“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 4:16 NLT)

 

One of the most jaw-dropping passages in all of Scripture is found in Hebrews 4:16: “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” (NLT).

If you’ve spent any time in the book of Revelation, you know that God’s throne is a place of holiness and magnificence. The idea of being able to approach it boldly is hard for a lot of less-than-perfect people to wrap their heads around.

Our enemy, the devil, is aware of that. He uses our struggles with “imposter syndrome” to his advantage. He tries to put distance between us and our heavenly Father by making us feel unworthy to approach Him. He wants to rob us of the boldness that the author of Hebrews talked about. Those who already struggle with feelings of unworthiness are easy marks for him.

So, how do we overcome the devil and his tactics? In the book of Revelation, we are introduced to a group of believers who are able to do just that: “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” (Revelation 12:11 NLT).

They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb. The next time the devil tempts you to think that you’re not worthy to approach God, here’s what I advise: Agree with him wholeheartedly. Say, “You’re right. I’m not worthy to approach God. I never was worthy to approach God. I never will be worthy to approach God. My access to God’s presence is not based on my worthiness; it is based on what Christ did for me on the cross. He is worthy—and because of Him I am accepted and can come boldly to God.”

Sometimes we get into the mentality as Christians that if we are doing well spiritually, then we can approach God in prayer. If, say, we get up in the morning, read four chapters from the Bible, give thanks for our meals, and share our faith with someone, then we think we can approach God. But if the next day we sleep in and don’t read the Bible, if we forget to say grace over our meals and don’t share our faith, then we think we’re not worthy to approach Him.

But that’s not the case. Those things are certainly important. But your access to God is based on Christ, not on your spiritual performance. If you’ve done well, then great. Approach God. But if you’ve sinned, then approach God and say, “Lord, I have sinned. This is why I need the blood of the Lamb.”

The devil will always try to keep you away from the cross. But the Holy Spirit will always bring you to it.

 

Reflection question: What might make you feel unworthy to approach God? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;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.&rdquo; (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
&nbsp;
One of the most jaw-dropping passages in all of Scripture is found in Hebrews 4:16: &ldquo;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&rdquo; (NLT).
If you&rsquo;ve spent any time in the book of Revelation, you know that God&rsquo;s throne is a place of holiness and magnificence. The idea of being able to approach it boldly is hard for a lot of less-than-perfect people to wrap their heads around.
Our enemy, the devil, is aware of that. He uses our struggles with &ldquo;imposter syndrome&rdquo; to his advantage. He tries to put distance between us and our heavenly Father by making us feel unworthy to approach Him. He wants to rob us of the boldness that the author of Hebrews talked about. Those who already struggle with feelings of unworthiness are easy marks for him.
So, how do we overcome the devil and his tactics? In the book of Revelation, we are introduced to a group of believers who are able to do just that: &ldquo;And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die&rdquo; (Revelation 12:11 NLT).
They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb. The next time the devil tempts you to think that you&rsquo;re not worthy to approach God, here&rsquo;s what I advise: Agree with him wholeheartedly. Say, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re right. I&rsquo;m not worthy to approach God. I never was worthy to approach God. I never will be worthy to approach God. My access to God&rsquo;s presence is not based on my worthiness; it is based on what Christ did for me on the cross. He is worthy&mdash;and because of Him I am accepted and can come boldly to God.&rdquo;
Sometimes we get into the mentality as Christians that if we are doing well spiritually, then we can approach God in prayer. If, say, we get up in the morning, read four chapters from the Bible, give thanks for our meals, and share our faith with someone, then we think we can approach God. But if the next day we sleep in and don&rsquo;t read the Bible, if we forget to say grace over our meals and don&rsquo;t share our faith, then we think we&rsquo;re not worthy to approach Him.
But that&rsquo;s not the case. Those things are certainly important. But your access to God is based on Christ, not on your spiritual performance. If you&rsquo;ve done well, then great. Approach God. But if you&rsquo;ve sinned, then approach God and say, &ldquo;Lord, I have sinned. This is why I need the blood of the Lamb.&rdquo;
The devil will always try to keep you away from the cross. But the Holy Spirit will always bring you to it.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What might make you feel unworthy to approach God?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Believers can approach God boldly not because of what we’ve done, but because of what Christ did.