religious spirits

[cherokeehippie]

Does it seem to anyone else, that there are just too many religious spirits rampant in the Body these days, especally here in America. It's just sad. Instead of the grace and mercy and gentleness of the Saviour, most are stern, hard, judgmental, etc on others in the Body. They don't want to see the goodness of the Father. They don't care for beauty and seeing His love in the simple things, such as a kitty nuzzling it's face in one's neck, purring away, or beautiful hummingbirds or lightning bugs. They don't care about dancing under pine trees and feeling a gentle breeze brushing thru the pine limbs. They only care about arguing their point of doctrine and crushing others with their stern religious 'authority'. I really do think that the Lord is calling His people outside of the religious structure of christendom. He's bringing people out of religious bondage and it grieves Him to see His Church so much in religous harsh bondage. I decided to follow Him all the way, and I've learned that means getting misunderstood and being seen as 'immature'. I realize that I often get judged as either being 'young' in the Lord, backsliddened or spiritual immature just becaus I don't fit the mold that others expect a 'mature' christian to be. Anyway, just my thoughts. Lara

 

[cherokeehippie]

I had a dream a year ago or two. I dreamed that the Lord gave me some keys. In the next scene, I'm walking outside the walls of Jerusalem(I've been over to Israel and very familiar with the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem). I headed into a gate(often in the biblical days, there was a room off to the side in the gate where the elders would meet and greet people and have council, etc). I found myself going in this dungeon off to the side inside the gate, where this 'wildman' came at me. I realize he represented a religious spirit trying to get me. He was trying to bite me. I felt the Lord telling me to tell him, "It's a shame you have to be this way". I spoke those words and all at once, he crumbled in defeat. Then I woke up!

 

[Andrew]

Actually, all major religions in this world are religious, including Christianity. Unless a Christian is truly living under grace, lead by the Spirit and living free in Christ, he can still be religious.

I see 'religious spirits' as having a lot of outward form -- rituals, traditions, elaborate costumes, intricately designed temple instruments/furniture, rules and regulations, dos and donts, forbidding this forbidding that etc -- but no revelation of the grace, mercy and love of God -- and that we've truly been set free.

If you come against their practices/traditions/rituals, and tell them there's no need for these things anymore to make one more holy or right with God, they get upset or simply can't let go of it.

Tell an orthodox Jew that there's no point praying to a wall and he'll stone you (I was there last week )

Tell a Catholic that he can take communion on his own at home and he'll think you are telling him to do something sacrilegious. I tell that to some protestants too and they give me a strange look.

Tell some Christians that they can actually call God Daddy or Papa when they pray and they too give you a funny look.

I think you get the picture.

 

[Lottedah]

cherokee i believe we were both cut from the same cloth.. im a hippie too and I was always being mocked at my old church for sitting on the floor and rocking during the sermon and sitting in trees after church. I intend on bringing nature back to the church when I have my own ministry someday.

 

[harmmony]

The way I think that a religious spirit has invaded the Charasmatic Church is through legalism.

Some examples - preaching the tithe where 10% of your increase is the giving rule, when it is clearly an Old Testament law and we now live in the New Testament age of grace and giving "gifts and offerings" of no set amount. I know my old church was very legalistic in it's approach to church attendance and participation - if your bum wasn't on the seat every Sunday and you weren't doing x, y and z within the church then your value as a Christian lessened in their eyes and somehow your spiritual maturity was judged on things such as this. That same church also seems to have this attitude that whatever the pastor said was the law, instead of looking to your own convictions and more importantly, the Word. I have run as fast as I could away from this church, I felt that I would die of suffocation if I didn't.

It's just sad. Instead of the grace and mercy and gentleness of the Saviour, most are stern, hard, judgmental, etc on others in the Body. They don't want to see the goodness of the Father.

So, cherokeehippie, I agree, the Grace of God is being lost and replaced by man made rules that determine your Christian commitment and maturity.

I decided to follow Him all the way, and I've learned that means getting misunderstood and being seen as 'immature'. I realize that I often get judged as either being 'young' in the Lord, backsliddened or spiritual immature just becaus I don't fit the mold that others expect a 'mature' christian to be.

Been there done that. Just as you have been, I was judged as being too questioning and spiritually immature because I refuse to be put into the legalistic box that encourages people to become non-thinking robots, turning up every Sunday and performing all the "works" and saying all the "right" things and therefore being a good Christian.

Jesus died so that I might live in grace - it set me free from legalism - free to question, free to be human and make mistakes (I'm not talking about deliberating sinning, just the stuff we all do and need to seek God's forgiveness for) and be forgiven, free to give as God directs me, free to be in church or not, free to take communion at home, free to call God Daddy and argue with Him about things I don't understand.

The only laws I live by are the ones set out in His Word.

 

[altya]

Does it seem to anyone else, that there are just too many religious spirits rampant in the Body these days, especally here in America.

It’s not only in America, I believe. I have seen that when one of the five-fold ministries stands up to edify the body of Christ, the counterfeit also arise to destroy unity.

 

[Follower of Christ too]

Does it seem to anyone else, that there are just too many religious spirits rampant in the Body these days, especally here in America. It's just sad. Instead of the grace and mercy and gentleness of the Saviour, most are stern, hard, judgmental, etc on others in the Body. They don't want to see the goodness of the Father. They don't care for beauty and seeing His love in the simple things, such as a kitty nuzzling it's face in one's neck, purring away, or beautiful hummingbirds or lightning bugs. They don't care about dancing under pine trees and feeling a gentle breeze brushing thru the pine limbs. They only care about arguing their point of doctrine and crushing others with their stern religious 'authority'. I really do think that the Lord is calling His people outside of the religious structure of christendom. He's bringing people out of religious bondage and it grieves Him to see His Church so much in religous harsh bondage. I decided to follow Him all the way, and I've learned that means getting misunderstood and being seen as 'immature'. I realize that I often get judged as either being 'young' in the Lord, backsliddened or spiritual immature just becaus I don't fit the mold that others expect a 'mature' christian to be. Anyway, just my thoughts. Lara

Wow, that is what happened to me shortly after I was saved. The church I attended required long hair for women, dresses to the floor and no excuses for not showing up for a meeting, even if you and your whole family was sick! Needless to say it caused problems. Even when I felt God telling me different it seemed I should obey the elders of the church. Once while going to one of these pressing meetings which was 30 miles away my car had 2 wheels blow out at the same time. We got that fixed and on the way home my gasline broke and the children and I was stranded on a country road about 12:00 am. I was told the devil was trying to keep me from church. I decided God is greater and He rules, and it may have been God leading me out of that church. So I did finally get out. I read where Paul says to please God and not man - that did it for me

 

[Trish1947]

Does it seem to anyone else, that there are just too many religious spirits rampant in the Body these days, especally here in America. It's just sad. Instead of the grace and mercy and gentleness of the Saviour, most are stern, hard, judgmental, etc on others in the Body. They don't want to see the goodness of the Father. They don't care for beauty and seeing His love in the simple things, such as a kitty nuzzling it's face in one's neck, purring away, or beautiful hummingbirds or lightning bugs

I was very fortunate after I was saved to be moved to the mountains and live like they used to about 100 years ago. My husbands job was located up on a high mountain, where there was very little conveniences, it was over 100 miles to a grocery store. We had to chop our own fire wood, about 11 cord a year, to get through a winter, no one to talk to but each other. And no tv. or radio signals. But what a time I had. And oh, the silence, and the communion you would have with the Lord. No distractions of any sort. And what beauty, watching the large snowflakes fall, hearing the blue jays sing, watching the bears come and get the bird seed out of the feeders, seeing a silver frost on all the trees, smelling the pine, watching the spring re-new, and the daffodiles stuggle against the remaining snow and poke their heards out as to say, "its spring!" At anytime in my life have I never had such an experience in my relationship in the Lord, I heard His voice speak to me as if holding a converstaion.. Real conversation!! I really got to know Him. His love for me, and my love for Him.. But alas!, after 3 years, this experience came to an end, it was time to go back down into the valley, among the people, the noise, the hustle and bustle of society, and try to have that same realtionship I had before..And it is hard. Not on the Lords part, he let me know that He is still there for me, but alot of the times I am not, with the business of the days concerns. So I have to work very hard to see that I keep that relationship going, But it will never seem to be as intense, or more clear than when I was alone, with no distractions. But I thank my God everyday for Him allowing me to have this experience, and knowing how close He really is to every believer.

 

[cherokeehippie]

Hey, thanks for the replies so far. Now here's a question, does it seem to yall, that when any of you are confronted by any brothers and sisters with religious spirits, they treat you as if you're spiritually immature or backslidden or something? Love to hear anyone's stories on this. I know that it just gets me really frustrated and pinned in a corner and I have to get out of the whole situation, and if I react in anger, it would only reinforce their attitudes that I'm spiritually immature. Lara

 

[cherokeehippie]

Or maybe because for example, I'm 36, dress in tiedye, wear Indian braids, or indian/hippie jewelry, and don't fit the stereotypical charismatic mode of dress--bright pastel color dresses, high heels and big hair, and watch certain tbn programming, etc, that I'm out of God's Will for me. He created variety--and He did not create us to be all the same, including fitting the mode of the type of charismatics that one sees on tbn--with big hair, etc. I use to really run around in charismatic and Messianic circles, going to the latest conference, went to Israel, etc. But after the spiritual abuse I went thru, I went thru a change. I realize there were big time religious spirits even within Messianic and charismatic circles. I decided to drop that baggage and Abba led me back into a simple lifestyle, its as if I went full circle back to my original self in Him--with my interest in my heritage, natural down to earth hippie type stuff, jeans, folk music, etc. He led me to a Native christian conference where I got to worship Abba with the sound of the drum and Jonathan Maracle doing the worship.(www.brokenwalls.com) I learn that Abba just wanted me to be myself in HIm, not fit the mold of what I thought I was suppose to be.

 

[cherokeehippie]

Or maybe because for example, I'm 36, dress in tiedye, wear Indian braids, or indian/hippie jewelry, and don't fit the stereotypical charismatic mode of dress--bright pastel color dresses, high heels and big hair, and watch certain tbn programming, etc, that I'm out of God's Will for me. He created variety--and He did not create us to be all the same, including fitting the mode of the type of charismatics that one sees on tbn--with big hair, etc. I use to really run around in charismatic and Messianic circles, going to the latest conference, went to Israel, etc. But after the spiritual abuse I went thru, I went thru a change. I realize there were big time religious spirits even within Messianic and charismatic circles. I decided to drop that baggage and Abba led me back into a simple lifestyle, its as if I went full circle back to my original self in Him--with my interest in my heritage, natural down to earth hippie type stuff, jeans, folk music, etc. He led me to a Native christian conference where I got to worship Abba with the sound of the drum and Jonathan Maracle doing the worship.(www.brokenwalls.com) I learn that Abba just wanted me to be myself in HIm, not fit the mold of what I thought I was suppose to be. Actually, I had always been that way, but Abba opened my eyes to stuff--in Messianic and charismatic circles, and I realize, "OH NO! That's not what I wanted to be! I got to get out of here!"

 

[Trish1947]

Actually, I had always been that way, but Abba opened my eyes to stuff--in Messianic and charismatic circles, and I realize, "OH NO! That's not what I wanted to be! I got to get out of here!"

cherokeehippie, we are not cookie cutter Christians.. You sound like a really down to earth Christian, that believes in the simple things in life bring the most happiness, You do not have to change your values, or beliefs at all. If your choices in life bring you to a closer walk with Jesus, go for it girl. I have also had to make similar changes in my life also that brought me closer to the Lord.
I'm sure that the Lord is leading you, right where he wants you to be spiritually, and you dont have to be concerned that your not exactly like the others. God deals with us as individuals, not carbon copies.

 

[enoch son]

You all call them spirits, I will call it FLESH! Untill you come to our alter and believe our way, you not in. Priase God for the blessing of our Lord Jesus who preach agianst the religious of His day and ate and drink with sinners.

 

[harmmony]

cherokeehippie

I can't tell you how pleased I am that you have been able to find yourself and your roots again. God definitely does not want a bunch of carbon copy Christians showing the world that if you don't act this way or do that, or dress like this then you aren't acceptable to Him. It is no wonder that the world often views us as judgemental, morally superior (in our own minds) jerks. Why would they want to walk with Jesus when this is the church they they are being shown?

I think that you and I have had pretty much exactly the same church experience of spiritual abuse (and don't think it's just in the USA, I'm in Australia). But the thing I gained and you have obviously as well from having been there and escaped is a greater closeness with Jesus and a deeper understanding and acceptance of the person God created me to be. And the strength in myself to never again allow myself to be subjected to that abuse.

Heaps of love to you.