Relaxing With God by Andrew Farley

Are you haunted by performance demands from God? Do you feel you must show God how much you love Him by your actions? Do you worry about what you are supposed to be doing for God? Are you experiencing spiritual anxiety because of recent books encouraging fanatical service?

Farley felt that way, that he needed to do just a little more each day to meet God's demands. Now he understands the principle of spiritual rest. In fact, we are to make every effort to enter that rest! (Heb. 4:11) The true gospel, Farley says, is both simple and restful.

Rather than God needing us to work for Him, Farley shows how living from God is to be our daily spiritual reality. He reminds us our sins are forgiven, once and for all. We are to live in that reality daily. We are always in fellowship with God, too. “The truth is that our fellowship is unshakable and unbreakable because of what Jesus did, not because of what we are doing.” (64) We don't have to “die.” We already died in Christ. He helps us understand what “flesh” is. He argues against the possibility of “losing” your salvation.

I really liked this book. I heartily agree with almost all of it and the rest I am seriously thinking on. Farley points out many non-biblical teachings about who we are in Christ. They may sound good but they do not line up with Scripture. He has some very thought provoking comments about predestination for Calvinists. I really appreciate his discussion on covenants, that the dividing line is the cross, not the manger.

This is not a book on meditation or anything like that. It is a book about resting in who we are in Christ. Farley has done an excellent job in clarifying our position in Christ and what that means to us in our daily life.

Food for thought: “So wake up every day, be reminded of who you really are in Christ, and then just be yourself! In so doing, you are both living in and walking by the Spirit.” (98)

Go here to watch Farley preach on this subject.

Andrew Farely is the lead pastor of Church Without Religion (ChurchWithoutReligion.com) and the bestselling author of several books. His live call-in radio program airs nationwide each Sunday on Sirius XM. Find out more at www.andrewfarley.org.

Baker Books, 176 pages.