12 ways. Break. Free FROM THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

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Brian Rose
6 years ago
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1 12 ways to Break Free FROM THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

Live Loved Society bases everything on looks.

But that s not what God uses. God knows your heart. He knows everything you have ever done, ever said, ever thought. He knew you before you were born.

God sees everything. He knows you and loves you.

2 Live Loved Society bases everything on looks. From the newest magazine showcasing the hottest airbrushed model to being judged based on what car you drive, outward appearance is what most people use to determine if someone has worth and value. But that s not what God uses. God knows your heart. He knows everything you have ever done, ever said, ever thought. He knew you before you were born. He knows your capabilities, even if you feel overlooked by the world. A constant feeling of being over looked can skew your view of who God is, hindering you from knowing God fully. God sees everything. He knows you and loves you. When you understand that God judges your worth based on who you are rather than what you do or what you look like, you will begin to understand and accept God s love for you. Be Your Authentic Self Being known for who you truly are without the need to cover yourself up is restoring the freedom the eldest could have had with his father. If only the eldest had stopped keeping score of what his brother had versus what he had and lived in the freedom of the generous love his father bestowed on him each and every day. That s the freedom God intended for us to have. When we put on a false self to others instead of being who we are, we want to cover up who we are instead of exposing ourselves to others. Take Off Your Mask One day during my junior year of high school, I realized that I was using my makeup not only as a physical technique to cover my imperfections, but also like a mask to pretend that I had it all together. Deep down, I thought that if people saw my flaws, they might not like me as a person. What a terrifying feeling! But even more terrifying is not being who God has made me to be. When I put my worth in Christ and not in others perceptions of me, what people think of me becomes less important. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being trans formed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (NASB). How can the eldest son live in the love and approval of his father if he struggles with so much anger, hurt, and sheer disappointment? It s obvious the eldest son didn t fully understand the sheer joy of being loved and accepted by his father simply for who he was, not what he did. It s obvious from the father s display that he doesn t conform to the norms of hiding his aﬀection from his sons, so why didn t the eldest talk to his dad about his hurts and work through them? To break free, the eldest must somehow resolve his hurts before he can go into that party. Otherwise, he will go in as a host and resent his guests. That s not only impolite but also detrimental to all his relationships. It s time for the eldest to bury his hurts out in the field, accept the father s invitation, and enjoy the feast before time runs out.

3 Erase the Negative Self-Talk We all have statements we have said to ourselves since we were small children. Some have been deeply ingrained and some are fairly new, but all of them have made an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. Perhaps a parent repeated the mantra, You ll never amount to anything. Perhaps a high school boyfriend berated you by saying, Why don t you stop dressing so provocatively? then maybe I will like you better. Maybe a teacher made you feel stupid as you answered a question in class incorrectly. Soon, we begin to believe the negative statements people say to us and make it a part of the self-talk that plays in our minds. Whatever statements you say to yourself, you are not alone. We all have had naysayers try to knock us down instead of building us up. No matter what you repeat to yourself on a regular basis, it can be erased. God s Word is full of the truth of who you are in God s eyes. Every time you repeat statements that are against the Word of God, the devil has a reason to stake a claim in your life. Study the Word and hide it in your heart. It may sound cliché, but when Jesus was tempted in the desert, his only line of defense was the Word of God he had known since he was a boy. That study of the Law did not return void, and it won t in your life either. Commit to memorizing one scripture a week. Soon you will have two scriptures that speak to the promises of who you are in God s eyes. Your head says, I can t do this on my own. God s Word says, When you are weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:10). Your head says, I am not good enough. God s Word says, I am adopted as a child of God (1 John 3:1 2). Your head says, I m not pretty enough. God s Word says, Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Prov. 31:30). Negative people, circumstances, and situations can sometimes leave indelible marks on our souls. But God doesn t want us to stay that way. Knowing and meditating on Scripture can erase even the most devastating comment. If we can erase our negative self-talk, we can replace those lies with the truth of who we are in Christ.

4 Take Every Thought Captive The bible has a lot to say about the ways in which we can control our thoughts. Our fears begin in our mind. However, if we do not discern whether or not those thoughts are contributing to our wellbeing or leading us down the path to sin, sin can quickly make a home within our hearts. The apostle Paul had some experience with making thoughts obedient to Christ: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, what ever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things (Phil. 4:8). Here are some questions to ask yourself if you want to practice taking your thoughts captive following the pattern outlined in Philippians: Is it true? Is it noble? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? If your tendency is to keep the thought a secret rather than tell someone, it is from Satan, not from God. If it doesn t line up with the basic concepts you know from Scripture, such thoughts are not something you want to dwell on for long. The world wants you to dwell on lies instead of the truth. Scripture gives us a clear way to combat this problem: take every thought captive. That s what God wants to do with our lives. He doesn t want us to shove our fears down through control, but to question them. If the thoughts contributing to the fear are from God, fear can prevent us from making a mistake or going us down a wrong path. If the thoughts are from the enemy, they need to be discarded. Using the gift of discernment God gave us through his Word can be the first key to transitioning from a life of cowardice to a life of boldness. Connect In Community One day, as I was praying about the different avenues of growing in my spiritual life, I realized I had been missing a spiritual mentor, someone with whom I could connect on a regular basis for accountability, prayer, and advice. After much prayer and consideration, I selected a woman who I connected with at a promotional event for our books. Since we are both writers, this was a great match from the start. We call each other each week and share what we learn from a book about writing we have been reading. We also discuss areas in which we want to grow, and we end our discussion with prayer requests. As in life, we are also to embark on our spiritual journeys together rather than apart. But so often, Satan deceives us into thinking that we can do the Christian life on our own. We Having a community of brothers and sisters in Christ that you can go to for support, encouragement, and challenge is vital in helping you grow in your walk with God and gain a better understanding of who he is. The most important thing you can do to help develop your self-concept is to get connected with a church on a regular basis. As you attend regularly and serve selflessly, you will bond with other people like you who have the same goal of walking closely with God, and you ll break free from that religious spirit that diminishes God to a set of strictly followed rules.

work for me. Yet, the bible is the anchor that holds all of the truths together.

5 Walk In the Light In the postmodern world in which we live, truth is becoming more and more distorted each day. The morally relativistic world in which we live dictates that we should each speak our truth, implying that your truth may not be the same as my truth, and that what works for you may not necessarily work for me. Yet, the bible is the anchor that holds all of the truths together. The only way we can navigate through this ever confusing world of truths and fallacies is if we walk hand- in- hand with someone who is anchored in the truth and is not easily swayed by the world s beliefs. Through living in community with others in deep fellowship, we too can walk in the light as Jesus did. Be Thankful I have known how to pray since I was a child. With a quick Dear Lord, I d summon God like using a gumball machine, inserting my coin and waiting for the magic treat to land in my hand. I d ask for whatever I wanted, and I expected God to deliver my every whim and desire like a genie in a bottle. But when I began an intimate relationship with Jesus at the age of eighteen, I didn t get everything I wanted. It was downright frustrating. I mean, isn t that the purpose of communing with God? As in any relationship, both parties involved must give to the other in order to make it successful. Although there are times when one must take and the other give, balance must be achieved or else the relationship becomes one-sided. In my relationship with God, I can give God nothing, as he has all he needs. The one thing I can give him is my gratitude and thanks for all he does, even if it doesn t arrive in the way or in the time I think it should. Scripture is clear: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil. 4:6). One of the biggest stumbling blocks to understanding our freedom in Christ is discontentment. When we place our value in what we have or what we do rather than being grateful for what God has given us, we tend to ignore what is truly important. If we re not grateful for how God made us, our view of our physical beauty is distorted, as well as our attitude about our emotional and spiritual beauty.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father.

6 Release the Fear The religious spirit is driven by fear, insecurity, and anxiety. The Holy Spirit we receive is different. Romans 8:14 17 says, for those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Receive the Father s grace and experience it. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, that by his power we can call God Abba or Daddy. Release the Religion We are co-heirs with Christ. That means we need to release all the false ways of trying to earn our identity or prove who we are. Insecurity is almost always behind the religious spirit. This manifests as trying to find your significance and value in what you can or can t do, what you do or don t have, or what others say about you. So your activity is all about trying to build your life on that false sense of being. If you want to find freedom and revival, you need to release those patterns in your life. Your significance and value aren t found in what you do or by your appearing to have everything together. Your father loves you. Release the need to earn your identity or to look like you have it all together.

Respond to God s Grace The father says, But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Respond in worship.

7 Respond to God s Grace The father says, But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Respond in worship. Respond in celebration of what God is doing. When we worship (or in the eldest s case, celebrate), it takes the focus oﬀ us and places the focus on God. Revival is all about God and what he does. It s his work. Don t try to earn it. Receive his grace and respond through celebration. Recalibrate Your Life Unfortunately, we don t know how the older brother responded to the father in Jesus story. But his point was for us to respond. We need to recalibrate our idea of what it means to grow. We need to come up with a new scorecard. The Pharisees scorecard had to do with all the outward stuﬀ. It had to do with getting the behavior right. Jesus told them they were like whitewashed tombs: they looked really pretty on the outside but were dead on the inside.th e new scorecard for maturity needs to come from Christ. Proverbs 4:23 says, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Pursue a love relationship with God with your entire being: heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you get the heart right, everything else will fall in line.

TRANSFORMED. How God Changes Us Week #3 Daily Devotions--Transformed in My Mental Health

TRANSFORMED. How God Changes Us Week #3 Daily Devotions--Transformed in My Mental Health TRANSFORMED How God Changes Us Week #3 Daily Devotions--Transformed in My Mental Health Day 15 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)