The Freedom to Talk to God
By Rick Warren
“In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)
When you put your trust in Jesus as your Savior, he gives you four great freedoms. The first is a clear conscience. He forgives your sin and wipes away your guilt.
The second great freedom is personal access to God. You’re his child, part of his family, and you can talk with God anytime, anywhere—24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s a myth that the whole world has direct access to God. It’s just not true! God gives direct access to himself only through his Son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, “In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV).
A few times I’ve gone to a concert where I was given an “all-access” pass. I was able to go backstage and hang out with anyone I wanted to. Nobody could stop me!
That’s the kind of freedom you get when you’re in the family of God. God gives you an all-access pass to him. You don’t have to get an invitation or a special introduction. You don’t have to have a big idea on your mind. Because you’re his child, you’ve got direct access to God throughout the day, every day.
Sometimes people will say, “Rick, please pray for me,” as if my prayers are better than their prayers. But that’s not true. They have the same personal access to God that I have. They can talk to God anytime and for any reason.
You don’t need to use fancy words, close your eyes, or end every prayer with “in Jesus’ name.” You just keep a running prayer going throughout the day, picking up where you left off. I do that with God all the time.
What an incredible freedom it is to know that we can “feel free to come before God’s throne . . . And we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16 ICB).
When you become part of God's family, you have the freedom of a clear conscience and personal access to God. Tomorrow we'll look at the third freedom: the power to do what is right.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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