Loving GOD is the greatest commandment of all and through loving Him, we can possess the greatest gift to mankind. The whole law is fulfilled by keeping these two commandments.
If we love the Lord, we will not worship idols. If we love our neighbors, we will not envy them; steal from them; cause them bodily harm.So what am I saying here? Keeping these two positive commandments to Love will enable us to fulfill all of the negative "DO NOTS" of the law.
Simply: Love will overcome most of the evil in our hearts and it id the MOST POWERFUL Weapon against evil in the world.
You know as long as we keep looking at evil, it will continue to rule in our lives. As soon as we continue to (daily) look at the Lord and behold His Glory, we will be changed into His Image.The enemies DECEPTION is a deadly attach on the Churches of today. It is his strategy to keep us focused on the evil in our lives, TO KEEP US ANGRY! TO KEEP US CONFUSED! TO KEEP US FROM LOOKING AT THE GLORY OF THE LORD. To just plain keep us screwed up.
The scriptures command us to examine ourselves and test ourselves daily to be sure that we are in right standing with the Lord God Almighty. (DO YOU EXAMINE YOURSELF DAILY?)
Paul's concern for the Corinthians (HIS FINAL WARNING)Examine yourself to see if you are still living in the Faith.
No knowledge is as important to the belivers as the certainty that they have eternal life. All professing Christians should examine themselves to determine that their salvation is a present reality, not once saved always saved, I got saved at the age of two, now I can run with the devil the rest of my life. You must check daily your SALVATION CALENDAR, REPENT OF YOUR TRESPASSES, AND LET YOU LIGHT SHINE.
The issue here is what do we do after our transgressions are discovered. Do we turn to the Tree of Knowledge or the Tree of Life?
Do we try to make ourselves better so that we will be acceptable to GOD OR DO WE TURN TO THE CROSS OF JESUS to find both Forgiveness and the power to overcome sin?
So what is the strategy of the enemy? Keep us focused on the evil, partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil and keeping us away from the Glory of GOD.
This tactic comes in the form of a Religious Spirit, an evil spirit that is the counterfeit of the true Love of GOD and true Worship.
A Religious Spirit has done more damage to the church that the new age movement and all other cults combined.
What Is A Religious Spirit?????????
A religious spirit is a demon, which seeks to substitute RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY for the Power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.Its Primary Object:
Holding the church to a form of godliness, although they have denied His power.
The religious spirit is the "leaven (YEAST) of the Pharisees and the Sadducess"
Here the yeast is a symbol of evil and corruption refers to the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Christ calls their teaching "Yeast" because even a small amount can penetrate and influence a large group of people to believe in the wrong thing.The Yeast of the Pharisees refers to the religious traditions by which they set aside GOD'S Commands and invalidate portions of His Word and Will. Followers of Christ must always guard against accepting the views of those who preach HUMAN IDEAS, UNBIBLICAL TRADITIONS OR A SECULAR HUMANISTIC TYPE OF GOSPEL.
The Yeast of the Saddusees refers to a spirit of secularism and worldliness. To accept this worldly yeast will cause the church to turn against Christ and His Word.
The Lord often used metaphors to illustrate the lessons He taught.
The religious spirit operates like the leaven in bread. It does not add substance or nutritional value to the bread, it only inflates it.
A religious spirit does not add substance or life or power to the church, but merely feeds the very pride of man. Which caused the first fall, and almost every fall since then.
Satan understands even better than the church that "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE"
Satan knows that God will not inhabit any work that is "inflated or leavened"
With pride and that God Himself will even resist such a work.So just what is satans' game plan? To make us proud---make us inflate ourselves. Look how much I read the bible. Look how much I witness, feed the poor, take care of the poor, take care of others, give more than my 10%, build a church, ect., ect..
Satan knows that if we do the will of God in PRIDE it will soon become counterproductive and in the end work toward our fall from grace.
Satan knows that once leaven gets into the church it is extremely difficult to remove. A religious spirit keeps us from hearing the voice of God.
HOW? It encourages us to assume that we already know Gods opinion, what He wants, what HE is saying and what pleases Him better than anyone else does.
DELUSION? YES!! RESULT: We believe God is just like us.
Next we start putting our own slant on scriptures. Believing that rebukes, exhortations, and word of correction are for other people, but not for us.
Now those of you setting out there thinking: I know a lot of someone's who really need to hear this message. Look out!!! A religious spirit is probably a big problem in your life.
Did it ever occur to you that God put this message out here because you and I needed it?
We are all in battle against this enemy to some degree.
Listen up, you must get yourself free of this. It is a deception that can destroy your communication with God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus.
You will not be able to worship the Lord in spirit and truth if you are all bound up with a religious spirit.
When you take power over this deception then and only then will you be able to preach the true gospel in power. No power, dead works.
In these later days the battle will be of dynamic force. Everyone with his own agenda and not the true Will of God. If we do not guard against this religious spirit we will not have the authority to deliver other from darkness.
Just as in the days of the Pharisees, the primary characteristics are the same.
Focusing on what is wrong while being blinded to our own faults, the religious spirit tries to make us do the same.
We need to go to the cross daily and repent, seek the crucifixion and redeeming grace of GOD AND SHOW LOVE.(1) LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL OF YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.(2) LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
Half the time I feel ashamed and I try to shut the light off. KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!???
BUT THE LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME!!!!
IT NEVER BURNS OUT!!!
It is not hooked up to anything,
BUT THE LORD HIMSELF!!!!!!!