Introduction

Unfortunately, there are many people following the way of religion instead of the way of Christ and not knowing they are doing it. They are trying to earn God’s love and/or earn the gift of salvation and provision that he has extended to us. However, instead of receiving what he has already given us, we attempt to earn it anyway. It’s like someone paying for all of your groceries, but you insist on paying yourself.

You are wasting a lot of time and energy trying to impress God. You probably have established a plethora of self-destructing practices that keep you from succeeding to your full potential personally and in your business ventures.

Stop trying to impress God because you cannot! It is silly to think that you, a mere spec of dust on another speck of dust in the vastness of this universe can somehow impress the creator of this universe. Instead, receive His gifts to you and live to your fullest potential as a citizen of His Kingdom.

How we try to impress God

We try to impress God in many ways. We try to be a good person as defined by ourselves or by someone else (e.g., religious leader, pastor, favorite minister, etc.). We do our best not to be as bad as those “other sinners.”? We can say to God that at least we don’t murder, rob banks, steal millions from people. We use our own scale to weigh our actions against those of others, at least as we see them. We try to present ourselves to God as being good enough to deserve his love, affection, provision, and salvation.

Another way that we impress God is through religious activities. For example, many believe that they can impress God by their church attendance. They feel as though that the less Sunday worship services they miss, then the more impress God would be with them. Some may think a life of piety (as defined by the particular church denomination or local church religious leaders) will surely impress God. Others might believe that reading and praying regularly is a sure way to impress God and get Him to notice us. Surely, God will bless those who regularly read His word and pray to Him.

We try to impress God by religious activities, which are meaningless to God.

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) [6] But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Why We Try To Impress God

We try to impress God because we are ignorant of His ways. We try to impress God because we do not believe that what He has given us is a gift. After all, in the world we live in, you have to earn things. You earn a promotion, higher pay, etc. It seems unreasonable that we do not or need not earn God’s love, provision, and salvation.

We try to impress God because we have no faith. We have no faith because we do not know God and therefore, we do not know what He has promised us. Since we are ignorant of God, we must turn to religious leaders and the like to gain a certain degree of certainty regarding our eternal state. These religious leaders then go on to convince you that you must work to be saved, work to be loved by God, and work to receive from God.

Our ignorance of God has caused us to be duped into thinking that God requires our impressive works to gain His approval, love, etc. Instead of living as children of God bearing fruit from His Spirit within us, we reject that and instead subscribe to a religious paradigm resulting in the bondage of a free person.

Liberation

Stop trying to impress God and allow God to impress you!? This doesn’t mean that God is your servant or “genie in a bottle.”? However, it does mean that God has already done so much for you that you do not need to impress Him. He has already provided live to you. All you have to do is to choose it.

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

The more you try to impress God is the more you are saying that Jesus was not enough. Jesus died for our sins and so that we could be reconciled to the Father. This salvation is a gift and if we attempt to earn it, then we are declaring that the redemptive act of Jesus Christ was not enough.

You cannot impress the creator of the universe with your pointless religious works. Stop trying to impress Him and accept His gift and live by His Spirit. This is not only what the Bible declares throughout, but it is also very liberating for you to bear fruit. How can you bear fruit if you are constantly expending energy to perform for God’s approval? Stop trying to impress God and live!

Conclusion

Stop trying to impress God. If you have received the gift of salvation by putting your faith in Jesus Christ for it, instead of your own works, then you are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. You are justified, which means you are now in right relations with God. You need not attempt to earn it. It’s already yours.

God loved you before you were saved anyway. So you surely do not need to attempt to earn his love. The Apostle Paul wrote that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

Be free from the mindset that you have to impress God or earn his affection, provisions, or anything. You do not need to earn anything from God. He has already given you so many things.