Finding Freedom from Trying to Make It to Heaven

Are you trying to make it to heaven? For most of my Christian walk that was the mindset that drove me. Here’s why Christianity is not all about heaven. Read on for Day 15 (the last day) of the What Freedom in Christ Looks Like Online Event by the Blogger Voices Network, hosted right here at KellyRBaker.com.

My Trying To Make It To Heaven Mindset 

For most of my Christian walk, I was trying to “make it” to heaven. 

I was afraid to be in God’s presence. My subconscious mindset of having to be good—of having to measure up—drove me to a false perception of God. The honest truth is, I was so scared that the rapture was going to take place, and I’d be left behind.

You might even feel that way right now. If you do, please keep reading! 

Notice, how I lived. I was:

• Afraid
• Scared

Friends, that’s FEAR. 

And God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), so I know those mindsets weren’t coming from Him!

How could I have a true revelation of how much He loves me when I lived with that kind of mindset? I couldn’t. Fear blinded me. 

Instead, I was trying to earn my righteousness without even recognizing what I was doing.

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Romans 4:5 NLT

God loves the world. We know this. John 3:16, right? He desires the relationship of father-and-son with man. 

Why would God want to go through all the trouble of creating man and sending Jesus to save us but ultimately make it unattainable to be with Him?

What Trying to Make It to Heaven Really Is

A mindset of trying to make it to heaven will make you lose your sanity over chasing the impossible. 

We’ve been going through Galatians at my church recently. My pastor said:

With the law, the focus is on performance (works). With grace, the focus is on Jesus and what He’s done. —TJ Hall

Just about every time I prayed, I made sure to say, “God please forgive me of all my sins.” My focus was definitely on my performance. 

My Future Is Secure

The Christian life is not about trying to make it to heaven! No, it’s joy in knowing who you are—a son/heir seen as righteous before God because of Jesus’ blood.

Salvation doesn’t come with an addendum: confess and believe, and then be good so you can try to make it to heaven. It just says confess and believe (1 John 1:9). 

Friend, I’m all for sanctification. It’s biblical and it actually comes with some good surprises. 

Jesus commanded us “to be perfect” in Matthew 5:48, but the Greek word perfect there doesn’t mean faultless. It’s defined “of mind and character, one who has reached the proper height of virtue and integrity” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). In other words, He’s commanding us to be spiritually mature.

So we need to approach sin with grace and a mature mindset that “I love God, so I won’t allow my heart to be snared with what can hinder an intimacy with God.” 

At the same time, I know my future is secure. We can live in the freedom and peace of that truth.

But Isn’t God Judge?

The question is begging to be asked: “But isn’t God judge?” Yes. We know that:

He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. Romans 2:6-8 NLT

The anger and wrath is poured out on those who refuse to obey Him. We are human, and we are still probably going to sin before we die, but Jesus is still our advocate (1John 2:1-2).

God’s grace is so key here. 

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 

So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:1-4, 21 NLT (emphasis mine)

God’s “wonderful grace rules.” And His grace, which is the power and ability to do His will, is instrumental in causing us to grow spiritually. 

Sin’s Effect on Us Now

I’m not saying that sin won’t affect us while we’re on the earth. Remember Jacob’s story in Genesis? He was a deceiver. Being the younger twin of Isaac and Rebecca, he wouldn’t inherit what his elder (the oldest) brother would. So he persuaded his brother Esau to sell him his birthright and even went so far as to trick him out of his father’s blessing. 

Esau wanted to kill him in revenge so Jacob ran to stay with his uncle Laban. He loved Laban’s daughter Rachel and worked seven years for her. But on the wedding night, Laban tricked Jacob and gave him Leah, the firstborn. 

The thing about this is, the deceiver was deceived. He reaped what he had sown. So this wasn’t only because of Laban’s sin, but Jacob’s sin. David Guzik has this to say about it:

This shows that our disobedience may not derail God’s plan for our life, but it will greatly affect how we end up experiencing it. 

Not Only About Heaven

After saying all this, I can emphatically say, our walk with God doesn’t need to be only about heaven!

We don’t need to be so focused on what happens when we die. Instead, our focus needs to be on advancing the kingdom—on earth—while we live. Jesus didn’t come to earth to change heaven but to change earth. 

We are His hands and feet on the earth now, and we have the opportunity to live for Christ. It’s our commission. 

What about you? Have you been trying to make it to heaven? What mindset do you need to change?

Enter the Giveaway

I’m giving away a free seat in my mini-course! The Best Viewpoint Mini-Course is for those who desire to remove the mindsets taking them off target in their Daily Time with God. Click HERE for more information or to purchase the course if you just can’t wait! 

Enter using the Rafflecopter below. Your information is kept private and will not be shared or added to any mailing list. Winner will be selected at random through Rafflecopter and displayed on this page. I will contact the winner via email within a couple days after the giveaway ends. If the winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, I will choose and contact another winner. Thanks for entering!

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