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...