"Religion Is Useless"

        This morning while laying in bed the thought "Religion Is Useless" came to my spirit. I began to meditate on what this really means; not just for the reader but for myself. All of my siblings including myself grew up in church. We know the church language,and the church routine. That when you lift your hands, you lift it "a certain way" so that it looks spiritual. When you say praise God, you have to say it a "certain way" so that it seems like you have a relationship with Him. When you speak in  tongues, it has to be long and drawn out so that you come across more spiritual than everyone else.  People go to church and leave the same way they came, because they are more addicted to the exercise of spirituality and not its reality. It's reality is CHANGE. 2  Tim 3:5 "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" Religious people have a form of godliness but denies the true power of Christianity which is "Change." Not only do they deny it, they cannot obtain it. "God is always working", this statement is simple but so profound. God is active, creative, innovative, He is about Change. When Paul said that Believers were to be "Living Sacrifices" he was truly speaking from the heart of God. We are to be active, creative,busy about our Father's business. We should be touching lives, and imparting into other people. What makes Christianity so different from other religions?. its not a religion. It's about having a relationship with God. That kind of relationship brings about a supernatural change. Old habits are destroyed, old mindsets are gone. God takes away that heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh. I know that last statement might be confusing for some of you. That simply means, when you surrender your life to the Lord, He makes obeying him simple. "The reason why it is so hard for some people to obey God is because they haven't surrendered. God doesn't want you to cut yourself, poke your eyes out, cut your hand off. He wants you to surrender your heart to Him, and He will do the rest. 1 Timothy 4:8 says "For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come". In this same passage of scripture, it talks about how in the last days, people will start to teach things that are inspired by satan himself. "Now I'm getting ready to open a can of worms" Some religions believe that you shouldn't eat certain foods because it is considered to be unclean. Did you know that this is a doctrine that is inspired by satan? Jesus teaches that all food should be accepted with thanksgiving. The "Religious Leaders" had a problem with Jesus saying that. Jesus totally wrecked their traditions. Jesus had to because it did not produce change. It only produced "More Bondage"  A person who departs from the true faith falls prey to all sorts of traps that are alleged to make one more spiritual. A religious person, doesn't live to please God. Their motivation is to make themselves look higher, and better than everyone else. A true disciple of Christ, cherishes his/her alone time with the Lord. They give when no one is watching. Their motivation is to be more like Christ. "Religion is useless"... its dead. I'm not going to live a life of religion. I'm going to live the life Christ wants me to live. That kind of life keeps a smile on my face. It helps me to see the good in things and not the negative. It helps me to see that there are days that I will come up short, but God still loves me. This kind of life is called an abundant life. John 10:10 says "The thief comes to steal, kill and to destroy. But I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.

Be Blessed,
Chad Owens