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Apostolic Advice

The Son's Prayer

Recently I saw The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) in a different light: it may be "old hat" to some, but was an eye-opener for me. The opening phrase of "Our Father in heaven," indicates that this is the prayer of a "son" who understands what the will of the Father is for the earth, and is asking that the Father's will now be done "on earth as it is in heaven." We see this phrase used in Ephesians 3:14, where Paul is praying to the "Father of every family named in heaven and earth." It appears that the prayer focus of the Father's will is that of "bringing the family from heaven to earth." In fact, the reason for Creation is the Father Heart of God, Who desires a family to demonstrate His boundless love unto. In eternity, all the metaphors of the Church in the New Testament will have played out except for "the Family of God" - it will be "Father and Sons Forever," according to Hebrews 1:5-8. We are now in the time of the "restoration of God's Family" according to the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6; of "turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers." Holy Spirit is pouring out revelation about this eternal relationship, including how to "bring many sons to glory" by deliverance from the Orphan/Independent Spirit. There has been a great love poured into the "hearts of fathers" so that the sons have a "safe place" to go for spiritual development and release into destiny. As a result, there is a great love being formed in the "hearts of sons" which will lead to a more powerful generation of spiritual leaders for the upcoming apostolic reformation that will effectively "disciple nations" before the bodily return of Jesus Christ.

This "model prayer," as it has been called, gives an outline of what happens in the "Family of God" when it is restored in the earth and all of God's will is being done within it. We can see from this prayer that the Father's plan is for the family to be the "center of power and glory" on earth. Within the functioning family we find first of all that there is:

PROVISION (v.11) - "Give us this day our daily bread...". The Word of God is abundantly revealed in the family of God from "milk, to meat, to strong meat."

LOVE and ACCEPTANCE (v. 12) - "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." The mature sons and daughters have learned to "receive love and give love to others." This is the goal of relationship, and the greatest representation of Who the Father is.

BOUNDARIES (v. 13a) - "And do not lead us into temptation..." Spiritual training involves learning our boundaries in all areas of life and how to live according to protocol and God's order. This is true Kingdom understanding of both Sovereign and Delegated Authority.

PROTECTION (v. 13b) - "But deliver us from the evil one." Properly relating to "family" provides the covering needed to walk free from the enemy of God and man, Satan. This is indicated in Ephesians 6:1-2, where children are admonished to obey authority within the family in order to have a long and happy life.

Finally, we see that "family" is the greatest manifestation of the "Kingdom of God" on earth: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (v.13) As we continue to mature in our understanding of "family" within the Body of Christ, we will see the power and glory of God intensify to the measure it was manifested in the Gospels as the "Only Begotten Son" walked with the Father and demonstrated the family relationship for the future sons and daughters to grow up into. Is it any wonder that Satan has fought to destroy the "family" in our society, and keep the Church from growing into the "heavenly model" of family, so that the power and glory of God could be fully released on earth? The "Son's Prayer" will finally be answered, and the Elijah Anointing is working in the church presently to bring it to pass.