Battling the spirit of Religion Part 1

Just another Sunday in the Bible Belt! People flood the roadways dressed in their best, heading for the current church of their choice. And trust me, there are a LOT of churches to choose from! Almost like walking into a huge library with the idea of looking for a book to read this week, the choices are almost limitless. So it is, with the churches in the Bible Belt. And honestly, many of the Lord's people have succumb to this kind of mentality when it comes to choosing churches. Where will we go to church this week? Will we choose the church with good praise and worship music? Will we choose the church with a choir? Will we choose the church with good preaching? Will we choose the one with a great children's programs? Where will we go, and how long will we be there?

This may seem like a very strange scenario, and for many, totally contrary to how you've been raised. Many have been raised with the idea that once one becomes a Christian, they find a good Bible believing church and become a part of that church through good times and bad times. They stay, find their gift's, develop those gifts, and become a productive mutual supporter of that church and its members, growing together in the truth and graces of the Lord. Do Christian people "REALLY" go from church to church based upon the "goods and services" they offer? Unfortunately YES! Why would otherwise spiritually sound people do this? How could these people of God fall for such a tragic trick of the devil? Because of the "spirit of religion!" Some of you may be saying the WHAT? The spirit of religion is the dominant spirit in many places in the Southern parts of the United States. In fact, you can find his activity in various "forms" all around the United States. This, for many unsuspecting Christian people, has been the "motivation" behind their going from church to church, and choosing where they worship, like one chooses a book in a library to read, or a new car from a car lot. In the next few articles on this blog, I will be exposing some of the symptoms, manifestations, and principles of this spiritual stronghold over much of the church in America, as well as how you can tell if your under its "influence." With this, we will also offer some Biblical advice on how to break free from this stronghold, and how to do battle with it if you live in an area that is under its influence. So, please check back often, copy these articles to your word processor, save them, copy them, and pass them out to your family and friends, so they can be prepared to do ........"Battle with the spirit of religion!"