Knocking on the door. I NEED those KEYS!!!

So I'm standing outside knocking loudly at the door. PLEASE let me in! Please someone come along who has the key to let me inside. I NEED inside.

So that was my life. I felt I was pleading my case to God and begging Him to notice my efforts. Begging him to fix the issues in my heart and life so I could be the Christian he wanted me to be. I felt if I read my bible consistently then he would honor my efforts. If I prayed every day then maybe He would favor me. I would worship and praise and enter in with a thankful heart. I would try to please God, fail, repent and start all over. It was a vicious, unproductive cycle. Will that get me inside? Will doing good get me noticed? Maybe fasting...maybe serving...maybe this will work...I kept searching for that key.

There was never a question forgiveness and grace were 100% free to me and anyone who asked God for Salvation. I KNEW I could do nothing to deserve forgiveness or God's grace. He provided it to me. A gift. No problem. Then WHY O WHY did I continue to try to make myself righteous to have God's favor after I became His child? Why did I feel the need to DO something to earn His love and acceptance? Why did I feel that if I was not doing perfect then I would be rejected?

The short answer is I was misinformed about God's nature. I had tidy religious notions about God but really not understanding the true nature of God. It finally took a radical tearing down of the old unproductive mindsets that hindered me from really knowing God's nature. I NEVER thought of myself as a "religious or legalistic" type person but ANYTIME you find yourself basing your relationship with God on how good or bad your "walk" is then you will find that you are basing your righteousness on works rather than fully on what Jesus did for us.

I thought doing good things would make me holy. What I discovered in God's Word is that accepting Christ's sacrifice makes me holy and reading God's Word, spending time in His presence and allowing my mind to be renewed by His Spirit is how I gain REVELATION of his 100% acceptance of who I am IN CHRIST.

The Word says in Hosea 4:6 "My people perish for a lack of knowledge." It is true that what you DO NOT know will hurt you.

Keys will get you inside.

Lets say you have been given the keys to a large corporation. If you are given a key you have full access to go inside and use the resources inside that building. The keys signify that you have authority to be there and you have authority to keep out those who would be a hindrance to the the one who gave you the keys. If the owner needs you to get a project done and everything you need to get this done is inside then you would not be employed long if after you were told to do something but then stood outside the building waiting for someone to come unlock the door. Or begging the owner to please come and do the job you were assigned.

Owner: I told you to handle my affairs.
Employee: I was waiting for you to come unlock the door so I could go inside to do the job you asked.
Owner: You have a key.
Employee: Oh, but if you would please help me with this job...I lack the resources to complete what you ask of me.
Owner: EVERYTHING you require is inside--use your key--go inside and do the job you were equipped to do.
Employee: Oh I covered the manual in detail, I emailed you and informed you all the issues I was having about not being able to get inside, I did a lot of PR work on the street corner to tell everyone the really neat stuff we will be doing as soon as we get inside and soon as you help us and as soon as you do the work...Oh and by the way, I saw your competitor walk in and steal some important resources belonging to the company. I sent you an email informing you of the unfortunate incident.
Owner: You didn't tell him to leave? You didn't call security to boot him out? You just watched him go in and steal from us?
Employee: Yeah, well, I thought I better wait to see if you had a strong opinion on the matter. I thought it might be your wishes that this be allowed to happen.
Owner: I provided EVERYTHING you need. It has all been paid for, I gave you a key, I placed on the inside equipment and provision for the entire project...BUT you want ME to do what I have told you to do?

This is not meant to be condemning but simply eye-opening.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Eph 1:17)

Jesus made it abundantly clear to his disciples the authority given to them. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” Matt 16:19 And the Father, has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints by what Jesus accomplished on the cross. (Col 1:12) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Eph 1:3)