Your natural mind is not neutral territory– it is God's enemy and fertile soil for religion to take root (see Romans 8:6-7). Religion always operates in the natural mind. Relationship operates when the natural mind is submitted to the Spirit—meaning your thoughts are ordered by revelation from the outside, not just dependent on your own logic, cognition, or soulish desires.
Religion is static and will trap you in the way things were. Relationship is dynamic. It doesn't automatically jump to a conclusion or have an answer. It means you are always checking in with the Spirit to see what God is saying now. That's why journaling is so important to a Spirit-empowered life!
Religion has all the answers - what to do, how to do it, and when. Relationship embraces God's unwavering truth, but receives living direction from the Spirit on God's timings, ways, and actions.
Craig gives a beautiful example of this from the Gospel of Mark where Jesus heals the paralytic :
- When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?" (Mark 2:5-10)
The original Greek for this passage reveals that when the scribes "reasoned in their hearts" they were dialoguing with their natural mind using logic. Whereas when Jesus "perceived in His Spirit," the original Greek indicates He received outside knowledge –revelation that allowed Him to move in the liberty of the Holy Spirit to do the will of the Father.
The scribes knew the scriptures. They thought knew truth. But their minds were darkened, not being informed by the Spirit to recognize the Messiah, the Word made flesh, and they missed the whole point of their life and ministry! What a tragedy.
That's exactly how religion operates. It will keep you from the living testimony of what God desires to say and do now, by hijacking your very passion for righteousness.
If we were completely honest with ourselves, we would all have to admit we have a little bit of Pharisee operating in us from time to time!
Craig teaches with such clarity that a message I have heard a thousand times before came alive with fresh insight and conviction! And what touched me even more, was the pastoral heart he carries to expose the tactics of religion so you can see where it has crept in unawares and give you the tools to recognize it, neutralize it, and send it packing!
This message is so key for us in this hour. The world is in turmoil. Many, even in the church, are calling good evil and evil good. Some of the ways that Craig revealed the religious spirit operates were a revelation for me. They were completely opposite of what I would have defined as "religious." In fact, a lot of the heresy and current emphasis on cancel culture could be defined this way.
Discernment, sensitivity the Spirit, and eyes and ears to hear the Lord are critical to navigate successfully through these troubled waters. Whether you recognize a spirit of religion in an area of your life, or you know you are confronting this spirit in your daily interactions with others, you need to hear this message so you are equipped for victory.
Are you ready to put a search light on your heart and get rid of any religious relics lurking in the shadows? I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch Craig's full teaching, "The Difference between Religion and Relationship."
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