87 - Siena – “I'm scared God is mad at me and that I’m not doing enough for him to answer my cries for help.”
“Mike, thank you for this message!! (A previous recording about Knowing God)
Thank you for spending ur valuable time to help me understand. I agree 100% and I’m learning to become a better version of myself each day. God bless you. I will look into all that u speak of and try to put all my spare time into finding God through ur teachings.
I watch preachers... great ones too that just say all u have to do is pray ask God and God will do it. And u say different, u talk about all these things we must do first. Like it’s more work than just ask and u shall receive? I’m praying crying out to the Lord every chance I get for help. Will God help me? His word says it. Do I believe it in faith and not worry any more or how does this work?
I’m scared God is mad at me and that I need to do a lot for him to answer my cries for help. I was in the garage praying when a butterfly came in and flew around, I feel it was a sign from God saying be like the butterfly. Patient... it goes through a big transformation and looks ugly before beautiful and struggles before it can finally fly.
Ur thoughts on this? So sorry to bother u :( I’m so broken and scared.”
More of Him, Less of Me: Finding Freedom in The Exchanged Life
We often view the Christian life as a slow metamorphosis, like a caterpillar patiently transforming into a butterfly. We believe that through effort and time, we will gradually become more like Christ. While this imagery holds a certain appeal, it can be misleading. The truth is far more radical, far more profound.
The Apostle Paul declares, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). This is not a process of slow self-improvement; it's an exchange. We are not called to become better versions of ourselves, but to die to ourselves and allow Christ to live through us.
This concept is challenging because our flesh, our sinful nature, constantly pulls us back towards the world and its desires. Romans 8:8 tells us, "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." We may be good people, with good intentions, but apart from Christ, we cannot truly live a life that honors God.
The Christian life is not about striving to be good enough, but about surrendering to the One who already is good enough. Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him" (John 14:21). Obedience is not a burden; it's an invitation to the intimacy of the Exchanged Life. When we obey, we open the door for God to come and make His home with us.
This journey will involve suffering. Philippians 1:29 reminds us that it has been granted to us not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for him. But take heart! Romans 8:18 assures us, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us."
So, let go of the butterfly illusion and the hope for slow transformation. Instead, embrace the exchanged life. Die to yourself, surrender to Christ, and walk in obedience. The glory that awaits is far beyond anything we can imagine.
