Gospel Yourself Daily: The 4Gs
Based on the work of Tim Chester (You Can Change) and Jeff Vanderstelt (Gospel Fluency), this tool helps you identify areas of unbelief and apply the Gospel in everyday life. It’s designed for disciples of Jesus to move from unhealthy fruit to healthy fruit by remembering four core truths about God.
How to use this tool:
When you notice fear, anxiety, shame, striving, or other unhealthy patterns in your life, ask: What am I believing about God here? (See the Fruit to Root Tool) The 4Gs help you Gospel yourself—reminding you of God’s greatness, glory, goodness, and graciousness.
Why We Need This:
Many of us would say we believe the Gospel is good news that brings forgiveness, freedom, and the promise of new life. We know it's essential to our salvation. But if we're honest, we often struggle to connect the Gospel to the everyday realities of our lives. We can affirm the Gospel on Sunday and still feel stuck in anxiety by Monday. We proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and yet we wrestle with fear, shame, anger, addiction, or the constant pressure to perform.
This isn’t because the Gospel is lacking; it’s because we’ve often been shaped to see it as a doorway into faith, rather than the ongoing path we walk. The Gospel saves us, and it sustains us. It’s not just for that one big moment of conversion; it’s for every moment after. It is the lens through which we learn to see God, ourselves, others, and the world more clearly and truthfully.
Every action we take, every emotion we feel, and every reaction we have flows from what we believe or don’t believe about God. When we experience unhealthy patterns like worry, striving, isolation, people-pleasing, or bitterness, we’re not just dealing with our behaviors. We’re actually facing a deeper issue of belief. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of who God really is and what He’s done for us in Jesus.
That’s why we must learn to proclaim the Gospel not only to others, but also to ourselves. We’ve been told to share the Gospel with others who don’t know Jesus, and we fail to speak that same Gospel into our own places of pain, fear, and unbelief. Yet the more fluent we become in gospeling ourselves, naming the lies we’re tempted to believe and replacing them with truth about God, the more naturally we’ll speak good news to others. This is where Gospel fluency begins: not just with the words we say, but with our hearts.
The 4Gs help us do just that. These four core truths about God's character act like a compass, gently reorienting us back to the heart of the Gospel when we feel stuck, overwhelmed, or alone. They remind us not just what to believe, but how to believe, how to live as if God is actually who He says He is.
As you reflect on each of the 4Gs, slow down. Don’t rush through them like a checklist. Let each truth interrupt your assumptions. Let it confront your fear and comfort your heart. Let it lead you into honest confession, deeper trust, and renewed joy. This is the journey of discipleship: moving from unbelief to deeper belief, over and over again, as we allow the truth of God’s character to form us into the likeness of Christ.
The Four Gs
God is Great — So We Don’t Have to Be in Control
We live in a world obsessed with control. From an early age, we’re taught that success comes to those who plan well, work hard, and anticipate every possible outcome. We learn to manage risk, predict the future, and protect ourselves from disappointment. Control becomes a kind of functional savior that promises security, predictability, and peace. But the promise is empty. Life happens, and we feel out of control.
Life is unpredictable. Relationships break. Jobs end. Health fails. Dreams unravel. And no amount of strategizing can guarantee the future we crave. The more tightly we try to grip life, the more exhausted and anxious we become. And when control inevitably slips through our fingers, we’re left trying to fix, manage, or numb the chaos around us.
Yet right here, in the middle of the mess, God invites us to release our grip. This doesn’t mean we give it, but it does mean we surrender. The Scriptures remind us that God set the stars in place and knows each one by name (Psalm 147:4). He counts the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). He works all things, yes, even the hard things, together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He is not a distant observer, uninvolved and passive. He is the sovereign King over every detail, present and purposeful in it all.
And this changes everything. When anxiety surges and your heart races to figure it all out, you don’t have to carry the burden alone. You can pause. Breathe. And speak the Gospel to yourself: God is great, so I don’t have to be in control.
Picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. His future was uncertain from a human perspective. His friends were asleep and unaware of His suffering. And still He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” That is the picture of holy surrender. It is not passivity. It is trust. Not fear, but faith. Even when the outcome meant suffering, Jesus rested in the Father’s greatness.
What about you? Where are you clutching for control? What situations keep you up at night? What outcomes are you trying to engineer or manipulate? What do you fear would happen if you let go?
Today, lay it down. Surrender not to chaos, but to the One who holds the cosmos. You are not God, and you don’t have to be. Let Him carry what you can’t. His greatness is greater than your plans, your fears, and your limitations.
God is Glorious — So We Don’t Have to Fear Others
We don’t always notice it, but most of us are chasing approval. It starts early. We want to be liked on the playground, chosen for the team, and praised by the teacher. And it doesn’t stop as we grow up. We want to be respected by our boss, noticed by our peers, and affirmed by our community. We want people to think we’re doing well, whether that’s spiritually, professionally, or relationally. Approval is a powerful motivator.
So we edit ourselves. We overthink. We perform. We shrink (get small). We exaggerate (get big). We people-please. We let the opinions of others carry more weight than they were ever meant to. And in the process, without even realizing it, we can lose sight of the only opinion that actually matters: God’s.
In Scripture, the word “glory” is used to describe God’s infinite worth and beauty. His glory is not just about brilliance, it’s about weight. Substance. Gravity. Isaiah 42:8 says He will not share His glory with another. This does not mean God is insecure. Isaiah says this because no one else can carry it. He alone is worthy of that kind of weight in our lives. And yet, if we’re honest, we often give that weight away. We let the approval or disapproval of others become the loudest voice in the room.
The Gospel speaks a better word. When your heart gets tangled up in fear of rejection, or your mind starts spinning with what others might say, pause and breathe. Speak this truth to yourself: God is glorious, so I don’t have to fear others.
You don’t need to earn your place. You don’t need to perform your worth. You don’t need to control the narrative or keep everyone happy. You are already seen, known, and loved by the One who created you. His approval was secured for you at the cross, and it doesn’t waver with your performance or other people’s opinions.
Picture Jesus standing before Pilate. The crowd was demanding His death. The religious leaders were accusing Him. The soldiers were mocking Him. His friends had fled or were silent. Yet, Jesus didn’t defend Himself. He didn’t spin the truth to gain approval. Why? Because Jesus was already secure in His identity as one loved perfectly by His Father. He didn’t fear people, because He was rooted in something deeper. He invites you into that same rootedness.
So what about you? Who are you trying to impress right now? Who are you afraid to disappoint? What would shift in your life if God’s voice was the loudest one you listened to?
Today, take that person or group off the throne of your heart. Lay their opinion at the feet of Jesus. Let the weight of God’s glory ground you in something unshakeable. He is glorious, and His opinion of you is already spoken: You are mine.
God is Good — So We Don’t Have to Look Elsewhere
We’re all chasing something. Comfort. Pleasure. Security. Recognition. Escape. It looks different for each of us, but underneath it all is the same restless hunger, the ache to be filled, to feel okay, to know we’re not missing something.
So we scroll, binge, shop, or fantasize. We chase that next goal, relationship, or experience, hoping it’ll finally quiet the ache. We build Amazon carts that we never check out. We obsess over what people think. We turn good things into ultimate things, looking for fulfillment in places that were never designed to satisfy us.
But here’s the thing: most of us know deep down that these things don’t deliver. The hit fades. The comfort wears off. The ache always returns. These temporary pleasures leave us feeling emptier than before.
But Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He invites us not just to believe He is good in theory, but to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). To experience His goodness in a way that actually satisfies our souls.
God is not holding out on you. He’s not keeping the good stuff just out of reach. From the first pages of Scripture, the lie has been the same: “God is not good. You need something else. You’re missing out.” But the Gospel tells a different story. God is good, and not just morally. He gives generously. He is not stingy. He is not withholding. He is enough. He satisfies completely.
So when you catch yourself chasing satisfaction in things that fade, whether it’s another impulse click, another drink, another distraction, or the praise of someone else, pause. Then gospel yourself: God is good, so I don’t have to look elsewhere.
Picture Jesus in the wilderness, hungry and alone. The enemy whispered, “Turn these stones into bread. You deserve it.” But Jesus knew the Father’s heart. He refused to believe that satisfaction could be found outside of God. He clings to the truth: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
What about you? Where are you tempted to look for fulfillment apart from Jesus? What false promise keeps calling your name? What would it look like today to turn toward the One who actually satisfies?
You don’t have to keep chasing. You don’t have to keep reaching. You don’t have to live with low-grade emptiness. The table is already set. God is good, and He’s inviting you to come and eat.
God is Gracious — So We Don’t Have to Prove Ourselves
There’s a constant voice in our culture whispering, “You are what you achieve.” It tells us that if we want to be loved, accepted, or seen as valuable, we need to earn it. We translate this to hard work, moral effort, religious performance, or spiritual success. It sneaks into our view of God, too. We start to believe we’ll be closer to Him if we read our Bible more, pray harder, lead better, or clean up the mess in our lives.
When we fail, we feel distant from God. When we succeed, we quietly wonder if it was enough. It becomes a spiritual treadmill. We feel exhausted.
But here’s the good news: God’s love isn’t for sale. You don’t have to earn what Jesus already secured for you.
Ephesians 2:8–9 makes it plain: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Grace means your status with God isn’t based on your behavior or your good deeds; it’s based on Jesus’ finished work. He lived the perfect life you couldn’t live. He died the death you deserved. He rose again so you could walk in newness of life, not in guilt or striving, but in freedom.
This is what makes the Gospel so shocking. God doesn’t love you more on your best days or less on your worst ones. His grace is unearned, unshakable, and undeserved. And it meets you right where you are, not where you think you should be.
So when you find yourself trying to “make it up to God” or prove you’re worthy of His love, stop and gospel yourself: God is gracious, so I don’t have to prove myself. His grace silences the voice of performance and invites you into rest.
Picture the thief on the cross beside Jesus. He didn’t have time to clean up his life. He didn’t have a track record of obedience. He had faith. And Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” That’s grace. That’s the Gospel.
What about you? Where are you trying to earn something God has already given you in Christ? What would it mean today to stop striving and simply receive?
God is gracious. You don’t have to prove your worth. You don’t have to make yourself clean. You just have to come.
Living Into the Good News
The journey doesn’t end here. The same Gospel that saved you is the Gospel that sustains you, day by day, moment by moment. It doesn’t just rescue you from sin; it rewires your heart, reshapes your desires, transforms your habits, and renews your mind.
As you practice speaking these truths over yourself, you’ll begin to notice a shift. Fear won’t grip you the same way. Shame won’t speak as loudly. Striving will lose some of its power. You’ll begin to trust God more deeply, not just with your eternity, but with your ordinary, everyday life. And you’ll walk more freely and joyfully in His ways.
But don’t keep this to yourself. As the Gospel takes root in you, let it overflow. Let it become the way you speak hope into the lives of others.
When a friend is overwhelmed by everything they can’t control, remind them: God is great, so you don’t have to be in control. Turn it into an invitation to discover where you’ve seen this in Scripture. Share your own story of how you’ve learned to live into surrender.
When a coworker is paralyzed by what others think, gently say: God is glorious, so you don’t have to fear others. Turn it into an invitation to discover where you’ve seen this in Scripture. Share your own story of how you’ve learned to live into your identity as one deeply loved by your Father.
When someone you love is chasing things that can’t satisfy, speak this truth: God is good, so you don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction. Turn it into an invitation to discover where you’ve seen this in Scripture. Share your own story of how you’ve found your deepest desires are only satisfied by being seen, known, and loved by God.
And when you meet someone crushed by shame or stuck in performance, tell them: God is gracious, so you don’t have to prove yourself. Turn it into an invitation to discover where you’ve seen this in Scripture. Share your own story of how you’ve found freedom in not working for the security of your salvation.
These four simple truths are not a formula. They’re not a checklist. They’re invitations to remember who God is, and to return to Him again and again.
Let the 4Gs be more than a tool. Let them become part of your language, your prayer life, your conversations, your parenting, your leadership. Let them take root in your heart and become the overflow of your life.
May these truths lead you to greater belief in Jesus in every part of your story, and may you become a voice of Gospel hope in the stories of others.
All credit for the 4Gs framework goes to Tim Chester and Jeff Vanderstelt. We’ve adapted it here for personal and community discipleship.
