After Elisha saw Elijah ascended into heaven, he went to the city of Jericho, where he performed his first miracle. The people of this city faced an ecological crisis: the water was contaminated, most likely due to sulfur and other chemicals that rained on neighboring Sodom and Gomorrah a few years earlier. This poison made the earth barren (see 2 Kings 2:19-22) and it affected people, animals, and plants.
And so Elisha performs a bold, prophetic act. He throws salt into the water and says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have made this water healthy; there will be no more death or barrenness from it’” (2 Kings 2:21). After his words, the water immediately cleared.
This little-known story from the Old Testament paints a picture for us of the power of the gospel. The message of Jesus Christ heals us. The Holy Spirit brings life where death reigns. It neutralizes poisons that cause spiritual sterility. It provides “acid-base balance” in our hearts and churches and creates the conditions for spiritual growth and vitality.
We all would like to enjoy a healthy spiritual life. And we would like to see our churches prosper and grow. But the sad truth is that many of us are infertile due to dangerous impurities. We have embraced the gospel wrapped in legalism, works-based religion, and works-based salvation—with Christ alone as our only source of life.
Jesus himself referred to these toxins as “the leaven of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1). He said that the religiosity of the Pharisees, who outwardly appear pious, is actually deadly—and contagious.
Have you been infected by this? Test yourself for this contagion by examining eight characteristics of the religious spirit.
The religious spirit presents God as a cold, stern, distant taskmaster rather than an accessible and loving Father
When we base our relationship with God on our ability to perform spiritual duties, we reject the power of grace. God loves us not because we pray, read the Bible, go to church, or testify about Him, although millions of Christians believe that God is angry if they do not perform these or other duties perfectly. As a result, they struggle to find true intimacy with Jesus.
The religious spirit emphasizes doing outward things to show others God’s acceptance. We delude ourselves into believing that we can gain God’s approval through a religious dress code, certain spiritual disciplines, certain musical styles, or even doctrinal positions.
The religious spirit develops traditions and rules by which spiritual goals can be achieved
We trust our liturgies, denominational policies, or human impact programs to deliver results that only God can deliver.
Religious spirit leads to joylessness, cynicism and nit-picking
It can completely ferment a home or church. Then, the expression of genuine joy and love can become a cause of concern for those who have lost the simplicity of true faith.
Religious spirit makes proud and isolated; the thought comes the thought that our righteousness is special and that we should not be associated with other believers and their standards
Churches that allow this behavior become elite and highly vulnerable to deceit or sectarian practices.
The religious spirit develops a harsh, judgmental attitude towards sinners; however, those who take this poison themselves, as a rule, struggle with sinful habits, which are no longer allowed to anyone except them
Religious people rarely interact with non-believers because they don’t want their own excellent moral qualities to be corrupted in any way
The religious spirit rejects progressive revelation and refuses to accept change
Therefore, many churches become useless for society. They are so focused on what God did 50 years ago that they get stuck in time and cannot move forward when the Holy Spirit opens up a new understanding. When religious groups refuse to move forward according to God’s instructions, they become “old bottles” and God must look for more flexible vessels that are ready to bring change to fruition.
The religious spirit persecutes those who disagree with its self-righteous beliefs and becomes angry whenever a message of grace threatens to undermine its religiosity
An angry religious person will use gossip and slander to ruin other people and may even use force to prove his point. Jesus warned His disciples: “They will drive you out of the synagogues; even the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God by doing so” (John 16:2).
If a religious poison has infected your walk with God, ask Him to pour the right understanding of His grace into your barren spirit—and then expect Him to flow new life into you.
Posted by Jay Lee Grady / charismamag.com
Source: https://ieshua.org/vy-mozhete-osvoboditsya-ot-religioznogo-duha.htm
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