The Daily CHEW™
Moving God’s Love from Head to Heart for Christian Professionals
A client shared with me: “I understand what you’re saying about attacking beliefs and taking specific steps, but I still feel like I’m fighting this alone. Even when I use the techniques, I feel disconnected from God. It’s like I’m trying to clean myself up before I can approach Him.” This reveals a fundamental misunderstanding that keeps many Christians stuck: the order of connection and cleansing. We don’t clean ourselves up to connect with God—we connect with God so He can clean us up.
The Gospel Order: Connection First, Then Cleansing
Jesus uses the imagery of a vine and branches to illustrate how spiritual life actually works: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
Here’s the key insight most Christians miss: a branch doesn’t produce fruit and then attach to the vine—it attaches to the vine and then produces fruit. Similarly, we don’t overcome sin and then come to Jesus—we come to Jesus and then, through that connection, receive the power to overcome sin.
Think of a two-year-old who’s been playing in the mud. The child doesn’t try to clean himself before running to Dad—he runs to Dad covered in mud, knowing Dad will clean him up. The cleaning happens because of the relationship, not despite the mess. This is the Gospel order: connection enables cleansing, not the other way around.
CHEWing on God’s love is essentially a practice of abiding—repeatedly returning to, connecting with, and receiving from Jesus throughout the day. Each time we CHEW, we’re coming to Him as muddy children, trusting Him to do the cleaning work we cannot do ourselves.
CHEW On This™ in 3–5 Minutes: Practicing Abiding Over Striving
Confess (C) to God
“Father, here’s what I’m honestly feeling: I’ve been trying to fight stronghold sins through willpower and techniques, but I feel disconnected from You in the process. I confess I’ve been trying to clean myself up instead of coming to You for cleansing. I confess my attempts to be the vine instead of just being Your branch.”
Hear (H) from God in Scripture
“Father, what Scripture do You want me to wrestle with about abiding and connection?”
“Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:9-10)
“What is true about You and Your love in this? Your love is not something I earn through performance—it’s the place where I live and receive strength. Abiding in Your love is the source of obedience, not the result of it.”
Exchange (E) with God
Option 1 (Beginner CHEWer):
“If I really believed God loves me as much as He loves Jesus, what would change right now?”
Option 2 (Intermediate CHEWer):
“If I really believed God loves me as much as He loves Jesus, how would that change my understanding of abiding in His love? How would I approach Him when I’m spiritually ‘muddy’?”
Option 3 (Advanced CHEWer):
“If I really believed that abiding in Christ’s love is the source of all spiritual fruit—including victory over sin—how would that change my daily rhythms, my response to failure, and my understanding of where real power for change comes from?”
Today, Father, I give You my self-reliant attempts to clean myself up. I choose to abide in Your love first, trusting You to produce the fruit of obedience through our connection.
Walk (W) with the Holy Spirit
“Holy Spirit, please show me how to practice abiding over striving:”
- Throughout the day: “When tempted, will I first connect with Jesus (through quick CHEW) and then respond, or will I try to fight alone?”
- After failure: “Will I hide until I feel worthy, or will I run to Him muddy and trust Him for cleansing?”
- In my rhythms: “How can I build more moments of connection (CHEWing) into my day so I’m drawing strength from the vine rather than trying to produce fruit on my own?”
“Holy Spirit, help me remember: I am the branch, He is the vine. My job is to stay connected.”
Worship: Celebrating the Father Who Cleans Muddy Children
The beauty of the Gospel is not that God waits for us to get our act together—it’s that He cleanses us while we’re still muddy. Every moment of connection with Him through CHEW is an act of abiding, and every act of abiding draws us deeper into the love that transforms us from the inside out.
You don’t have to be strong enough to break strongholds on your own—you just have to stay connected to the One who is. Worship today by bringing Him your mess and trusting Him with the cleaning.
Community + Resources
Community: Don’t abide alone. Connect with others who understand that transformation comes through relationship, not just techniques here.
Want More?
The Daily CHEW™ | Make CHEWing a daily rhythm
Select Resources:
- How Do I Really Repent from Stronghold Sins? A Gospel-Rooted Path
- CHEWing on the Move: How Micro-Breaks Transform Your Workday
- Going All-In: Why Pursuing God’s Love Unlocks Your Boldest Life
With you on the journey,
Ryan
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