Uprooting The Religious Spirit

Before you read today's devotional, pray this over yourself aloud:

HOLY SPIRIT, you are my teacher. Jesus you are THE WORD and TRUTH. Father, I submit myself to Your truth. Open my eyes and my ears that I may see and hear. I bind the spirit of religion that would try to make me offended or to hinder me from seeing the truth. You will not fog my mind or distract me in Jesus name,

Amen.

The religious spirit is very DECEIVING and often comes as a friend. It has dug it’s claws into our MINDS, our SOCIETY and our FAITH. It can control the way you think and react spiritually. A religious spirit distorts the Word of God and how we worship God. It can lead us into IDOLATRY (the worship of man and man made laws). The agenda of this spirit is to distract us to the point where we cannot see Christ for who he really is or the freedom that we possess because of Him. The desire of a religious spirit is to lead a person into many evils and they don’t even know it.

Jesus warns us fervently about this, and yet the whole world has been under its evil control. It’s in every religion, and religious denomination in the world. When you identify yourself as a particular religion or denomination within a religion, that in itself is idolatry. When your identity is in a certain denomination, or separated group, then it's not in Jesus. If you pray to anything other than the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, then you are breaking the first commandment - You shall have no other Gods before Me!

It separates Gods people, because we identify ourselves with our denomination rather than Christ. That causes division within the body, therefore there is prejudice, judgements and animocity against one another. The religious spirit causes this division by encouraging arguments over the doctrine of Christ. Satan wants us divided so that he can maintain false control. But, Jesus said that WE have been given ALL power and authority. So we must break our unity with this religious spirit and take back the Kingdom principles!

Much like the Sadducees and Pharisees of biblical times, many of our religious leaders today teach UNBELIEF to their people. When you do not teach the entire word of God as relevant and dismiss some of it, that’s teaching unbelief and denies the power of God. This is a form of mind control. God's Word is true - yesterday, today, and forever. As Christians, we MUST accept this and walk in that victory. The belief that miracles are a thing of the past, or that the Holy Spirit doesn't move like He did in the book of Acts is NONSENSE! Satan has infiltrated this religious spirit to distract, divide and confuse the people of God.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

The religious spirit keeps you from thinking for yourself. Many fall into the same trap that their ancestors have for many generations, they think this is the way it’s supposed to be - IT IS A LIE! Many fall into rituals, routines, and follow the status-quo rather than seeking God for themselves and researching the scriptures. Sadly, many will just take what was said as truth. It is our responsibility as Christ followers to dive into the Word of God and seek the truth for ourselves.

PROVERBS 25:2 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT?

MATTHEW 16:6

6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and BEWARE of the leaven (Teachings) of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

MATTHEW 16:11-12 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to BEWARE of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, BUT IF THE DOCTRINE of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

JESUS WAS DISGUSTED BY RELIGION

In Matthew Chapter 23, the entire chapter is Jesus talking. If you will really examine His words, you will see that He expresses hatred and disgust for religious leaders and the spirit that has MIND CONTROL and oppresses people. I encourage you to open your Bible and diligently STUDY this chapter. Over and over and over, Jesus calls them fools, blind guides, hypocrites, serpents, murderers, and brood of vipers. Jesus is addressing the religious spirit, and what it does to a person's heart and how it can turn men from God, even though they claim to be 'of God'. Often, a spirit of witchcraft will be alongside a spirit of religion, using manipulation and control to blind people. Jesus did not tolerate these spirits, and neither should we!

MATTHEW 23:4 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

MATTHEW 23:6 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

MATTHEW 23:9-10 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

MATTHEW 23:13 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! FOR YOU SHUT UP THE KINGDOMS OF HEAVEN AGAINST MEN ; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

PRAYER

We must pluck a religious spirit out by the root! Pray this aloud:

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I take my authority back from the devil. I speak to the spirit of religion - from this day forward, you will bear no fruit ever again in me. These are the words of Jesus! I take my authority and I command the spirit of religion and witchcraft to loose me now. I bind you and strip you of your power. I invite the host of heaven, the warrior angels to torment you and punish you for your assault against my life and my family. Angels - carry these spirits out now! You will go to the place the Lord Jesus sends you and never return - in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit - I give you liberty to rewire my brain. Change my thinking and my emotional attachments to anything involving a religious spirit or attitude. Your word says I have the mind of Christ therefore I shall have it! Thank you for your goodness and your faithfulness. I apply the blood of Jesus over my mind and my emotions from this day forward. Amen