In my own personal walk with the LORD I had quite a moment recently. I was listening to a devotional as I was driving my car. Now, as a bit of backstory, I was raised being taught thoroughly the doctrines of the Bible in my school and church. As a young teenager and into my adult years, I had a firm understanding of holiness and purity of heart, mind, and body; Christlikeness and sanctification are or should be two of the ultimate goals of every believer.

But while I fully acknowledged my own shortcomings and humanity, it didn’t change the fact (one I didn’t even realize existed in my mind) that I also believed there was an expectation on God’s part that I would be as close to perfect as possible.

YES, in the Holy Spirit’s enabling power (Gal. 5) as we walk and grow with Him daily, we should be set apart, we should be improving and changing and maturing in our victories over sin; but God does not expect perfection. In fact, in His exquisite sovereignty, He has already foreseen our errors and planned accordingly, working all things for our good and for that very Christlikeness (Rom. 8:28-29).

The passage referenced in the devotional is Hebrews 4:15-16 with a nod to Romans 8:1. Even though I’m familiar with these passages, something in the way the auditor described them completely shifted everything for me as the Holy Spirit gave me just a bit more light.

Because there is no condemnation, the devotional thought concluded “that means when we pray, we can speak honestly to God, and we can say to Him, ‘God, I messed up again. God, I’m scared. God, I feel weak. God, I need help.’ We can speak this freely because Jesus stands beside us and says, ‘Father, this one is mine.’ We do not come boldly to the throne of God because we are worthy; we come with ‘parresia’ (Heb. 4:16), with freedom and confidence because Jesus is worthy. We come because our Jesus is both compassionate and holy. We come because His mercy and grace await us there. That is why we do not crawl or slink into His presence hanging our heads in shame. That is why we do not hide, or pretend, or hold back. Instead, we walk in with humble confidence, knowing who we are, knowing who He is, and knowing that we are always welcome because of Jesus.”1

He doesn’t expect perfection, or competence, nor does He even demand my best, even though I would try to give it. He asks for love and humble surrender. He’s got the rest covered.

1“Gracious God”. (May 6, 2026). Dwell Daily, Dwell [mobile app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/lc/app/dwell-audio-bible/id1343917374