CHAPTER 1
YOU ARE APPROVED!
"This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Hebrews 4:15-16, NLT).
God created you for a reason. The things that interest you, the things you are passionate about or like to do, your talent and abilities, the dreams you have for the future, the goals you want to accomplish, even where you are right now in your life as you are reading this book ... none of these things are mistakes, they all have a purpose.
God created every one of us in His image and has a great plan for each one of our lives. That plan is for us to have power, walk in victory, live in peace, abundance, prosperity and to see all the great things He has in store for us come to be. However, many people will never get a chance to see these things happen or experience life this way. Many people will never develop a relationship with God, become the person they were created to be, see their dreams come true or learn to live a victorious life simply for one reason; they don't believe they can.
As for why some people don't believe they can, the reasons could be endless. Some people believe that the above scripture from Hebrews, where we are told to come boldly to the throne of God, comes with absurd conditions or is meant only for certain types of people. Some people believe when the Bible speaks of God's blessings and promises, it means blessings and promises for everyone but them. Others think they could never live up to the unrealistic standards many Christians pretend to live by. While others are scared off by what they think they will have to give up.
Whatever the reason, many people are afraid to invite Jesus into their lives and get to know God. However, Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us not only can we come to God ... but we can come to Him boldly! The word "bold" means "showing an ability to take risks; being confident and courageous." (Merriam –Webster.com)
To put aside any doubts, fear or hesitation we may have to begin a relationship with God requires us to do just that; be bold, confident and courageous. Being afraid only holds us back from becoming the person God created us to be and having all He created us to have.
No matter if you are just starting your spiritual journey, have never given it any thought or have been on your path for years, being bold is an important part of moving forward in your relationship with God.
Nevertheless, there are many people who don't feel bold or courageous when it comes to God. There are many people who don't feel comfortable praying or asking God to bless them. There are even people who look at letting God into their lives as a "risk".
In this chapter, "You Are Approved!" I want to begin discussing some of the reasons people feel this way and help people understand that despite whatever it is that may be holding them back, we are already approved to move forward, boldly and courageously in our relationship with God!
I named this chapter, "You Are Approved!" because Romans 4:25 (GWT) tells us, "Jesus, our Lord, was handed over to death because of our failures and was brought back to life so that we could receive God's approval."
No matter where you are with your spirituality, I'm sure you have at least heard of the sacrifice Jesus made for us when He died for our sins. His sacrifice was so great, it's all that we need to, right now, be able to come to God and pursue our spirituality boldly and with confidence. But, what does that mean?
It means even though we are not perfect and probably never will be, we are already approved to pray bold prayers and ask God for great things. It means we are approved to look past our shortcomings and press forward towards becoming the person God says we can be.
It means we are approved to disregard all of the silly conditions and circumstances people put on what it means to be a believer, and find out what that means for ourselves.
So, why do some people still not see this as the exiting opportunity that it is? Why do some people have crosses hanging from their chains and necklaces, in their homes, on bumper stickers and even as tattoos but have a hard time accepting the priceless gift of love it represents?
One reason people feel this way is because they believe God's love and approval is something they have to try and earn. Many people have been led to believe that God's love for us is based on how well we behave. Thinking this way keeps people in fear that they are always doing something that God disapproves of. Feeling this way makes people afraid to come to God boldly and with confidence like the scripture says. Many people don't understand this is not the way it works. God's love for us is not based on how well we behave. If it were ... we would all be in trouble!
While God may not always love some of the things we say or do, He loves us because we are His children. There is a big difference! There is no mistake we could ever make or any path we could ever walk down that would make God turn His back on us.
Because we are His children, we can come to Him at any time boldly and with confidence and begin a relationship with Him. Some people don't know this or have been told differently. Many people don't understand that one of the greatest gifts given to us by Jesus is the ability to have God's grace, power, love and mercy on our side, even as we are learning, growing and making mistakes.
Honestly, it's pretty easy to understand why some people may feel this way. God offers us such a great benefits package that sometimes our minds have trouble understanding how good He really is.
As human beings, we are used to a system of having to earn things. This is just the way the way the world operates. Since we were children, most of us have heard, "If you eat all your food, you can have dessert." "If you study hard enough, you will get good grades." "If you work hard enough, you will get the promotion." It seems like we are always in the process of trying to earn something.
You have to work hard to earn the love of the person you choose to be with and even some of your own family members. However, many people apply this idea to their relationship with The Lord as well. Many people are afraid to invite God into their lives because they feel they could never do enough good to earn the right to do so.
This may be how the world works. However, John 16:33 tells us that Jesus overcame the world, so God's love for us does not depend on anything we have to earn. Also, John 1: 17 (ESV) tells us, "For while the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
"Grace" (in this instance) means "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it." Other definitions include the words "credit", "favor" and "honor" and almost every definition uses the word "undeserved".
Can you imagine having God's unearned and undeserved favor, credit, honor and blessings, just by living in His presence? Well, that's exactly what His grace is ... and it's available to each one of us right now!
No matter where we are in our lives, God is eager to give us His grace, power, favor and honor without us worrying about having to earn it.
This can be seen in Ephesians 2:4-9 (NLV) which tells us, "God has so much loving-kindness. He loves us with such a great love. Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving favor. God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the Heavens. He did this to show us through all the time to come, the great riches of His loving favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. It is not given to you because you worked for it."
It's sad to think that many people will never experience God's grace in their lives because they take on the impossible task of trying to earn it. Remember, you may have to try and earn favor with people, but you never have to try and earn it with God!
Think about it this way, if you have company coming over that you're trying to impress, the first thing you may think is, "I have to clean up the house." You may rush around vacuuming, dusting, picking clothes up off the floor and washing dishes. By the time you finish trying to prepare, you're too tired and worn out to have anyone over at all.
Well, many people go about pursuing a relationship with God the exact same way! They exhaust themselves by running around trying to clean up their lives before they feel like they can invite God in. The idea of having to do this can overwhelm people and scare them away from ever trying to develop a relationship with God at all.
Whether it's trying to have perfect behavior, quitting bad habits or even giving up certain things like listening to your favorite music, many people feel like there is some big thing they have to do to before they invite God into their lives. I have even heard people say, "Once I get myself together, then I'll work on my relationship with The Lord."
This makes no sense! It's like going to the doctor after you get over being sick. If you could cure yourself, then there would be no need for the doctor ... right?
Thinking this way is a no- win situation. It puts people on a never-ending cycle of trying to "prepare" themselves for God. People try to "clean up" as much of their life as they can, end up falling short and start to think, "Well there's no use, I' ll never get it right. There's no way God will have anything to do with me!"
This sort of thinking keeps people from ever coming boldly and confidently to the throne like we are told to in Hebrews 4:15-16. It's a burden that is impossible for us to bear and one that Jesus already carried so we wouldn't have to!
Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us Jesus understands everything we go through. He understands our fears, our temptations and our weaknesses. He understands them all because He faced them Himself, yet did not sin. When He died on the cross, He took all of our sins and weakness upon Himself. He paid the price for our approval with God. So ... why would we feel like we have to continue to earn something that has already been paid for?
I like to think of it this way: if a friend took you out to lunch and paid for your meal, you wouldn't go back to the restaurant the next day with more money and try to pay the tab again. You wouldn't continue to show up day after day with more money and try to pay for a bill that has already been settled. How much sense does that make? You would probably just be thankful and sit back and enjoy the meal, because it was a gift. You wouldn't feel like you had to continue to try and earn a gift that has already been paid for, right?
Well, if we wouldn't do that to a friend who paid for something as small as a meal, then why would we do it to Jesus, who already paid the ultimate price for us to have God's approval? Jesus's sacrifice was enough for us to be able to come to God right now and begin a relationship with Him. We don't have to keep trying to earn that right. That tab has already been paid!
Many of you reading this probably do the same thing I do. After I pay my utility bills, I keep the receipt for a while. Imagine how you would react if the electric company or your cell phone company told you, "You didn't pay for last months bill" when you know you did ... and disconnected your service. You would probably grab your receipt so fast heads would spin. I'm sure you would take them the receipt and probably give them a piece of your mind while you were at it.
Well, the next time you feel like God doesn't approve of you, remember Hebrews 4:15- 16 is your receipt! That scripture shows us that Jesus already paid for us to have God's love and approval ... and that's something no one can disconnect us from!
Let's take a look at Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary and Martha. It's a perfect example of how people are so busy trying to gain approval and "prepare" for The Lord, that they miss out on their experience with Him altogether.
While Jesus and His disciples were traveling, they came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to them. Martha had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet enjoying His company and listening to everything He said. But, Martha was running around, distracted by all the things she thought she had to do. Maybe Martha felt like she had to clean up, dress a certain way or serve a certain meal to gain favor with The Lord. Finally, all her running around got the best of her.
She came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:40-42, NIV).
Mary decided to sit down and just enjoy being in The Lord's presence, while Martha ran around like a madwoman trying to do everything she thought needed to be done. Mary wasn't concerned with everything Martha thought had to be done in order to invite Jesus in and neither was Jesus.
When Jesus told Martha, " few things are needed, or indeed only one", I believe He was telling Martha that the only thing she needed to do was "come and sit".
But, many people are like Martha. They obsess over the things they think they must do in order to gain The Lord's approval and invite Him into their lives. They never give themselves a chance to just "come and sit" in His presence and end up missing the whole experience!
Jesus even tells Martha in the New Living Translation of that verse that she is too concerned with all the "details". There are many Christians who are like Martha. They are so concerned with all the "details" that they miss out on the actual experience of enjoying The Lord in their life. They have to have the right clothes, the right way of speaking, the right circle of friends, the right house, the right car and even the right position in church. Every time I see one of these "Martha's" ... I wonder how long it has been since they just chilled out and actually enjoyed spending time with God?
And even worse, they can pass that feeling on to other people! The next time you encounter someone like this, someone who tells you that you have to "do this" and "do that" before you can boldly invite God into your life ... remind them that "You Are Approved!" and show them your receipt!
Remember, it took a certain degree of boldness and confidence for Mary to just come and sit in the presence of The Lord. Mary came to the throne with the same kind of boldness that we are told to come with in Hebrews 4:15-16 ... and Jesus honored that!
If this is something that has been holding you back from having God in your life and pursuing your spirituality with boldness and confidence, you don't have to continue to think this way! You don't have to continue to be like Martha and run around trying to "prepare" for The Lord or "earn" the approval you already have! In John 6:29 (NIV) Jesus tells us, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
If we believe, then God's love and grace is always available to us. We already have His approval along with all the power and benefits of having a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. There are no amount of good deeds we can do to earn that, just like there is no mistake we can make to ever lose it. It's a gift that has always been there and always will be there. It has already been paid for. It's just up to us when we realize it and decide to put it to use in our lives!
CHAPTER 2
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39, NLT).
Now that we understand that God's love and approval isn't something we have to try and earn, I want to take a look at some of the other reasons why people may not feel bold or confident when it comes to their relationship with The Lord.
In the conversations I've had with people, many which led me to write this book, two things kept coming up more often than not ... doubt and fear.
While some people walk around believing that they could never do enough good to earn God's love and approval, there are those who are too afraid to even try.
There are many people, some who may be reading this right now, who are too afraid to approach the throne, let alone boldly because they believe God is angry and upset with them. There are countless people who live their lives every day and feel like they have to stay as far away from God as possible because He is "mad" with them for one reason or another.
