin.  As in the garden, God is looking for us and wants us to run to Him even when we mess up. This ‘found’ son did not want to live his life separate from his father and likewise God wants all His children to live their lives with Him too.

Trailblazing

The Pioneering Spirit can be encapsulated in the ministry that God gave Joshua. In Numbers 27:15-18 Moses was praying to God asking for someone to succeed him. This is what he asked

 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

In order to lead other people we need to be able to lead ourselves really well first. Joshua’s ministry can be described as a ‘leading out and bringing in’ ministry. Before the Israelites could go into the Promised Land they needed to first come out of the wilderness. Before Joshua could lead anyone else he needed to do it himself first. The same is for us today. We need to come out of some things so that God can take us into what He has for us. Then we will be able to lead other people as well.

1.       Go out

What is God calling you out of? What mindsets, spoken words, old wine skin, faith immobilisers, sin or relationships etc... is God asking you to leave behind so you can go into the promise He has for you? Take some time asking God what there is in your life that he wants you to leave behind and come out of. Write them out and ask God to help you to get rid of them in your life.

2.       Go in

What is God calling you to do? Perhaps you have had a dream or vision from God in the past and you have forgotten it. Spend some time soaking in God’s presence asking Him to reveal what His dream is for you or ask Him to rekindle His dream for you that may seemingly have died.

3.       Action

All of this requires action, an internal drive and determination to overcome. You can know what God is asking you to move away from and even where He wants you to go to, but without action nothing will happen. 1 Corinthians 4:20 says ‘For the Kingdom is not a matter of talk but power’. We can talk all we like but we need to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to move us into action.

List some practical things that you can do to leave behind the things God is asking you to and what you can do to go into your ‘Promised Land’.

Declaration Prayer – Pray this prayer out loud declaring it over your life.

I am called by God for a specific task that only I can complete. I am coming out of everything that hinders me from receiving God’s best for my life. I am committed, passionate and full of faith for what God is bringing me into. I have perseverance and endurance to remain committed no matter what happens. I am a pioneer and trailblazer for the Kingdom of God. I possess the power of God to move mountains and am more than a conqueror. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In Jesus name, Amen.