Misunderstood: A Refreshing Guide To Dumping Religion For Good And Diving Deep Into A Personal Discovery Of The God Who Changes Everything

Can you imagine any greater pain than being deeply misunderstood, particularly by those for whom you care most deeply? If we choose to admit it, this has happened to all of us at one time or another. Whatever the situations were in your own life, I am sure you felt incredibly wounded in those moments. Whether justification ever comes is, in some ways, a moot point. You just want people to believe the best about you, and it hurts tremendously when they don’t.
Imagine now if instead of just a handful of individuals misunderstanding you, it’s actually in the millions or possibly even billions! I know I can’t comprehend the scale of this, but it is what I believe God has constantly faced ever since He created mankind in the Garden of Eden and the enemy began his assault on us through an assault on what we believe about God. Make no mistake that we do have an enemy (aka satan or the devil). He is the one deliberately creating shades of gray and making us doubt and misunderstand our creator God, who is actually defined by love and goodness. In fact, while the name satan means adversary or accuser, the word devil is defined as slanderer or one who maliciously tells lies about others. That should be a very revealing truth in regard to his primary battle strategy as he consistently lies to us about the character of our three-part God – our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus, and our Helper Holy Spirit. The Bible is our guidebook and the only place we can go to counter the slander of God coming at us from every direction. This ancient text reveals that God has feelings and emotions just as we do, so it is a bit naive to think He is completely above this pain of being misunderstood. So why would He not clear His name and set the record straight, especially considering the countless accusations leveled against Him every day? The reason for His restraint lies deep at the root of why He created mankind in the first place. He wanted a family to lavish His love upon that would choose to love and pursue Him in return, not a robotic people that would simply do as they were told. If the God of the universe (in all His glory) was consistently breaking in on us and defending Himself overtly, that wouldn’t leave much room for our choice in the relationship, now would it? As a result, God remains somewhat hidden for now, peeking out on occasion, beckoning us in to get to know Him, to come to believe the best about Him regardless of what we experience in this broken world. Yet very few choose to do so, most remaining back in the familiar spaces of religion. Regardless of your history with God, I hope that this book through the power of Holy Spirit awakens something in you to begin on this path. He is ever ready and willing to reveal Himself and correct all of our misunderstandings. In fact, there is nothing He would enjoy more.
If you've ever found yourself speculating about His character based on what you've heard in religion or experienced in life, here is your invitation to embark on a personal journey of significant discovery. The God of the universe actually longs to be understood by YOU – why wait any longer? So, what comes to your mind when you think about God? How does that end up coloring your world, for better or worse? Pick up Misunderstood this summer for a refreshing read that will boost your image of God, yourself, and the world around you!!

Andrea Joy Moede is a recovering over-achiever, who is now only determined to be a receiver of God's love and provision and to follow wherever He leads. She is excited about helping people come into the fullness of both their identity and calling and believes that this is best accomplished by beholding God in all of His fullness first. When not writing, you can catch her busy with some of her favorite things - highly doctored coffee, endorphin inducing workouts, schmaltzy movies, long naps on rainy days, really good Italian food, coaching her kids sports teams, and sitting down with just about any book. She lives in the San Antonio area with her husband - Austen, their two busy boys, and their equally busy baby girl.  Connect with the author at AndreaJoy.org