Category Archives: Religion

Exposing Religious Spirits

Posted on 11/02/2022 | Comments Off on Exposing Religious Spirits

Matthew 16:6 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Jesus called their teaching “leaven” because it added no substance, life, or value to the church. Instead, it was puffed up with religious pride, promoting the traditions of men and focusing on works and religious activity. It holds to a form of godliness but denies the power of the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

Many times, a religious spirit will attach itself to us even though we love God and are zealous for God and His kingdom. Look at what Paul said about his Jewish brothers.

Romans 10:2-4 (ESV) For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Just because someone has a religious spirit does not mean they don’t love God. The Jewish people prayed, fasted, and read the scriptures more than anyone. They were zealous for God and the coming Messiah but were bound by religious spirits and did not recognize Jesus when He came. They opposed Him in His ministry and eventually killed him. This gives us an idea of how blinding and deceptive religious spirits can be.

Notice in the above passage that their “zeal was not according to knowledge,” and they were ignorant (no knowledge) of the righteousness of God. Ignorance is easily fixed in most cases, but religious spirits resist any doctrine that challenges them and calls for change and repentance. Those bound by religious spirits are easily offended and quick to defend their theological positions.

Our imputed righteousness is one of the foundational truths that solidify our identity in Christ. Without an understanding of righteousness, we will not submit to it. Without submission to righteousness, our identity as sons and daughters will never become clear. Satan fights desperately to keep us from this particular truth because it is the foundational message of the gospel. He knows that if we ever find out who we are, we will destroy his works just like Jesus did. (1 John 3:8)

Here are some of the tell-tale signs of a religious spirit:

  1. A belief that our ministry is to expose others and their “false doctrines.”
  2. Pride in our spiritual maturity or our giftings.
  3. Living in condemnation and shame, believing we will never measure up to God’s standards.
  4. A mechanical prayer life that goes through the motions without being intimate with the Father.
  5. Glorying in what God has done in the past more than what He is doing now.
  6. Doing things so people will notice.
  7. Overreacting to those who are immature in the Lord.
  8. Overreacting to carnality in the church.
  9. Engaging in emotionalism and calling it the Holy Spirit.
  10.  Inability to take correction from peers or leaders.
  11.  A tendency to reject any manifestation of the Holy Spirit we don’t understand.
  12.  Knowing a lot about God but not knowing Him intimately.

I must confess that I have been guilty of all 12 items on this list, and I am sure there are other indicators of which I am unaware. I am grateful the Lord has been patient with me, giving me time to repent. It was not until I humbled myself and sought intimacy with the Lord that freedom came. Intimacy with the Lord will transform us quicker than anything.

Without intimacy with God, breaking free from a religious spirit can be challenging and virtually impossible to stay free. A lifestyle of intimacy with Him is the best first step toward freedom in any area.

We don’t reproduce without intimacy. If we are not intimate with our Lord, we won’t produce the fruit of who He is in our lives. Let us ensure we cultivate a close relationship with God first, so we can lead others to do the same.

Intimacy with the Father is a motive purifier and an identity clarifier, our best protection against the deceptions of religious spirits.

Quoted from the book, The Spiritual Warfare Manifesto

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Exposing the Critical Spirit?

Posted on 11/01/2022 | Comments Off on Exposing the Critical Spirit?

A yoke is a device that allows animals to be bound together to share the workload. A critical, judgmental spirit tethers us to Satan’s work so that we share his workload and bear fruit for his kingdom. No wonder God resists the proud.

When we have a critical spirit, we quickly criticize others while not being very critical of ourselves. We busy ourselves looking for specks in other folk’s eyes and are blinded by the massive log in our own. Pride blinds us to truth and makes us short-sighted.

Matthew 7:5 (ESV) You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

“Humility will always be the place with the greatest illumination and clearest perspective.”

Being overly mindful of what is not right in others causes us to forsake the Spirit of reconciliation and embrace a perspective apart from love and grace.

Consider this; If we wrongly criticize someone’s child, who will be the first to take offense? The parents. Our Father is the same way. When we judge God’s children, we are judging Him. When we judge our leaders, we are judging His leadership. When we criticize the brethren, we say in our hearts that God’s workmanship is not up to our lofty standards. It is a twisted perspective that is anti-Christ.

James 4:10-12 (ESV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

When we judge others, we not only speak evil of the law and pass judgment on the law but the lawgiver as well. When we judge others, it is a dead giveaway that we carry the burden of a sin-consciousness and are yoked to the enemy’s work.

It is crucial to understand how the enemy works in these areas so we can recognize when we are being attacked and keep ourselves from being yoked to his plan. We must keep ourselves from becoming a child our Father resists.

Quoted from the book, The Spiritual Warfare Manifesto

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Childlike Imitators of God

Posted on 10/31/2022 | Comments Off on Childlike Imitators of God

          Have you ever seen young children that mimic their parents? They imitate their parents because they are their models for behavior. How they talk, how they walk, how they behave. They do this because they want to grow up and be like mom or dad. Deep down inside, they believe that by acting like them, they will become like them.

Ephesians 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

          Notice the Bible does not say to imitate God like a comedian doing impressions of famous people or a parrot repeating what they hear their masters say. The imitation that God requires from us is precise. We are to imitate Him like a dear child that wants to grow up and be just like daddy. God is looking for sincere childlikeness.

I encourage you today to get alone with God and don’t bring a prayer list. Just come to Him as a child that loves His Father and wants to be just like Him. Ask Him to help you be more childlike and ask a bunch of questions. Be open, vulnerable, humble, and forgiving. Tell Him what you struggle with, what makes you happy, and what you would like to change about yourself. He’s a good listener.

Be attentive to His voice, practice being still in His presence, and listen with the expectation of Him speaking to you.

The first step in becoming more childlike is to spend time with Him and allow Him to father us. Embrace His love, invite His correction, pursue His instruction, and believe that change is coming.

Quoted from the book, The Spiritual Warfare Manifesto

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Becoming Childlike

Posted on 10/29/2022 | Comments Off on Becoming Childlike

Becoming childlike seems like an undesirable trait in warfare. However, in spiritual warfare, it can be the difference between a sweatless victory and a prolonged and challenging battle. Jesus said if we don’t become like a little child, we will not enter the kingdom of God. That is a sobering statement that we should examine closely. Spiritual warfare can only be waged effectively by operating with kingdom authority and from a kingdom perspective. A childlike perspective is the most excellent kingdom perspective.

Matthew 18: 1-4 (NKJV) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

There is something essential about a childlike perspective that pleases the Father and empowers a person to enter the kingdom, but what is this youthful perspective that Jesus has in mind?

We throw terms around like “childlike faith,” but Jesus never mentions faith. He is answering a question about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of God. I am not saying that faith has nothing to do with it, but Jesus did not put emphasis on faith. He emphasized a perspective that significantly affects our ability to trust in Him.

Is it possible that becoming like a little child means that we maintain the sense of wonder and innocence of a child that living in this sinful world tends to squeeze out of us?

Could it be that Jesus is talking about living without being self-conscious, without guile, being open about our feelings and emotions, having an undefiled conscience, and living life with excitement and boundless energy? Could He be referring to childlike inquisitiveness, vivid imagination, and creativity? Or a heart that is humble, joyful, hopeful, tender, loving, gentle, quick to forgive, and willing to believe the best of every person?

These qualities tend to define a child but get quickly stripped from us as we mature and become more “self-aware,” encountering the sin and brokenness of our fallen world.

As we grow into adulthood, we tend to become jaded and prideful. We hold grudges and stay angry, refusing to forgive. We quickly lose hope because our hopes are often dashed and destroyed. We allow negative emotions to rule us and let unimportant things matter more than what matters most. We lose our joy and live with a seared conscience.

Adults have trouble with new ideas. We tend to reject things we do not understand, hindering us from trusting in the seemingly impossible. Children do not behave this way. Neither did Jesus. Neither should we. I think we must be more intentional about being childlike.

Quoted from the book, The Spiritual Warfare Manifesto

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