True, there are plenty of religions out there. Thank God that I don't follow a 'religion,' but I have an active relationship with Jesus Christ - the one way, the only truth, and only way of life acceptable in the eyes of God.
You want a good idea of a strictly religious person? Saul of Tarsus. I hope I don't have to explain his wicked acts to you. Only when he saw God for who He truly was did he become Paul the Apostle - and even when he was yet Saul the Pharisee, He recognized God immediately. "Who art thou, Lord?" It goes deeper than recognizing God. It's following God by His standards - not our standards.
So sure, there are a lot of religions out there - but that isn't the focus at all. The focus is following the only life which God ordained. Sin separates us from God - there are no works we can do to gain Heaven, there is no justification for our sins. Jesus is the only way, the only One who could take our sins onto Himself for our sake. Buddha couldn't. Shiva couldn't. Mohammed couldn't. Jesus could. That's all there is to it.
Being raised into the religion of Christianity doesn't mean much, other than you have more of a clue than others do. I was raised in a Christian home, but I didn't find God that way. In fact, I made a false confession at a young age.
Only years later, when I'd fell into drugs, alcohol, the occult and a sinful life in essence was I able to find God. When I got to the end of my rope, all I could do was finally look up, and I realized that He hadn't left me behind, I'd left Him behind - and He was waiting for me with open arms.
You could be raised in a farm-house, but you don't know how to work the land until you've done it yourself. Going to church doesn't make you Christian no more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic. Until we humble ourselves to what God offers, search the scriptures to find what's acceptable to Him and apply it to our lives - that's when we become worthy of the name Christian. That's the essence of Christianity. Not a blatant set of rules to follow with a stoic face, not sitting at a pew half-asleep, hoping to grasp the concepts of whats being preached.
Understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17. Delight in the way of the Lord, and meditate on it day and night. Psalms 1:2, Gal. 5:16. Live carefully, realize the spiritual hazards that surround us. Ephesians 5:15.
The Second Epistle of Peter tells you that growth is essential, because as 1st Corinthians 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:2 says, you are a babe in Christ. Galatians 5:4 and I John 2:1-2 tells us about the possibility of falling. We have to remember that we represent Jesus Christ[I Tim. 4:12, II Cor. 3:2] and we must follow Christ[I Peter 2:21, Hebrews 12:1-2].
What does God want us to do once we've been saved? Put Him absolutely first, the Book of Matthew will help you with that. Study, and learn His Word. II Tim. 2:15, Acts 17:11, II Peter 3:18. We must obey Him faithfully! Matt. 7:21, Hebrews 5:8-9, Luke 6:46. He wants us to talk to Him in prayer. Philemon 4:6-7, I Thess. 5:17, I Tim. 2:8.
Here's a good one - worship Him acceptably. John 4:24, Acts 20:7, Hebrews 10:25-27. Finally, help teach and save others. Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, John 15:1-8.
You were bought with a dear price. Remember what Christ did for you, keep Him in your heart. Follow the Bible, not a religion. Follow the will of God as His Word tells it - don't rely on a person or even a denomination to tell you. "Judge all things by the Word of God." Period.
Sin separates you from God. In Him is no sin, and as such He will not look upon sin. Until you claim the blood of Christ into your life and pray in His name, God isn't going to give you an ear. And yes, He hears you - whether or not He acknowledges you is entirely up to you alone. "No man comes to the Father but by Me."
I get the feeling you're going to argue that "God wasn't listening when I was saved!" God's ways are above our ways. God's time is above our time. God won't spare us from pain - pain draws us apart from earthly desires and draws us closer to Him. God won't take our pride away, it isn't ours to give, it's ours to let go of. God isn't going to grant us patience - patience is a by-product of tribulation that isn't granted; it's earned. God isn't going to give us happiness - He gives us blessings. Happiness in our standard isn't always right, and is up to us. God isn't going to make our spirits suddenly grow, but He will prune it, and make it fruitful.
God's ways are above our ways. Our cups are already flowing over. We just have to take the time to count our blessings - not our trials. When we go through trials, our characters are strengthened, it's much the same for our spirits. Just remember one thing: "The trying of our faith worketh patience, which is more valuable than silver or gold."
In the first place, NO ONE can be a Christian ALL their life. Becoming a Christian - or being saved - cannot happen until a person reaches an age where they KNOW that they are a sinner and will be lost forever without Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Just had to make that my first statement....actually it is the most important thought I had. I must agree that if you were saved, you would know that God is not an 'it' - never has been and never will be - you would know that God is a Him. Here are some scriptures which can lead you straight to salvation:
