It is difficult to experience the peace of God to the fullest if we're steadily or periodically wondering whether we're in God's will. It becomes even more complicated if we're worried what the negative ramifications might be if we become convinced through external sources that we are "out of God's will."
Christ in you, that is God's will for you, and it is a place of peace and rest. He will be with you every step of the way through the earthly journey and through the many decisions being made over the years. If He impresses something unique upon your heart, you can still make choices. If you decide to go a different direction, God is flexible and has been known to be in the re-routing business ... working things together for good and never leaving you.
People can go through all kinds of stress and worry while wondering or trying to figure out what God's will is for their life. It can result in this life becoming heavy and hard instead of light and easy.
Sometimes it's just a matter of trusting God to lead and guide. This becomes easier when we can set aside the magnifying glass and begin to see the bigger picture of God's will for your life being Jesus Christ in you. Rest in that and begin to realize how much God cares for you affectionately in every area of your life. You no longer need to fear if you are "in God's will."
A listener shares with us their story of spending decades in several different churches while working at being dedicated and committed to the cause. Over time, they began to struggle with depression, anxiety, guilt and shame. If it seems like there is something wrong with this picture, it's because there is ... and unfortunately, it's all too common. But we have some encouragement for those who feel trapped.
We have received many inquiries from listeners over the years who are in search of answers to questions that may have them confused when it comes to things found in the Bible. This isn't exactly an exclusive club. We all would like greater clarity on many things we may not fully understand. When someone seeks input from us, a pastor, or their favorite grace teacher ... it will sometimes just lead to more questions which will result in seeking more answers—and how they compare to previously received answers from a different source.
That's the problem when there are so many different opinions, doctrines and perspectives from people who all declare the Bible as their source for truth. Grace will help us to realize we don't need to know everything or feel that we need an answer to every question. And it can result in depending more on the One who abides within ... who is more than enough to keep us at peace.
God's grace teaches us so much over time when compared to religious routines and traditions of "doing" that have often missed the core message of the gospel of God's love. We're continuing with the second part of a letter we received from a newer listener to the podcast who is beginning to see the message of grace and recognizing the contrasts with much of what they may have been taught in the corporate church system. They ask about how to overcome past regrets for things said and done ... the feeling of exhaustion from church-related activities ... and wrestling with whether they and their young family should attend church regularly.
Over the past couple of decades, we've received correspondence from people from around the world. We've been blessed by so many emails and comments. We've also heard stories from some who shared very difficult things they have experienced from church denominations and religious tradition ... and some of those were quite sad.
We recently received a nice letter from a new listener who discovered our podcast and shared some of his experiences while just beginning to have the eyes of his understanding opened to the message of the gospel of grace. Chances are very good that much of what he is sharing will sound very familiar to you if you have progressed into the good news of the gift of righteousness. For some, it will bring reminders from your distant past ... or more recently for some. We felt it is probably an accurate representation of what many Christians go through when being set free from ideologies that are so burdensome within the mixed covenant culture quite dominant in corporate Christianity. We're going to do something different on this program and share the letter and some thoughts for those eagerly seeking answers to what may seem like "newfound faith."
Try harder, do more, read the Bible more, be extra dedicated to church, pray more (and sometimes pay more). Someone wrote to us to share their background of feeling obligated to spend as much time as possible working to do everything they could "to connect with God." Many of us can relate to chasing the imaginary spiritual golden carrot that seemed to dangle just out of our reach. In their words, it left them exhausted—and the enemy will use this against us—while we lose sight of our identity as a believer in Christ.
Jesus had a message for the religious workaholic: He desires to give rest. It's the opposite of exhaustion. Unlike the law that the Jews were pursuing, it's the opposite of burdensome. His yoke is not one of imprisonment, but it is light and easy. When we begin feeling spiritually or emotionally weary and overloaded, we're probably traveling in the wrong direction—and God wants to help us with that.
You may have wondered if God has specific plans for your life and how you can know you're going in the right direction. Some are afraid of making decisions - whether big or small - for fear they will make the wrong one. Some can become so concerned about this that they feel the need to stop and pray before doing anything.
God has given us the freedom to make choices and will be with us every step of the way. Certainly He may impress some things upon the hearts of people, leading and guiding when we're often not even aware of it. Religion has often emphasized the idea of being a follower of God. But let's remember that God's Spirit is always following us as a helper in time of need.
Jesus came to bring peace to those who would receive it. It’s not like the fleeting peace the world tries to give.
How do we begin to truly experience this personally? Is it by how we begin to live our lives or by following a multitude of religious rules? Quite the opposite.
The good news: You can’t make peace with God - but He has made peace with you.
This week, Mike and Joel were the guests on a podcast by Timothy Virge called "The Gospel of Grace Podcast." We had a great time talking about a variety of things, centered around the good news of God's love and grace.
We are not against the church. But it’s unfortunate that much of what has been heard and taught through various denominations and organizations has led people down the wrong path. Sometimes they are taught a mixture of law and grace which will lead to more sinning and more guilt instead of less. We have heard from people around the world through our podcast ministry, and in some cases they needed to seek professional counseling for various kinds of depression and fear which resulted in having medication prescribed to treat their condition… and it was related to their church experiences or Bible teaching that brought them to this place. The gospel is meant to bring a blessed assurance, and God’s unconditional love and grace has been given to us in abundance to bring peace of mind and to equip us for every good work. Our intention at Growing in Grace is to teach and remind people of how God has freely given us all things that are good.
Experiencing God’s peace and joy will be connected to gaining the understanding that His love for you has no strings attached. People often go through life wondering where they are positioned with God or they live in fear that God is angry with them. They have been smothered with teaching which proclaims faith, hope and love are based upon working at attaining a higher level of morality, an area where they are constantly falling short. God loves you because He loves you! He demonstrated this unconditional love through Jesus Christ dying for us, when all humans were still identified as sinners. He took our place by becoming sin, so we could receive His righteousness through belief, apart from works.
