Category: Faith & Mental Health

6 Signs Your Faith Has Become a Performance (And How to Make It Real Again)

It often happens without you noticing.

The vibrant relationship with God you once enjoyed gradually transforms into a carefully choreographed religious routine. Your once-authentic faith subtly shifts into a performance—complete with rehearsed prayers, polished testimonies, and the right spiritual vocabulary.

You’re still doing all the “right things,” but something essential has changed. That genuine connection you once felt has been replaced by a nagging sense of going through the motions.

In Scott Johnson’s transformative novel THE CALL, protagonist Bob Cooper discovers this truth on his mysterious mountain journey. Like many believers, Bob realizes he’s been climbing for God’s approval rather than living from God’s acceptance—a performance instead of a relationship.

If you suspect your faith has become more about performance than presence, here are six revealing signs—and more importantly, how to reclaim the authentic relationship God intended.

Sign #1: Prayer Has Become a Duty Rather Than a Connection

The Performance Indicator: You measure prayer by duration, frequency, or eloquence rather than connection. Prayer feels like something to complete rather than someone to encounter.

In THE CALL, Bob confronts this reality when Kinsman asks him a penetrating question: “Are you praying TO God or FROM God?“

This distinction reveals everything about our approach to prayer:

  • Praying TO God (performance): Assumes separation that must be bridged through perfect words or spiritual intensity.
  • Praying FROM God (presence): Recognizes union—”Christ in you” as actual reality, not just theological concept.

How Real Faith Approaches Prayer: Authentic faith sees prayer as conversation flowing from established connection, not religious effort trying to create connection.

Making It Real Again:

  • Begin prayer by acknowledging the connection that already exists: “Father, thank you that I am in You and You are in me.”
  • Replace prayer metrics (time, words, frequency) with connection awareness.
  • Spend more time listening than speaking.

Key Takeaway: Prayer becomes real again when it shifts from obligation to opportunity—from trying to reach God to experiencing the God already present.

Sign #2: You Feel Spiritually Impressive Around “Weaker” Christians

The Performance Indicator: You subtly (or not so subtly) compare your spiritual disciplines, biblical knowledge, or ministry involvement to others—and feel satisfied when you measure favorably.

In performance-based Christianity, other believers become either competition or audience.

THE CALL addresses this when Bob discovers that “most people believe they must fight for everything they need… They became slaves to their circumstances, prisoners of their own striving.” This competitive climbing creates a spirituality built on comparison rather than completion.

How Real Faith Approaches Others: Authentic faith sees other believers as fellow recipients of grace, not competitors in a spiritual achievement race.

Making It Real Again:

  • Practice celebrating others’ spiritual insights without mentally comparing them to your own.
  • Ask yourself: “Am I sharing this spiritual experience to help others or impress them?”
  • Intentionally learn from believers you’ve previously deemed “less mature.”

Key Takeaway: Faith becomes real again when spiritual maturity is measured by growing love, not growing impressiveness.

Sign #3: Silence from God Feels Like Punishment

The Performance Indicator: When God seems silent, you assume it’s because you’ve disappointed Him. You frantically review recent behaviors trying to identify what you did wrong.

This reaction reveals a transactional view of relationship with God—a performance paradigm where divine responses must be earned.

In THE CALL, Bob experiences this shift when he realizes that “God doesn’t play hide-and-seek… He’s not remote, a distant cloud in the sky trying to escape connection; He is near.“

How Real Faith Approaches Silence: Authentic faith sees divine silence as an invitation to deeper listening, not punishment for imperfect performance.

Making It Real Again:

  • When facing silence, declare: “God’s quietness doesn’t mean absence or disapproval.”
  • Replace “What did I do wrong?” with “What are You teaching me in this silence?”
  • Look for God’s presence in unexpected places during seemingly silent seasons.

Key Takeaway: Faith becomes real again when you understand that God’s silence isn’t withdrawal; it’s often an invitation to find Him in new ways.

Sign #4: You’re Exhausted by Your Faith

The Performance Indicator: Your spiritual life leaves you depleted rather than energized. Christian living feels like a demanding job rather than a restful relationship.

This exhaustion is the inevitable result of performance Christianity—where you’re always climbing but never arriving.

In THE CALL, Bob confronts this reality when Kinsman tells him, “You were never meant to climb. The mountain was never meant to be a climb.” This revelation transforms Bob’s understanding from striving to receiving.

How Real Faith Approaches Spiritual Energy: Authentic faith finds its source in Christ’s finished work, not personal effort. It energizes rather than depletes.

Making It Real Again:

  • Take inventory of which spiritual activities drain versus energize you.
  • Schedule regular intervals of genuine Sabbath—where you simply receive God’s love without “producing” anything spiritual.
  • Replace “I should” with “I am invited to” when approaching spiritual disciplines.

Key Takeaway: Faith becomes real again when it aligns with Jesus’s invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Sign #5: Your Spiritual Life Fluctuates Based on Your Behavior

The Performance Indicator: Your sense of God’s presence and pleasure rises and falls with your latest spiritual performance. Good behavior means God is close; poor choices mean He’s distant.

This rollercoaster reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of relationship with God—making His presence conditional on your performance.

THE CALL addresses this when Bob discovers that true freedom means “you stop defining yourself by what you do—you finally discover who you are.” This identity shift creates stability amid fluctuating behaviors and feelings.

How Real Faith Approaches Behavior: Authentic faith understands that while behavior matters, it doesn’t determine God’s presence or love. God’s commitment isn’t contingent on your latest spiritual performance.

Making It Real Again:

  • Practice distinguishing between communion (relationship) and consequence (results of choices).
  • When you make mistakes, declare: “My behavior may change, but my belonging doesn’t.”
  • Identify areas where you’ve made God’s presence dependent on your performance.

Key Takeaway: Faith becomes real again when your spiritual security comes from Christ’s consistent character rather than your inconsistent behavior.

Sign #6: You Keep Your Struggles Hidden

The Performance Indicator: You carefully curate your spiritual image, sharing victories while hiding struggles. Real-time battles remain private until they become past-tense testimonies.

This pattern reveals fear that spiritual worth depends on performance—that struggles might disqualify you from God’s (or others’) approval.

In THE CALL, Bob confronts this when he realizes that “the cracks beneath” his seemingly perfect life were part of a “carefully constructed illusion” he maintained.

How Real Faith Approaches Struggles: Authentic faith sees vulnerability not as spiritual weakness but as the context for genuine grace. Struggles don’t disqualify; they reveal our ongoing need for Christ.

Making It Real Again:

  • Identify one spiritual struggle you’ve been hiding, and share it with a trusted friend.
  • Practice “real-time honesty” with God instead of waiting until you’ve overcome to acknowledge struggles.
  • Create or join environments where authentic spiritual conversation is valued above polished religious performance.

Key Takeaway: Faith becomes real again when it makes room for authentic struggle rather than demanding perfect performance.

The Path Back to Authentic Faith: 4 Practical Steps

Identifying performance-based faith is just the beginning. Here’s how to actively reclaim the authentic relationship God intended:

1. Embrace Your Identity in Christ as Your Starting Point

Performance begins with lack; authenticity begins with fullness. Your primary spiritual practice should be remembering who you already are in Christ.

As THE CALL workbook emphasizes: “You are not climbing from emptiness. You are moving from fullness.“

Practical Application: Each morning, declare one truth about your identity in Christ before attempting any spiritual activity or service.

2. Practice Receiving Before Serving

Performance Christianity emphasizes giving to God; authentic faith prioritizes receiving from God.

THE CALL illustrates this through Bob’s transformation when he discovers that “when you stop climbing, you start living from what’s already been given.“

Practical Application: Before serving others or God in any capacity, spend time consciously receiving God’s love, grace, and strength for that service.

3. Cultivate Honest Community

Performance thrives in isolation and superficial community; authenticity requires relationships where real struggles can be shared without judgment.

As portrayed in THE CALL, transformation often happens in the context of authentic connection where “masks can finally come off.“

Practical Application: Identify one person with whom you can practice complete honesty about your spiritual journey—including doubts, failures, and questions.

4. Establish Identity-Reinforcing Habits

Performance-based habits focus on earning approval; identity-based habits focus on living from approval already given.

THE CALL workbook describes this as “building habits that match your identity” rather than trying to build an identity through habits.

Practical Application: Evaluate your spiritual disciplines: Do they flow from who you are in Christ, or are they attempts to become worthy of His love?

From Performance to Presence

The shift from performance-based to presence-based faith doesn’t happen overnight. Old patterns of religious striving run deep and often resurface during stress or spiritual dryness.

But as Bob discovers in THE CALL, the journey from exhausting religious performance to authentic spiritual presence begins with a simple but profound realization:

“You aren’t chasing purpose—you’re walking in it. You aren’t begging for approval—you’re already fully accepted. You aren’t working for rest—you’re living from it.“

This transformation isn’t about doing faith differently; it’s about understanding your position differently. It’s not about climbing better techniques; it’s about discovering you’re already at the summit in Christ.

Performance says, “I’ll do this so God will love me.” Presence says, “Because God loves me, I’ll do this.”

That subtle shift changes everything.

THE CALL illustrates this journey through Bob’s powerful story—moving from striving to sonship, from exhaustion to exhilaration, from performance to presence.

Want to go deeper? THE CALL workbook is your next step in breaking free from performance-based spirituality and discovering the relationship God always intended. More than just questions, it’s a guided journey from exhausting religious effort to liberating grace. Click here www.graceempoweredliving.com/call to begin your transformation.

Written by, Scott Johnson is an author of thirteen books who helps people break free from performance-based spirituality. Drawing from over four decades of ministry experience, Scott empowers others to move beyond obstacles toward a fulfilled life through God’s grace. His passion is helping people discover they are already approved, already loved, and already complete in Christ—no exhausting religious performance required.

SJ

5 Practical Exercises That Transform Your Faith

Are you exhausted from climbing the spiritual mountain? Discover five powerful exercises that shift you from striving to thriving in your relationship with God.

I remember the moment clearly.

We had just returned from the Philippines where we had been living. We were sent out by a well-known ministry and missionary training school. While there as pastors, we witnessed many miracles and saw beautiful fruit from our time serving.

Little did we know, the enemy had an agenda to stop the move of God. The previous pastor began to write negative letters to the ministry that had sent us. This was crushing for me because it created unexpected confrontation from those who had commissioned us. We ended up returning to the U.S. sooner than expected.

My response was not a good one, and it cost me four years of anger and distrust—four years of questioning why others would take the words of a stranger over ours. Later, I came to understand that I had wrongly built my identity in a ministry and in the person who had sent us. The painful truth is that our identity can be built and placed in anything—your position in life, what you own, your achievements, or even the ministries you serve.

And that’s when I realized I had been climbing the wrong mountain all along.

Maybe you can relate.

Perhaps you’re doing all the “right things” but feeling spiritually dry. Maybe you’re new to faith and already overwhelmed by expectations. Or perhaps disappointment has left you questioning everything you once believed.

This is exactly why I wrote The Call—to help believers discover the freedom that comes when we stop climbing for God’s approval and start living from His acceptance.

Let me share five transformative exercises from The Call and its companion workbook that have helped thousands break free from religious performance and discover authentic faith.

1. The Identity Declaration: Breaking Agreement With Religious Striving

The Problem: Many of us unconsciously believe God’s love depends on our spiritual performance. This lie keeps us trapped in exhausting religious striving.

The Exercise:

Each morning for seven days, stand in front of a mirror and declare these three statements aloud:

  • “I am already complete in Christ.” (Colossians 2:10)
  • “I live from God’s acceptance, not for it.” (Ephesians 1:6)
  • “I am loved by God apart from my performance.” (Romans 5:8)

Why It Works:

This exercise directly confronts the performance lie with truth. By speaking these declarations aloud, you’re rewiring neural pathways that have been shaped by religious conditioning.

As Sarah, a mother of three who felt invisible to God despite years of faithful service, shared: “After just a week of these declarations, I found myself catching the old thoughts of ‘not enough’ and replacing them with the truth. The weight I’d been carrying began to lift.”

2. The Release Ritual: Letting Go of False Maps

The Problem: We’ve all been handed “maps” that promise to lead us to fulfillment—achievement, approval, religious performance—but they’ve left us exhausted and empty.

The Exercise:

  1. On a piece of paper, write down the “maps” you’ve been following (e.g., “If I serve more, God will answer my prayers” or “If I have perfect quiet times, I’ll feel God’s presence”).
  2. Read each one aloud, then say: “This map has not led me home.”
  3. Tear the paper into pieces.
  4. Write this truth on a new sheet: “Christ in me is my hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
  5. Place this somewhere you’ll see it daily.

Why It Works:

Physical rituals create powerful emotional anchors. This exercise provides closure with false beliefs while establishing a new foundation.

Marcus, a former worship leader who experienced a faith crisis after losing his job and health, found this exercise particularly powerful: “Tearing up those papers felt like breaking chains. I realized how many false promises I’d built my faith on.”

3. The Inside-Out Practice: Living From Fullness

The Problem: We’ve been taught to seek fulfillment externally—through achievements, relationships, or religious activities—rather than from the fullness already within us.

The Exercise:

For this seven-day practice:

  1. Set a timer three times daily (morning, noon, and evening).
  2. When it sounds, pause whatever you’re doing.
  3. Place your hand over your heart and take three deep breaths.
  4. Silently or aloud say: “The Kingdom of God is within me. I have everything I need for life and godliness.” (Luke 17:21, 2 Peter 1:3)
  5. Continue your day from this place of inner abundance.

Why It Works:

This simple practice interrupts the external searching pattern and redirects attention to the inner reality of Christ’s presence. It builds a new habit of living from fullness rather than striving from emptiness.

Tasha, who felt overwhelmed as a new believer trying to “catch up” to more experienced Christians, shared: “This practice changed everything. Instead of feeling behind, I began to sense God’s presence already with me, regardless of how much I knew or did.”

4. The True Summit Visualization: Recognizing You’re Already at the Top

The Problem: We believe we need to climb higher, do more, and be better to reach spiritual “success.” This endless climb exhausts us and distorts our view of God.

The Exercise:

Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. Then:

  1. Close your eyes and visualize yourself climbing a steep mountain, struggling with each step.
  2. As you climb, notice the weight of expectations, comparison, and religious performance on your back.
  3. Now visualize Jesus standing before you, stopping your climb with gentle hands on your shoulders.
  4. Hear Him say: “The climbing is over. You’re already at the summit with Me.”
  5. Visualize yourself looking around to discover you’ve been at the top all along.
  6. Feel the weights fall away as you rest in this truth.

Why It Works:

Visualization creates new mental pathways that bypass intellectual resistance. This exercise helps you experience the truth that in Christ, you’re already complete—no more climbing needed.

“I wept the first time I did this exercise,” shared one pastor’s wife. “I realized I’d spent decades climbing toward a God who was already holding me.”

5. The Upside-Down Prayer: From Asking to Receiving

The Problem: Our prayers often reflect a climbing mentality—we’re always asking God for more, rather than recognizing what we already have in Christ.

The Exercise:

Transform your prayer life with this approach for one week:

  1. Begin each prayer with: “Thank You that I already have…”
  2. Instead of asking for peace, pray: “Thank You that I already have Your peace that surpasses understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)
  3. Instead of asking for strength, pray: “Thank You that I already have Your power working in me.” (Ephesians 3:20)
  4. Continue this pattern for each need or desire.

Why It Works:

This exercise shifts your perspective from scarcity to abundance, from future hope to present reality. It aligns your prayers with the truth that God has already “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

As one reader put it: “I’d been praying desperate prayers for years. This practice showed me I was like someone dying of thirst while sitting next to a flowing river. Everything changed when I started receiving what was already mine.”

Beyond Religious Performance

These five exercises are just the beginning of the transformation journey outlined in The Call and its companion workbook. They’re designed to help you:

  • Break free from religious performance and striving
  • Experience God’s presence without spiritual gymnastics
  • Live from divine fullness rather than human emptiness
  • Find authentic faith beyond religious systems
  • Discover the freedom of your true identity in Christ

The journey isn’t always easy. Letting go of familiar climbing patterns takes time. You may occasionally find yourself reaching for old maps out of habit. But each time you practice these exercises, you strengthen new neural pathways that align with truth.

This is not about doing more or being better. It’s about waking up to what’s already true about you because of Jesus.

As I wrote in The Call: “The climb was never the point. Your transformation? That changes everything.”

Despite all my spiritual activity, I felt disconnected from God. The harder I climbed, the further away He seemed. My faith had become an exhausting performance, and I was burning out fast.

Maybe you can relate.

Perhaps you’re doing all the “right things” but feeling spiritually dry. Maybe you’re new to faith and already overwhelmed by expectations. Or perhaps disappointment has left you questioning everything you once believed.

This is exactly why I wrote The Call—to help believers discover the freedom that comes when we stop climbing for God’s approval and start living from His acceptance.

Let me share five transformative exercises from The Call and its companion workbook that have helped thousands break free from religious performance and discover authentic faith.

1. The Identity Declaration: Breaking Agreement With Religious Striving

The Problem: Many of us unconsciously believe God’s love depends on our spiritual performance. This lie keeps us trapped in exhausting religious striving.

The Exercise:

Each morning for seven days, stand in front of a mirror and declare these three statements aloud:

  • “I am already complete in Christ.” (Colossians 2:10)
  • “I live from God’s acceptance, not for it.” (Ephesians 1:6)
  • “I am loved by God apart from my performance.” (Romans 5:8)

Why It Works:

This exercise directly confronts the performance lie with truth. By speaking these declarations aloud, you’re rewiring neural pathways that have been shaped by religious conditioning.

As Sarah, a mother of three who felt invisible to God despite years of faithful service, shared: “After just a week of these declarations, I found myself catching the old thoughts of ‘not enough’ and replacing them with the truth. The weight I’d been carrying began to lift.”

2. The Release Ritual: Letting Go of False Maps

The Problem: We’ve all been handed “maps” that promise to lead us to fulfillment—achievement, approval, religious performance—but they’ve left us exhausted and empty.

The Exercise:

  1. On a piece of paper, write down the “maps” you’ve been following (e.g., “If I serve more, God will answer my prayers” or “If I have perfect quiet times, I’ll feel God’s presence”).
  2. Read each one aloud, then say: “This map has not led me home.”
  3. Tear the paper into pieces.
  4. Write this truth on a new sheet: “Christ in me is my hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
  5. Place this somewhere you’ll see it daily.

Why It Works:

Physical rituals create powerful emotional anchors. This exercise provides closure with false beliefs while establishing a new foundation.

Marcus, a former worship leader who experienced a faith crisis after losing his job and health, found this exercise particularly powerful: “Tearing up those papers felt like breaking chains. I realized how many false promises I’d built my faith on.”

3. The Inside-Out Practice: Living From Fullness

The Problem: We’ve been taught to seek fulfillment externally—through achievements, relationships, or religious activities—rather than from the fullness already within us.

The Exercise:

For this seven-day practice:

  1. Set a timer three times daily (morning, noon, and evening).
  2. When it sounds, pause whatever you’re doing.
  3. Place your hand over your heart and take three deep breaths.
  4. Silently or aloud say: “The Kingdom of God is within me. I have everything I need for life and godliness.” (Luke 17:21, 2 Peter 1:3)
  5. Continue your day from this place of inner abundance.

Why It Works:

This simple practice interrupts the external searching pattern and redirects attention to the inner reality of Christ’s presence. It builds a new habit of living from fullness rather than striving from emptiness.

Tasha, who felt overwhelmed as a new believer trying to “catch up” to more experienced Christians, shared: “This practice changed everything. Instead of feeling behind, I began to sense God’s presence already with me, regardless of how much I knew or did.”

4. The True Summit Visualization: Recognizing You’re Already at the Top

The Problem: We believe we need to climb higher, do more, and be better to reach spiritual “success.” This endless climb exhausts us and distorts our view of God.

The Exercise:

Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. Then:

  1. Close your eyes and visualize yourself climbing a steep mountain, struggling with each step.
  2. As you climb, notice the weight of expectations, comparison, and religious performance on your back.
  3. Now visualize Jesus standing before you, stopping your climb with gentle hands on your shoulders.
  4. Hear Him say: “The climbing is over. You’re already at the summit with Me.”
  5. Visualize yourself looking around to discover you’ve been at the top all along.
  6. Feel the weights fall away as you rest in this truth.

Why It Works:

Visualization creates new mental pathways that bypass intellectual resistance. This exercise helps you experience the truth that in Christ, you’re already complete—no more climbing needed.

“I wept the first time I did this exercise,” shared one pastor’s wife. “I realized I’d spent decades climbing toward a God who was already holding me.”

5. The Upside-Down Prayer: From Asking to Receiving

The Problem: Our prayers often reflect a climbing mentality—we’re always asking God for more, rather than recognizing what we already have in Christ.

The Exercise:

Transform your prayer life with this approach for one week:

  1. Begin each prayer with: “Thank You that I already have…”
  2. Instead of asking for peace, pray: “Thank You that I already have Your peace that surpasses understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)
  3. Instead of asking for strength, pray: “Thank You that I already have Your power working in me.” (Ephesians 3:20)
  4. Continue this pattern for each need or desire.

Why It Works:

This exercise shifts your perspective from scarcity to abundance, from future hope to present reality. It aligns your prayers with the truth that God has already “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

As one reader put it: “I’d been praying desperate prayers for years. This practice showed me I was like someone dying of thirst while sitting next to a flowing river. Everything changed when I started receiving what was already mine.”

Beyond Religious Performance

These five exercises are just the beginning of the transformation journey outlined in The Call and its companion workbook. They’re designed to help you:

  • Break free from religious performance and striving
  • Experience God’s presence without spiritual gymnastics
  • Live from divine fullness rather than human emptiness
  • Find authentic faith beyond religious systems
  • Discover the freedom of your true identity in Christ

The journey isn’t always easy. Letting go of familiar climbing patterns takes time. You may occasionally find yourself reaching for old maps out of habit. But each time you practice these exercises, you strengthen new neural pathways that align with truth.

This is not about doing more or being better. It’s about waking up to what’s already true about you because of Jesus.

“The climb was never the point. Your transformation? That changes everything.”

Want to go deeper in your journey from performance to grace? THE CALL and its companion workbook are your next steps. Click here: www.graceempoweredliving.com/call

About the Author:

Scott Johnson is an author of thirteen books who helps people break free from performance-based spirituality. Drawing from over four decades of ministry experience, Scott empowers others to move beyond obstacles toward a fulfilled life through God’s grace. His passion is helping people discover they are already approved, already loved, and already complete in Christ—no exhausting religious performance required.

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Christian Imposter Syndrome: When You Feel Like You’re Faking Your Faith

Have you ever sat in church, singing worship songs with passionate believers all around you, while a small voice inside whispers, “If they only knew how much you doubt… how often you fail… how little you actually pray”?

That nagging feeling that you’re somehow faking your faith—that you don’t measure up to what a “real Christian” should be—has a name: Christian Imposter Syndrome.

It’s the persistent suspicion that your relationship with God isn’t authentic enough, deep enough, or consistent enough to qualify you as a genuine believer. And despite what your Instagram feed might suggest, you’re far from alone in this struggle.

The Signs You’re Living With Christian Imposter Syndrome

How do you know if you’re experiencing this spiritual identity crisis? Watch for these common signs:

  • You feel unworthy despite intellectually knowing about God’s grace – You can recite verses about forgiveness but can’t seem to apply them to yourself
  • You compare your faith journey to others – Constantly measuring your spiritual disciplines, knowledge, or experiences against those around you
  • You hide your struggles – Fear of judgment leads you to maintain a “perfect Christian” facade while battling alone
  • You’re afraid of being “exposed” – You worry others will discover you’re not as faithful, knowledgeable, or spiritual as they believe
  • You diminish your contributions – When you serve or share insights, you discount their value or attribute them to luck rather than genuine spiritual gifts

The core of Christian Imposter Syndrome is the belief that you must earn what has already been freely given.

Why We Feel Like Spiritual Frauds

This phenomenon doesn’t emerge from nowhere. Christian Imposter Syndrome often stems from following what author Scott Johnson calls “false maps” in his novel THE CALL.

These false maps tell us we must climb a spiritual mountain of achievement to reach God’s approval. We believe we must:

  1. Read enough Scripture
  2. Pray the right way for the right amount of time
  3. Serve in enough ministries
  4. Feel the correct emotions during worship
  5. Never struggle with certain temptations

Sound familiar?

The problem is that these performance-based metrics create a spiritual treadmill where you’re constantly running but never arriving. As THE CALL illustrates through its protagonist Bob, many of us spend our lives climbing the wrong mountain entirely.

“Bob had spent his entire life chasing security, stability, and approval. But maybe he had been looking in the wrong place. What if the truth wasn’t written on a map at all? What if it was… a person?”

The Truth About Your Identity in Christ

The gospel offers a radically different message than our performance-based instincts: you are already fully accepted in Christ.

This isn’t just positive thinking—it’s the foundation of Christian faith. Consider these truths:

  • You don’t work toward righteousness; you work from righteousness already given (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  • You aren’t climbing toward God’s acceptance; you already have it (Ephesians 1:6)
  • You aren’t trying to become complete; you already are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10)

I remember struggling with this concept during a particularly difficult season. Despite years in ministry, I felt like a fraud because my private doubts and struggles didn’t match my public faith. The breakthrough came not through trying harder, but through surrendering the need to prove myself worthy.

As I learned to live from my identity rather than for it, the exhausting performance pressure began to lift. My service became a response to love rather than an attempt to earn it.

Practical Steps to Overcome Christian Imposter Syndrome

If you’re ready to break free from spiritual imposter syndrome, start with these practical steps:

1. Identify the false map you’re following

What specific metrics are you using to measure your spiritual worth? Write them down, then honestly assess whether they come from Scripture or cultural expectations.

2. Embrace the reality of grace

Grace isn’t just a theological concept—it’s your daily operating system. Start each morning by acknowledging: “I am completely loved and accepted by God today, before I do anything.”

3. Practice living from acceptance rather than for acceptance

When you serve, give, pray, or worship, pause and check your motivation. Are you trying to earn something, or responding to what you already have?

4. Find authentic community

Surround yourself with believers who are honest about their struggles. Vulnerability breaks the power of imposter syndrome.

5. Challenge your internal dialogue

When you hear that voice saying “you’re not enough,” counter it with truth: “In Christ, I am enough—not because of what I’ve done, but because of what He’s done.”

Freedom From the Need to Perform

The journey from performance to grace isn’t easy. Our minds have been conditioned by years—sometimes decades—of believing we must earn God’s favor.

But as THE CALL powerfully illustrates, there comes a moment of awakening when we realize we’ve been climbing for something that was already freely given.

The truth is, you don’t need to fake your faith. You don’t need to hide your struggles. You don’t need to perform for God’s approval.

What you need is to recognize the truth that has been there all along: in Christ, you are already accepted, already loved, already enough.

Your life can flow from that truth rather than desperately reaching for it. And in that space—where striving ends and peace begins—you’ll discover what genuine faith has always been: a response to grace, not a performance for approval.

Want to go deeper in your journey from performance to grace? THE CALL and its companion workbook are your next steps. Click here: www.graceempoweredliving.com/call

About the Author:

Scott Johnson is an author of thirteen books who helps people break free from performance-based spirituality. Drawing from over four decades of ministry experience, Scott empowers others to move beyond obstacles toward a fulfilled life through God’s grace. His passion is helping people discover they are already approved, already loved, and already complete in Christ—no exhausting religious performance required.