A Religious Spirit

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I have been reading a book by John Eldredge, “Waking the Dead”. There are many things in it that are review but also revealing. I’ve enjoyed it and would recommend it as a book that can help bring healing to the hurt places in your heart.


Part of the book deals with the spiritual warfare that is going on around us. I love that he starts with this and continues to speak about it throughout the book. He brings up how much we have given in to the idea that we don’t even see or believe in spiritual warfare. For me this is INSANITY! I have always seen it, but then I believe that God has given me an unusual view of what is going on. He has blessed me to see beyond the physical and let me glimpse on the spiritual. But even without that, does the Bible not speak of this battle going on often? (Matthew 11:12, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2Corinthians 10:3-5). That’s a just a few references. Read them. We are at war!

Some of the greatest forces to cloud and cover true knowledge of God have been the church and religious people. The enemy uses them like saboteurs among us. Have you ever shared an amazing God experience with someone who should have believed and listened and celebrated with you, but all they had to say was condescending or even tried to get you to believe that it wasn’t God in the first place? I have had that happen to me so often.

It’s as though Jesus came in and opened all the windows. He brought light in for us. Then the enemy went through and pulled the curtains on us. AND WE LET HIM! As I saw that vision in my mind, the light being covered by a dark curtain, my heart screamed. NO! Don’t shut out the light!

We have to open them back up. In a world shrouded in darkness we need the light more than ever. Open the windows! Let your light shine! Don’t let a religious spirit shut it out.

Religion says, “Do everything right so you can be acceptable to God.”


God says we are made right with Him through Christ alone. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19).

Religion says you are bad.

But God says he has made us new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Religion has been hiding from us in the dark what we have so earnestly sought. Lift the vail! Open the curtains! We are separated from Him no longer.

At the Spear we strive to bring you God’s truth and life and light. We do not bring you religious ideas. You’ve heard them. We’ve all heard them. They aren’t helping anyone. We need God. We need Jesus. We need the Spirit moving and breathing through us.

I wonder if some of you can hear the desperation in my tone here. This is something that I am passionate about. If we are the body of Christ why do we walk around like spiritual zombies?  The enemy pounds away at our lives, our jobs, our marriages, our children, our friends, our hopes, our dreams, our God given desires. Jesus said he comes to kill, steal and destroy. But we never think of him when things have died or been taken from us. It’s him! Turn your swords and your attention to him. Fight.


If someone came and threatened your family, wouldn’t you fight them? Wouldn’t you defend your loved ones? Guess what? Someone is after you and your family! Someone is after your kids. What are you going to do? He wants to destroy their lives and their hearts and their dreams. What are you going to do to defend them? Get up! Wake up! (Matthew 25:5-6). Take up your sword (Ephesians 6:17). Fight! Win! (2 Timothy 4:7).






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