God has always been a God of great love. As severe as He had to be with Israel in the Old Testament, He was always loving and forgave their many indiscretions. So, why do we assume that He is mad at us? Why do we feel the need to perform for His love? 

Guilt does not come from God.

Over and over, I pray with people who feel guilty because they don’t feel like they’ve earned God’s love. Not people who don’t go to church, Christian people who know the word of God. They set an unattainable standard for themselves about what it means to live as a Christian, then beat themselves up when they can’t reach it, or maintain it.

The truth is, God never set those standards in the first place. God’s commandment to us is to love Him above all other things, and love other people. All the other stuff, is self-imposed. How many hours a day you pray, how many chapters you read in the Bible, how many hours you devote to handing out tracks — that is all stuff that you do to yourself.

Should you spend time in prayer? Yes, of course. But there is no required time limit. Your time with God is personal and should be what you need for your personal growth.  Don’t be guilted by other people who say they spend hours on their knees. Not everyone is truthful about that anyway.

Should you be reading your Bible? Yep. How much and how often? Think of it like this, how much and how often do you need to eat? You can get away with skipping meals, but if you don’t eat on a regular basis, you’ll get sick. Get it? Work out your own level for what works for you, then stick to it. You need the word of God to guide you through life. Don’t neglect it, but don’t feel guilty if you miss some time. God understands.

Give yourself the same grace that God gives. We don’t live under law anymore. We live by grace. And grace allows for last-minute issues that we don’t see coming. Grace allows for being sick and exhausted. Grace knows the love of your heart, not how many doors you knock on.

If you feel guilty because you don’t feel good enough, that’s not from God. That’s a twisted lie of the enemy and you don’t have to live like that. Give it to Jesus. He’ll take it and drop kick it out of your life. Receive His grace and relax. He loves you just as you are. He loves you wildly and extravagantly. Receive it and be happy.