The Simple Truth That Will Change Your Life

Last Updated on December 4, 2025 by Stacy Averette

I grew up being preached to by many men and women who said they were speaking for God. But their preaching wasn’t always the whole truth — biblical truth. Often, it was their version of the truth. I’m going to give them an “A” for effort and persistence. I think they meant well.

I’m not throwing any stones here because when Jesus draws in the dirt you’re standing on and writes your sins with his holy finger, you button your lip and drop the rock.

This brings me to the Truth that is changing my life.

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The Truth That is Changing My Life

God loves me.

God loves me is the Truth that is changing my life. I almost said the truth that changed my life, but that would’ve been only half of the story. I have been changed by His love, but I am being changed, and I confidently expect that I will be changed. His love is life-changing.

One of the mistakes I made early in life was to believe what every preacher was preaching and teacher was teaching without question. It’s a dumb thing to do when you have your own copy of The Word. But I think it’s what a lot of people do and often with tragic results. The saddest result was that their view of God became my view of God by default. So I grew up feeling like God was mad at everybody about everything all the time. And my name was at the top of the list.

So I got saved.

Because getting saved meant:

1. I won’t go to hell and be separated from my family for all eternity.
2. I’ll be a better person, and God won’t be mad at me.

I was 8 years old, so that might explain my perspective. But I fear that many people who are a lot older might feel the same. Okay, not wanting to go to hell is a good thing. Still, those two priorities (escaping eternal damnation and being a better person) only really helped me become a very religious person. I became obsessed with keeping all the rules — both the ones in the Bible and the ones I and others made up.

The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness

Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that I could be a better person. He died on the cross TO SET ME FREE! I was a slave, in bondage, dying under the weight of my sin and guilt. Jesus paid the price I couldn’t pay so that I could be free. He didn’t just make me a better version of myself; he made me a totally new creation. I’m still learning to wrap my head and heart around all that that means.

Somewhere along the way, I became obsessed with God’s love. As strange as it may sound, I had to learn (and I’m still learning) how to believe and receive God’s love. I’m learning how just to let God love me without trying to earn His love or pay back what I owe.  Clearly, I didn’t really understand “the free gift of God which is eternal life”. Free is free. But, I’ve spent (wasted) so much of my life trying to prove to God and everyone else that Jesus didn’t waste His time dying on the cross for me—that He got what He paid for. Y’all, I’m embarrassed to admit that, and I’d really rather not except that I believe there’s a whole lot of people—saved people who profess the name of Christ—who are still struggling to believe that God really loves them.

Are you one of them?

Do you know that God loves you?

• Believing and receiving God’s love moment by moment, day by day, will change your life!
• Love does what the law (rules) cannot and does not do. (Romans 8:3-4)
• God’s love compels us (moves us to extremes) to live better (higher, holier, and happier) than focusing on rules ever will.

Relationship > Rules

I’m telling you this now, and I’ll tell anyone who will listen, “God loves you!” I spent a lot of time focusing only on following the rules and trying to get other people to follow the rules, too. (Sorry about that.) Hey, I think rules are important, especially God’s rules (biblical principles and precepts), because they’re really helpful, and ultimately they point out how much we need something bigger than rule-following to save us. Because the truth is, I couldn’t keep all the rules, and neither can you.

Jesus sacrificed His life so that we could have a relationship with the Father. A relationship that changes everything.

God knew He was sending His Son to die for a sinner He loved. He knew exactly what He was getting when He adopted us into His family!

I read something this week (a Puritan prayer) that filled me with joy, and I want to close by sharing it with you. This prayer can be found in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.

No day of my life has passed

that has not proved me guilty in thy sight.

Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;

Praise has often been praiseless sound;

My best services are filthy rags.

All things in me call for my rejection,

All things in thee plead my acceptance.

I appeal from the throne of perfect justice

to thy throne of boundless grace.

Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:

that by thy stripes I am healed,

that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,

that thou has been made sin for me,

that I might be righteous in thee,

that my grievous sins, my manifold sins, are all forgiven,

buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.

I am guilty, but pardoned,

lost, but saved,

wandering, but found,

sinning, but cleansed.

Friend, you are loved, and through Christ, you are free!