The Orphan Heart

An interview with Walker Moore, author of Escape the Lie.

So many people are not living the life God intended because they are held back by the wounds of the past. Walker Moore unlocks the door to help readers escape the deep-seated problem known as “the Orphan Heart” in his new book Escape the Lie published by Randall House.

Walker Moore is founder and president of Awe Star Ministries and has been working with families through ministry for more than four decades. He desires to help people recognize the symptoms of the Orphan Heart while leading them down a path to recovery, healthy earthly relationships, and most important—a relationship with the heavenly Father. Recently, the Randall House staff asked Walker to share more about his life, his book, and his mission:

You’ve preached the Orphan Heart message for several years now. Why did you decide to turn it into a book?

It became a book because so many people asked for it. Whenever I taught on this topic, almost everyone who came up afterward asked, “Do you have this in writing? My brother, my friend, etc. needs to have this message.” The book wasn’t something I decided to do right away. Instead, it was a response to the many people who told me they needed the Orphan Heart teaching in print.

You spend a great deal of time on the mission field. How does the Orphan Heart message apply there?

We all long for a father, so that need is the same on the mission field and at home. But all an orphan can produce is more orphans, and that holds true on the mission field. For a long time, I didn’t understand how I could take students on a mission trip and have them fail to experience joy. Learning more about the Orphan Heart has helped me realize that it’s impossible for someone with an Orphan Heart to bring freedom to someone else. They simply can’t find joy in sharing sonship, because they don’t have it themselves.

If the Orphan Heart is so widespread, do you think it’s truly possible for people to “escape the lie”?

Yes, because that’s the whole message of the Scriptures. That’s why Jesus came: to set us free from all the world’s bondage, from our fallen nature. We can absolutely be His children, so free that we enjoy our Father and celebrate in His presence. Even when I’m by myself in the middle of the jungle, the knowledge that I’m His favorite child gives me great joy.

You say that when you preach on the Orphan Heart, you don’t get many questions. Instead, people line up to tell you stories. What do they say? 

They come up to me and say, “You’ve just described me. That’s my life.” And then they tell me about their experiences: rape, abuse, a father who ignored them, or a father who tried to be successful at their expense. I hear story after story of people who identify with the Orphan Heart message. It’s a universal theme, and many people share their stories with me because they so identify with it.

Why should we read Escape the Lie?

There are two reasons for reading this book. First is for your personal journey, because even if you escape the lie and embrace sonship, you might discover some areas in your life where you aren’t free. Sometimes, God wants to shine a light on an area of your life—like the Orphan Heart—that you didn’t even know existed. The second reason is that you can help others—people you work with, live with, and are friends with—by reading this book.

Order your copy of Escape the Lie at www.RandallHouse.com.