The Perfect YouExemplo

What Not to Do

When it comes to what you don’t have to do, we want to be clear—this message is for believers.

We’re talking about the joy and freedom we have already in Jesus Christ. (If you’re not yet a believer, you can call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ right now to be saved by His death and resurrection. When you open the door of your life to Him, He promises to come in, transform you, and be with you forever.)

We also want to be clear that, again, there are plenty of things for believers to do. As we survey the New Testament, we find dozens of passages describing attitudes and actions. Every day we’re faced with plenty of decisions to make: We offer our bodies to God. We walk by the Spirit. We set our minds on truth. We love other people as Jesus loves us. 

Here are four things many believers think they have to do:

1. Try to get closer to God.

2. Seek forgiveness and cleansing.

3. Examine or change your heart.

4. Feel or “experience” more.

These four things can consume a lot of your time and energy. They can dominate a lot of your thought processes as you try to relate to God and live the Christian life.

Imagine if you lived every day free of worry about getting closer to God or getting more forgiven. Imagine if you lived every day without trying to “examine” or “change” your heart. Imagine if you didn’t have to “feel more spiritual” or chase after an experience of God anymore.

What would your life be like if it were simply marked by a confident knowing of the truth?