Excerpts From the Article "From Slavery To Sonship" by Jack and Trisha Frost 

Often within the church, it is difficult to tell whether a person walks in the heart attitude of an orphan or a son (this includes daughters). Outwardly, a person may have a pattern of service, sacrifice, discipline, and apparent loyalty, but you do not know what is inside a person until he or she gets bumped. Then the attitude of the heart overflows at a time when they feel they are not getting the recognition or favor they deserve.

Somehow the difference lies in the motives and intentions of the heart.

The orphan spirit causes one to live life as if he does not have a safe and secure place in the Father’s heart. He feels he has no place of affirmation, protection, comfort, belonging, or affection. Self-oriented, lonely, and inwardly isolated, he has no one from whom to draw Godly inheritance. Therefore, he has to strive, achieve, compete, and earn everything he gets in life. It easily leads to a life of anxiety, fears, and frustration.

The spirit of sonship is all about having a heart attitude of submission – being subject to another’s mission. Jesus Himself said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) In Hebrews 12:9, “Be subject” is also the word “submission.” In the Greek, this word means “to get underneath and to push up.” So to have the spirit of sonship is to put yourself underneath another’s mission and do all you can to make them successful, knowing that as a son/daughter, there is an inheritance that lies ahead. Sonship is about security, significance, identity, patience, basic trust, faithfulness, loyalty, humility, and being others-oriented.

The orphan spirit is not something you can cast out because it is ungodly beliefs and/or attitudes of our flesh that has been developing over a lifetime. It has become part of our personality and character. It must be displaced (put to death) by a personal experience in the Father’s love and a revelation of the spirit of sonship. This will require a re-positioning of our life.

Peter Lord recently said, “If you keep doing what you have been doing, you’re going to keep getting what you already got!” Therefore, we must first acknowledge our need for change. Second, we begin to confess to one another the sins of the orphan spirit. Third, we need to receive forgiveness from those against whom we had sinned. Fourth, realize that it will be a daily walk of repentance. Fifth, we receive revelation on sowing into our inheritance. Sixth, we begin receiving our inheritance.

The root of feeling like a spiritual orphan is one of the greatest hindrances to people receiving their healing and walking in expressed love, intimacy, and in healthy relationships. It takes basic trust being restored in order to daily feel secure enough to receive the love that is needed to heal our wounded hearts. The more love and comfort we are able to receive, the less fearful we are of opening our hearts to intimate, loving relationships. We must be willing to let go of our need to suppress our childhood pain and to control our emotions in order to open our hearts to receive the Father’s healing love and to walk in true intimacy with others.

You really are perfectly and unconditionally loved and accepted by Father God. There is nothing a baby can do to be loved but to receive it! Just be willing to lower the walls, fears, and insecurities, and His perfect love will cast out the fear of submission and healthy, loving relationships. You were created for love! Freely receiving and giving love is your destiny! (I John 4:16-19; Genesis 1:26)