Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Welcome to the new season of the podcast, now titled "Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation"!
Join your host, Pastor Robert Young, as we embark on a journey of spiritual exploration and renewal. This podcast is designed to help you deepen your faith and find inner peace through calming, reflective, and transformative meditative practices inspired by scripture.
Our Evolution
While the podcast, formerly known as Not Your Parent's Religion, focused in Seasons 1 and 2 on correcting misinformation and myths about religious beliefs and the teaching of Jesus Christ, the program has evolved. In Season 3, we began drawing closer to God with guided meditations, exploring all the details of why and how to meditate, and discussing the Biblical origins of Christian meditations.
With over 30 years of experience in Church planting and mentoring other Pastors, and 30+ years of training leaders in evangelism/discipleship, Pastor Young is here to guide you through these moments of stillness and connection with God.
What to Expect in Season 4
We are excited to return with Season 4 starting Sunday, October 5. We will continue to offer a structured weekly schedule:
- Sundays: Our weekly guided meditation episode.
- Monday through Friday: Daily devotions and reflections that expand on the topic of the Sunday meditations.
- Wednesdays: Audio episodes of our House Church series. This series reflects the Bible's teaching that believers should gather together for corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and even admonishment.
For those seeking an enhanced experience, we are adding video versions of the meditations and devotions to our Patreon page. These videos are designed to give you a more immersive experience as you meditate on the Father, His teachings, and His presence.
Tune in each week as we lead you on this path to connecting more deeply with God.
Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Walking in The Grace God Provides: Obedience Empowered by God, Not Forced by Us | Tuesday Devotion
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Obedience can feel like pressure, performance, and constant self-correction but what if that’s never what Jesus wanted for you? We name the quiet lie that keeps so many people stuck: “If I love God, I’ll prove it by trying harder.” Then we replace it with a better, truer way to follow Jesus, one where obedience becomes possible and even joyful because it’s not carried alone.
We talk about the difference between gritted-teeth religion and Spirit-empowered discipleship. Obedience isn’t forcing yourself to be holy or attempting to meet God’s standards in your own strength. It’s responding to God’s love, empowered by His Spirit, flowing from a transformed heart. That shift changes your motivation, your confidence, and your daily practice of Christian living, spiritual growth, and holiness without burnout.
One line lands with special weight: we don’t obey to earn God’s help; we obey because God has already helped us. That reframes obedience from payment to gratitude and from anxiety to dependence. We pause for reflection with two direct questions: Where is God inviting you to obey Him, and how can you rely on His strength instead of your own effort? We close with a simple prayer that asks God to make obedience willing, not forced, and to empower us through His Spirit.
If you’ve been stuck in self-powered striving, press play and let this re-center your faith. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels worn out, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most.
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Obedience Is Not A Burden
Pastor Robert YoungIf you love me you will kill me like a man Jesus never meant for obedience to be a burden of carrying alone. He wasn't to prove your love by trying harder. He was going when my brother helps you. Obedience becomes possible. Even joyful. Obedience is not ridding our teeth or forcing ourselves to be holy or trying to meet God's standards in our own strength. Obedience is responding to God's love, empowered by his spirit, and flowing from a transformed heart. We don't obey to earn God's help. We obey because God has already helped us. Our role is simply to say yes to the strength he provides. Let's take three minutes to reflect on the following question. Where is God inviting you to obey him? And how can you rely on his strength instead of your own effort? I obey God with the strength that He provides, not the strength that I produce. Again, I obey God with the strength that He provides, not the strength that I produced. Our closing prayer. Heavenly Father, think that obedience is not something I must force. Help me to respond to your love with a willing heart. Empower me, Lord, to walk in your ways through your spirit. For Christ's sake, I pray. Amen.