For a good part of my young life, I woke up everyday ticking boxes to assure myself I was living a God-good life.

My first box was always my devotion, “Rubie did you do your devotion today?, did you do your devotion before you picked your phone or had breakfast?” And other related questions.

In prayer times, I had to be sure I mentioned every single thing I was aware of and even when I finished and remembered something, I would go back and say, oh Lord remember this one. Like God was my dad or mum that needed reminders of open days and visiting days.

I subconsciously even kept a record of sins I may have committed that day and I became terribly sin conscious, so I wouldn’t even remember any good thing I did in the day but the bad ones would always be remembered.

The devil started using these box ticks to drive me away from God with guilt.

I wouldn’t pray if I felt I did something too bad and when I did get the courage to, I would find myself begging God for forgiveness the whole time and not requesting anything because in those moments I felt He needed to hear apologies and not requests. As if He was a man or something,

What box ticks do is that it removes you from grace and places you in religion. It gives you the idea that you need to do this to get this, and grace told us years ago that you need not do anything but accept and believe that Jesus died on the cross for you.

You need to tear down the walls you feel you need to climb to be in right standing with God. There really isn’t a thing that makes Him love you any more or less.

The glorified name for box ticking is self righteousness.

Don’t get caught up in this. It was the ways the Pharisees and sadducees knew which was why God said your righteousness must exceed theirs before you can enter heaven, despite the fact that in the world they were seen as the most spiritual.

You’re righteousness is found in your maker not in what you’ve done or not done.

Stop ticking those boxes.