I want to speak today to people who find Christianity unsatisfying, like you expected more of a change than you see.

Many people stumble when they begin to hear the gospel:

Some because of misunderstanding: Facebook – Christians can do anything as long as they accept Jesus.

Others misunderstand from the inside. We expected to see bigger changes in ourselves than we have seen.

Both of these suffer from the same false idea: That Christianity is basically learning magic words. Say the right formula and either you get into heaven, or Jesus changes everything now.

The full teaching of the bible shows that following Christ is much more than just saying the magic words.

Jesus described those who enter the Kingdom of God as taking it by force, (Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.) and he called people to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him.

Most of us have to admit that the Bible describes Christian devotion as much more than we practice, and Christian blessing as much more than we experience.

Those blessings include confident assurance, contentment in all things, joy unspeakable and full of glory, and peace that passes all understanding. Why then do I struggle with insecurity, anger, depression and anxiety? What must we do to get these blessings that God promises so freely.