Freedom From Religion

Freedom from religion is the mantra of the aetheist, but I tell you beloved reader, I have adopted their mantra as well. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17 RSV

This is a call to freedom for all who believe that their salvation comes from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ did not die to release us from the tyranny of Satan into the emotional and spiritual tyranny of man. As faith is a choice and belief, it is seated in our soul; the emotional portion of our being. Satan has devised a plan of controlling our salvation by standing ready with organized religion to control and restrain the spiritual freedom purchased by Christ on the cross. "For you were called to freedom brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another." Galatians 5:13-15 RSV

Make your way with God first and guard your soul against the manipulations of man-made religions. Study God's word (Bible), talk and listen to God (prayer) and give him praises (worship) as a sign of your commission to Him. "Beware of false prophets (those who profess to speak the word of God), who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:15 RSV

Are those who profess to be from God - servants to their flock, or are they the masters of their flock? God called the shepherds to become servants, and as a shepherd moves the flock from green pasture to green pasture for physical sustenance, so shall our shepherds leads us for our spiritual sustenance. As a shepherd protects the flock from the attacks of wolves, so our shepherds shall protect us from the attacks of the world. A minister's first duty is to minister to his flock.

Guard your spirit, the new spirit that Christ purchased for you on the cross. As you chose Christ as your Lord and Savior with fear and trembling, choose a shepherd with the same care.

You Are The Salt Of The Earth

The year is 1828 and Mrs. Child's book, The American Frugal Housewife, has been published providing sound household advice gleaned from generations of women before her. She cites: "It is good economy to salt your own beef as well as pork."

For centuries, man knew that salting provided preservation. The Egyptians used salt in the mummification of their dead, wars were fought over salt rights, history shows that salt was used as currency and it was the first disinfectant. Every living plant and animal on earth requires salt to survive, and yet when Matthew 5:13 is quoted, Christians are called the seasoning of the earth, as though our main purpose is to make life more palatable. Belief in Jesus does make life more palatable, but I believe 'our salt' provides a greater purpose.

We are the Preservation of the Earth. Each Christian carries God's Spirit within them; the Holy Spirit. His Spirit, carried inside of us, protects the earth from evil. When Christians pray, they bring the Kingdom of God to earth. The Kingdom of God is contained in our songs of worship and praise. We bring His Kingdom to earth by carrying His Spirit wherever we go.

We are the salt of the earth it is true, but in addition to seasoning, our main purpose is to hold evil at bay through the Spirit that we carry inside.

In the Beginning

“I am a good person.” Most of us believe this statement as we measure ourselves against the world, for when we measure ourselves against what we read in the papers or see on the screen – big or small – we are good people. We grade ourselves on a sliding scale, and frankly, most of us measure up pretty well. We were raised with a set of values, and we carried those values into our schools, work and perhaps our marriages. We work to provide for our families, raise our children with the same values we hold dear, and help others who are struggling to do the same. We may regularly attend a church of our choice and closely follow the theology of our religion. Yet intimately, we know the constant struggle to maintain our goodness.

We curse the driver who cut us off on the way to work. Pent up stress from our workday will unload on our spouse or children in a verbal tirade. Internet surfing or late lunches steal precious time from our employer. Procrastination and the care of our material possessions steal our time. Envy rises when our neighbor has installed a pool, and jealously rises when someone pays too much attention to our spouse. There are family members we only tolerate because of a past hurt, and our ‘white’ lies stack up like building blocks around our souls. Comparatively, we are good people, but we are not the person God created.

Sometime ago, I volunteered to lead a Bible Study for a small group of women. They were a diverse group with empty nesters, young adults, established and new Christians, along with unbelievers. The Bible study followed national events that had turned our security into horror, our trust into fear and our love into questioning. In addition, my inner life paralleled the nation with turmoil, misunderstanding and long buried pain. After prayerful consideration, I chose spiritual warfare as my topic.

I wanted to better understand the existence of evil, how it works, how it affects each of us and more importantly, how can we combat the evil we see around us each day. I questioned why God gave us a free will knowing that we would use that will to turn away from him. I examined the disparity between living under the laws of God and living under his grace. I was confused by the letdown felt by new Christians after the first joyous flush of salvation had mysteriously left them. I could not understand the difference between judgment and discernment or the conflict between forgiveness and self-protection. Although I had witnessed the power of prayer in my life, I wanted to move beyond the ‘genie in the bottle’ type of prayer, and finally, why did God place so much emphasis on praise and worship?

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom for knowledge can be learned, but wisdom must be earned. Although I had chosen the topic for my Bible study, God had imparted the knowledge and the wisdom. Each week as I studied the scriptures in preparation for my class he revealed to me meanings that I had not before perceived. God also brought me through experiences during that time, and since, that only clarified and confirmed what he was trying to show me.

So again I say the knowledge and the wisdom belong to God and so does the title; for they are God’s Weapons of Mass Construction.

The Terrible Twos

I have not studied child psychology, nor am I a pediatrician, but I am the mother of two children
and my experience has taught me that your two year old cherub can become a nightmare of emotion without warning.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 24:45-51 NIV

A person accepts God's plan of salvation through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus, and just as a newborn baby, ecstasy follows as they are held fast by loving arms. The whole world looks and feels different, and that person knows true love for the very first time in their lives. This is not just the type of love the world offers - "If you look, act or think as I, I will love you" - but more akin to a motherly love - "I will love you no matter what."

Just as a baby is coddled, held close and cherished, the new Christian is the focus of the church and/or other Christians. Unfortunately, this period of being loved and cherished may pass quickly in some churches, and just as the baby grows to a toddler, the 'baby' Christian starts to mature. Some churches may begin the "Don't do that." phase of their training, and as a toddler who now hears one 'NO' after another, this period can instill anxiety, fear and depression in a new Christian. This most critical time may be when most Christians fall away from the church believing that Christian life is too hard to bear.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. " Philippians 2:12-13 NIV

God's plan of salvation was always about his holiness - not yours. Just as he saved us by his plan of salvation, so too, he will work out your salvation under his plan. Do not succumb to men's idea of who you should be for only God knows your destiny and what you will need to learn before fulfilling that destiny.

As for the rest - "In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." I John 4:17-18 NIV

The Religion of the Fig Leaf

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." Genesis 2:16-17

Adam and Eve had one commandment for living a perfect life, and yet, they failed to keep that one commandment issued by God. Later, Moses came down from the mountain with ten commandments; our edict of stone for living the perfect life. If we break one of these, we have failed as surely as Adam and Eve had failed. Different circumstances, but the consequences are the same; death. This is not just a physical death, but a spiritual death that will last for an eternity, so if we have broken just one commandment throughout our journey on earth, then we deserve to die. "For the wages of sin is death...." Romans 6:23

So, how do we ever redeem ourselves? Man has been trying to redeem himself through religion since the Garden.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." Genesis 3:6-7

This covering over sin was the very first religion - the Religion of the Fig Leaf. Although the theology of this religion sounds ridiculous to us today, it is no less ridiculous than any other religion man has invented since. You can recognize a man-made religion by three words - Do, Do, Do. All religion is based on what man can do to cover his sin.

But, God had a different plan. "And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. " Genesis 3:21. Remember God's edict - If you eat of the fruit, you will surely die. God did not want to kill Adam and Eve, yet something had to be done. So, God found a substitute death for Adam and Eve's sin. He killed two animals in their stead and used the animal skins to cover man's sin. This substitue and temporary redemption was repeated throughout the Old Testament with the animal sacrifices starting with Abraham.

The substitue death for sin was finished with Jesus dying on the cross. One pure, sinless man who would die for the sins of the world. Every man, woman and child who ever and who will ever live. Every single sin of their 80+ years on this earth. "When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. " John 19:30

The path to redemption is accepting and believing that Jesus paid the price for your sins, and like all things that come from God, it is easy and simple. No complicated doctrine, no self mutalation, no complicated tasks - Just believe!

Unlike man's redemption plan which reads - "Do, Do, Do"; God's plan is Done, Done, Done.