Encountering the Religious Spirit pt.2

This issue continues the subject of my own encounter with the religious spirit.

The Deception and the Depravity

What we thought was simply a change in God’s presence, was actually the manifestation of the religious spirit and all of its characteristics. We firmly believed that our church was the only “uncompromised Word preaching” church in the land. We criticized other churches for not walking in “our revelation”. We believed that all the money that poured in was God’s blessing and evidence that we were pleasing Him.

We developed and expected everyone to follow our example of “godly behaviors and guidelines”—perverting the Word to prove that our beliefs and behavior were scriptural. We accepted the belief that whatever the Pastor said or did was to be honored and obeyed without question. Fear and intimidation grew in great power and everyone was cautious to speak only the words that the leadership wanted to hear.

Correcting others who were “less spiritual” than ourselves was encouraged and something we took delight in. When someone left our church, we would say, “They preferred that watered-down church across town so they could sin without being corrected.” If something bad happened to anyone who left, we wrapped the robe of self-righteousness around ourselves and proclaimed that it was proof that our church was the church that God cared for and protected.

Whenever a new attendee began to regularly attend the church, we quickly wrapped him with the spirit of sheep’s clothing—teaching him how to act and what to say (using our keywords and phrases). Keeping in step with the proper outward behavior was more important than developing an actual personal relationship with the Savior.

Believing that we were the apple of God’s eye, we were nothing but a pure and unrestrained expression of the religious spirit. Spiritually, we were poor, blind, and naked.

My knees and the tops of my feet were covered with calluses—I was so religious that I would pray only on my knees and for at least two hours a day. Along with working seven days a week at the church, I was a perfect, “godly”, committed, and giving man. Or so I thought. I was actually a spiritual mess in God’s eyes.

The Cloud, Small as a Man’s Hand

After three-and-a-half years of drought in Israel , Elijah told his servant to watch for the coming rain (1 Kings 18). On the seventh time the servant checked, he saw a cloud that he described as being as small as a man’s hand. But soon, that cloud grew to fill the sky with clouds so thick that they were black. The heavy rain broke the drought.

After several years of following and supporting the religious spirit, I noticed the drought that was in my spirit. Although I did not recognize the unsettledness as coming from the presence of the religious spirit, I knew that something was wrong, very wrong.

After seven years, I left and moved to another state. Soon thereafter, all hell broke loose.

I was surrounded with a very different kind of Christianity. People were free. There was no unwritten set of rules to follow. They weren’t intimidated by the leadership because the leadership reflected the Shepherd’s heart. Everyone had a love for God that I hadn’t seen before. I saw the small cloud.

I was impressed. The Light started to reveal the bondages that I was in. And what began as a small revelation soon became a sky filled with rain clouds over a dry and parched heart. Then, revelation of Father’s love rained into my heart. It was then that I first understood that we were not created to work for Him, but that we were created to walk with Him.

Overjoyed with this new and wonderful insight, I shared these things with a few close friends at the church that I had left. But what I thought would bring great joy to them actually fell on deaf ears and the religious spirit was stirred and angered.

The people at that church had a sincere and genuine desire to serve God. But they were so deeply committed to the religious spirit that I lost all of the friendships that had developed over those seven years. Additionally, and as part of its character, the religious spirit launched many other successful attacks. I was badly burned and I smoldered for many years.

The freedom I was beginning to experience was greatly overshadowed by the attacks from the religious spirit.

But, wonderful and life-changing insights and healings began when I was ready—about twelve years later.

God spoke to me in many ways, showing me why I was vulnerable to the religious spirit. We shall know the Truth and the Truth will set us free.

My struggle with the religious spirit lasted much longer than it should have for three reasons: I had many weaknesses that left me powerless against it, I was so deeply entrenched in it (I was a stumbling block and I created more stumbling blocks), and I focused on the people with the religious spirit rather than examining myself.

But whom the Lord sets free is free indeed!

Having been up close and personal with that foul spirit, I can now smell it a mile away. I greatly desire to give away the grace that He gave me—to help and deliver those that are deceived by this subtle and deceptive spirit. And to find the living, breathing, loving relationship with God that He created them for.

This brings us to the topic in the next newsletter: self exams. There are many of us whose lives are an expression of the religious spirit but cannot see it. The next issue contains many tools to help you root out any lingering presence of the religious spirit.

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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