I Beat Bryan Johnson Stats on Age
Day 3: How to stop running from God after you fail
Romans 8:5–17
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16–17
Bryan Johnson is known for extreme, data-driven anti-aging. Biomarkers. Protocols. Numbers.
But there is a kind of “younger” he cannot measure (not saying he is not a believer because I don’t know him, so hang with me).
From that place.
From the place of a child.
A child is often most vulnerable, trusting, and curious. Jesus tells us that childlike posture matters. “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3. And when His disciples tried to keep children away, He said, “Let the children come to me… for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14.
I have been gifted five incredible years of being a father of three girls, so those words have become more alive than ever.
No matter where my girls try to run or what mistakes they make, they will always be God’s children first and then ours to shepherd and point to Him.
And I can already see what will inevitably happen. The noise of the world will set out to drown their identity in Christ. It will also attack their identity as loved daughters.
Without trying to live in a bubble, here is what God has been teaching me. This will help you stand strong in your identity in Him and fight shame without hiding.
Paul says in Romans 8:5–17 to set your mind on the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit. How do you do that?
In a way, like my children do with me.
They live in my house.
They spend time with me, and I take time to notice and love them.
Not just passing time, but intentional time, in the way they are wired.
And as a result, they learn two critical things.
First, my love for them is not predicated on what they do.
Second, they learn who they are. Their gifts, their gaps, their strengths, their limits.
This is why Romans 8 is so freeing. If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation for you. Romans 8:1. You are not being tolerated by God. You have been adopted—like you were His blood child. You belong. “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Romans 8:15.
You are a child of God. So the more time you spend with your heavenly Father, the more you will receive His love for you, and the more you will love Him back and love others well. And you will start learning your own internal wiring too. The same categories. Shortcomings, gifts, and abilities.
I feel like, because we are constricted with time, we forget that growing up takes time. In a healthy home, a child is shaped across years, not moments. God is a perfect Father. So be encouraged about your mistakes. Sanctification is real growth over real time. He is patient. He finishes what He starts. Philippians 1:6.
So how do you approach the throne when shame is screaming at you?
You do what children do.
You come to your Father.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.
Never Finished Challenge: ASK
Jesus gave you a simple pattern. Matthew 7:7.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
Today, do it like this.
Ask God for help, and in the process, stop shaming yourself for asking.
Do I shame my kids when they ask for help?
Seek God in His Word in the valley and on the mountaintops.
God, speak truth to me. Show me the next step.
Knock with obedience, not delay.
God, strengthen me to do the next right thing today.
I love hearing my generation, or older people, say, “I’m getting old.”
Every birthday, God has been reminding me of something different.
In a strange way, I am getting younger and younger.
Not like Bryan Johnson.
But because of God’s redeeming hand in my life, trauma has been used to produce triumph in Him. Trials have become places where I can see His steady love at work. And shame has been losing its grip.
I am growing from a scarred and timid adult into a more curious adult. More childlike. And I will take that kind of “younger” over anything my bloodwork could ever say.
Something else I do that has changed my life forever. Every day I pray these words:
God, give me zeal, not fleeting emotion, to pursue you and your Word, to receive you and your truth.
And when you get that nudge to open the Bible, go find a church, strengthen your community, change your music, change what you watch, or just turn it off, obey quickly.
Do not delay.
He has much in store.
What Does Today Say About God?
Elohim
God is Creator.
The world offers shame and isolation. God did not create us to live that way. Sin brought hiding. Genesis 3. But God moved toward sinners, not away from them. He exposed the lie, covered the shame, and promised redemption.
God’s covenant love stands.
A life was lost.
And a way was made for you and me to receive conviction without condemnation, and to walk toward fullness of joy.
Like a father loves a son, so the Lord disciplines His children. Not to shame them, but to restore them. Hebrews 12:6.
What a joy it is to be in a family where the Father does not kick me out when I mess up. He does not condemn me or shame me. He draws me in, cleans me, and empowers me to walk in new ways. New mind pathways. New heart pathways. New soul pathways.
Are you sick of creating chaos, or living inside chaos you helped build?
Give Elohim your life.
Return to the Father.
Walk with Him today.
What a beautiful message. Approaching God is so simple yet we make it so complicated. First, stop, and be present. Then ASK -- SEEK -- KNOCK.