There are two big Truth's out of the Word of God that the religious mind has trouble with and can not accept, therefore it refuses that truth and is unable to receive the benefit of it. Those two truth's are:
1. That Jesus (God) lowered Himself from the Throne of God (as the Son of God) to the realm of man (as the Son of Man) and walked as a man on this earth and not as God. God became like a man.
2. That man was raised up to sit together with Christ in heavenly places (now in this lifetime, not after we die). That man became like God.
Now, if you are being led by religious spirits, you are already in an uproar and you are ready to fight for your doctrine, but I say, just chill out, relax, put your gun back in the holster, calm down, grow still, and hear what the voice of the Spirit is saying.
Jesus has always been God, but when He came to this earth, He lowered Himself to man's status (Phil 2:6-8) and everything He did on the earth was as a man totally dependent upon God the Father. Jesus walked by faith in God (the Father) demonstrating perfectly to other men (women) what this relationship between God and man looks like.
Jesus was perfect in every way and you and I are not. We are imperfect vessels with flesh bodies that are dead because of sin. But it's our spirit when it becomes born again, that I (and you) become just like Jesus on the inside, but not on the outside. But the real me, my spirit, is just like Jesus, therefore I am like Him on this earth just as He was and still is and will always be. (1 John 4:17)
The problem that now exists for me (and you) is that my flesh body is dead and it wants to act like a dead person, one who is separated from God and doesn't want to act godly. Have you ever heard the term, "dead man walking", well, you are alive and dead at the same time and this perfectly describes the condition of the born again man. Only big difference is that when I lay this dead body of flesh down and my spirit departs, I'll be soaring free from that body of death right into God's opened and welcoming arms in Heaven and those that are not born again will be ushered to the kingdom of death, satan's domain, Hell itself. You see, my spirit has been born again with the Spirit of Jesus, and my spirit (the real me) is alive unto God, no longer separated from God, but now joined with Him, and my spirit now wants to act just like Jesus.
There is a fight that exists between my flesh and my spirit for control over my life. My flesh is dead and it wants to act the devil, or, like a sinner. My spirit is alive with the Spirit of Jesus in me and my spirit wants to act like God (Jesus). The child of God (that's me (& you) with my new born again spirit) wants to be just like his Father, but the old dead flesh wants to act just like the one who controlled it before I was born again. Eph 2:2 calls him the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience (this speaks to the devil and his family).
Now, which one of these two (God or the devil) are going to control my life? There is only one who can make the choice, and that is me (you). God said, "I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, (you) choose life, that you may live" (Deut 30:19). I must choose who I am going to follow. Who will I allow to dominate and control me? My flesh body or my spirit man? Do I really have a choice? How can I follow my spirit instead of my flesh?
Well, what is the common denominator between my spirit and my flesh? What dictates who I will follow? It's your mind (which is your soul that houses your mind, will, and emotions). Whatever thoughts reside in your mind the most, those thoughts will dictate to you how to live your life. Your flesh body already knows how to act ugly, or act just like the devil. It's trained to act that way and it will continue to act that way unless it is retrained. That is why Jesus said in
Rom 12:2, that I must be transformed (changed from one way of living to another. From my flesh body leading the way to my spirit man leading the way) and this transformation takes place in the mind and I have to renew it to think like God thinks instead of how the devil thinks, and the way I renew my mind is by looking into the Word of God, meditating it day and night until that Word changes my mind and I start thinking God thoughts instead of devil thoughts.
2 Cor 3:18 says if I'll look into God's Word long enough, I'll be transformed into looking just like what I'm looking at. I'll look and sound just like the Word of God in my old flesh body. Yes, this old ugly dead flesh body of mine will look alive and just like Jesus if I'll keep my heart full of the Word of God, and cast down every thought that comes to my mind that does not line up with and agree with the Word of God (2 Cor 10:5).
If my mind is renewed to think like God, and my spirit is full of His Word, then my flesh body will change to do something new because it will be following my spirit and my mind. My body of flesh will be under control (of my spirit) instead of out of control and led by the influence of the devil.
Now I said all that so that I could say this about the original thought that God gave me about the religious mind. The religious mind (one that has been trained and renewed to man's doctrines instead of God's) can not grasp or accept what I just shared with you nor can it accept what I'm about to share with you.
The religious mind wants to exalt Jesus to a place a man can never get. They make Jesus out to be some super human man that is different from them and of course if Jesus is different, then what Jesus did is unique to Him and no one else can do it. Now who do you think would author a thought like that? It's the doctrine of demons, the spirit of error, for one purpose only, to stop you from acting on the truth and being like Jesus, because the devil knows that if you ever understand this truth, his days of victory over you are over as you place him under your feet where he belongs.
The religious minded man has Jesus exalted so high, that they could never see themselves in that same place with Him. The religious mind can't accept Phil 2:6-8 where it says Jesus lowered Himself to man's place and lived as a man on this earth totally dependent upon God the Father for everything. The religious mind doesn't understand or accept all that was accomplished by Jesus on the cross. The religious mind does not understand about the finished works of Jesus on the cross. The religious mind doesn't understand the victory of Jesus over the devil and it's significance to them. The religious mind will agree that Jesus was raised from the dead, but they don't see themselves raised from the dead. You see, if you can't see yourself raised from the dead to new life, then you'll always act like a dead man.
And finally, the religious mind can not accept and agree with Eph 2:6 which says, man (the born again man) has been raised up to God's status by by God raising man up to sit at the right hand of Jesus (the position of authority and dominion) in Heavenly places. This is the place man was always supposed to occupy. It's the place Adam occupied before his fall from grace because of his sin. The religious mind can't see himself as his Father (God) sees him. If you are God's child, then you have God's DNA in you. That's who you are. (Now get this straight before the devil leads you astray. You and me, we are not God. There is only One God in three Persons. But we are God's offspring, His children, but we are made like God (read Gen 1:26-27). As He is, so are we in this world ( 1 John 4:17).
The religious mind can not accept that he has been raised up together with Christ, therefore the religious mind can not act like or do what Jesus did, because he doesn't believe he has the right to it, but all along he has an inheritance that belongs to him, but he will never take advantage of it and walk in that blessing, because the religious mind can not think like God thinks,and the religious mind will for the most part be easily led astry from the Truth of God's Word by the influence of the devil and his demonic spirits.
So just who do you want to be today? What God has made you to be, or to be what religious man says that you are, " just a poor old miserable sinner saved by grace." I'll tell you, just saying that is pathetic (but it sure is religious) for when you see the born again man's position through God's eyes.
It takes courage to believe God over what religious men say, especially when these men say they are speaking for God, but wouldn't know Him if they walked by Him on the street, because they don't know His Word and they have built a doctrine about God that they understand, but it looks nothing like the God our Bible, the Word of God portrays.
So, who are you going to be like? The God that religious man has defined for you, or the God Who has declared Himself Who He is, what He did, and Who He made you to be like.
Well I know which one I'm following. The hard part is getting past all those religious minds that want to hinder or even stop your walk and growth with the One True God.
Press on my brother and sister and be blessed as you grow up in Him and take your rightful place. Your Father would have it no other way!!............
Side Bar**
Religion--A system of faith or worship.
Religious-- pious, godly, belonging to a religious order, conscientious, faithful (did you know that you can be faithful to man's doctrine and unfaithful to God's?)
Christianity is not a religion. A religion has been made out of Christianity.
Christianity is a relationship with God Almighty through our Lord and Savior Jesus. Are you walking daily hand in hand with God? If you are you are experiencing Christianity. If you are not you are experiencing religion. There is no life in Religion, but abundant life (John 10:10) is found only in an active fellowship with Jesus ( 1 John 1:7).
