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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: DENOUNCE RELIGION / FOLLOW JESUS

I once had a person tell me they didn’t understand why I chose a religion that prevented me from doing sinful things. They suggested that I go to the Big Book of World Religions and pick something easier. I told them it didn’t work that way, there was religion and there is the plan of God for salvation. Religion is a waste of time. If you have a religion, you need to give it up. Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. Although the church world has made following Christ a religion and not a relationship.

Britanica.com defines religion-human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence.

According to this, religion could be the worship of anything you as a human being regard in high esteem and worthy of special reverence. In other words, people worship a lot of things. People worship animals, gold statues, celebrities, their accomplishments and status, false gods that man has created. All of this is idol worship. All the idols in the Bible, Baal for example is driven by a demon. Demons draw humans in to lifting up and worshipping things other than the ONE TRUE GOD.

I am sick of religion in the church that has divided God’s people. I am sure God is sick of religion. He came to give us a better life than religion. Think seriously about it for a moment. Jesus was killed by religious people. The ones that should have understood Jesus was the Messiah, was so wrapped up in the letter of the law and their fringe laws that they missed him. They were too wrapped up in their rituals.

Because of the blood of Jesus, I am no longer a sinner. I am no longer a slave to sin. That doesn’t mean that I am perfect and will not slip from time to time. But I have found that the more I am in God’s word and the more I pray the less likely I am to fall.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

It is easy to get wrapped up in a list of do’s and don’t, but being a Christian is not about living by a list. It is not about living in fear that at any given moment, God is going to send a lightning bolt down and incinerate you for making a mistake.

It all comes down to relationship. If you have a relationship with Jesus, you will want to spend time with him. You will want to worship him. You will not spend time doing things that break His heart.

Think about it in terms of a bride. We are the bride of Christ. What kind of marriage would it be if we never talked to Jesus? If we never said nice things to him? If we betrayed his trust and committed adultery by following other gods. If we never spend time in his word, because that is his story, his love letter to help us to know him. That sounds like a marriage that would not last.

The Bible does have a bunch of things we are forbidden to do. We have to live by what the word of God says. God doesn’t put things in his word that he forbids for his benefit, but for ours. All sin leads to pain, heartache, destruction and death.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our right to salvation is a gift from God. We do not receive this gift by choosing a denominational, religious set of rules. We receive salvation through the acceptance of what Jesus did on the cross. By being born again.

We cannot follow Jesus simply to escape hell. It will not work, because the fear of hell comes and goes with our choices. We have to choose Jesus because we are tired of bondage and want to be set free. We have to want Jesus to fix our brokenness.

Gal. 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This says that we need to stand fast, but what does that really mean? It means that we need to be unwavering, hold your ground and be strong in your commitment in spite of all the reasons to waiver or give up. We cannot give up our liberty or freedom that Christ has given us to make us free and be entangled again into sin.

Every day we are given choices. Will we choose Jesus or something sinful that we know we should not do? Every choice we make leads to the next choice. We can allow God’s word to shine a light on our path so that we make the right steps, or we can choose to walk in darkness.

Following Jesus is not a religion it is a choice to have life as opposed to sin and death. Sin may look appealing for a season, but the glitz and glitter that satan paints it with wears off soon and we are left with the reality of what is under the glitz and glitter.

This is why we cannot choose a religion from the big book of religions. We have to make a choice to follow Jesus instead of following a religion. Only in Jesus will we have true freedom.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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