How Religion Can Wound Us.
Have you ever felt this ever present nagging feeling that no matter how much you do it is never enough?
Do you often struggle with the fear of ‘not getting it right’ or ‘missing it’?
Are you constantly worried about what other people are thinking or how they perceive you?
Do you feel the need to “prove” yourself to God and others?
If you have answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you may have been wounded by a religious spirit.
A religious spirit will influence you to believe that your safety is found only in your performance. Therefore you will find yourself in a constant cycle of doing, achieving, and slaving away to find that place of safety.
Chances are, you probably grew up in a family or belonged to a church where a religious spirit was present. The primary focus was on your behavior rather than cultivating an intimate relationship with Jesus. You were praised when you performed well and criticized when you failed to meet the standard. You were rejected if you didn’t fit the mold and punished if you spoke out.
Religion can take on many forms, even if you weren’t raised in church or even if your family didn’t affiliate with any religion. They still could have followed a code of conduct that they felt was necessary. Religion can manifest in culture, politics, education, career, sports etc. It’s important to recognize a religious spirit as a demonic entity that seeks to entangle you in dead works in order to earn a position of acceptance or belonging. You may have partnered with this spirit unknowingly in order to feel safe in your family, church or community. You may have believed that salvation was only achieved by your good behavior.
I myself experienced this growing up and it has taken years to overcome the damage it has caused in my life. I’ve had to do a lot of “unlearning”. I’ve had to renounce a religious spirit, and overcome the shame and condemnation that I constantly struggled with all my life! Now that I know what it is to walk in freedom, I have such a passion to see others freed as well! You don’t have to live a slave to religion, nor do you have to suffer the consequences of being wounded by religion. There is hope, healing, and freedom!
I’ve found that there are three powerful truths that have helped me the most when learning to overcome a religious spirit.
- God is a Good Father.
God is not an angry, distant, stoic being that demands perfection. He is not constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for me to mess up. He is not disappointed and un-approving. Rather I have found Him to be extremely kind and gracious, loving and accepting. Little by little I have replaced the lies I had believed about God as a Father with the truth in His Word. Not only have I believed the truth, but I have experienced this truth over and over in my life. It’s one thing to have a head knowledge of God’s goodness as a Father and another to actually experience it. I strongly encourage you to explore your relationship with Father God. Ask Him to take you deeper in your knowledge and experience of Him. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
- My Identity as a Child of God.
When you know who your Daddy is, you will know who you are BUT If you don’t understand that He is kind and loving, why would you want to look at yourself through His eyes? When you have a revelation of His goodness, the revelation of your true identity will follow. Knowing, believing and receiving what God says about you defeats the power of the enemy to keep you in bondage to religion. Let God’s definition of you: saved, forgiven, righteous, holy, embraced, loved, accepted, and chosen, ward off the need to obtain all of those positions through your own efforts. Nothing is more threatening to the kingdom of darkness than a child of God secure in their identity. Romans, Ephesians and Galatians have been key books in the Bible to help me understand my identity.
- The Gospel
There is power in the gospel to set you free. The gospel isn’t just for your initial entrance into salvation; it is a way of life. The truth of the gospel, (that you are saved by grace through faith and not of works), keeps your eyes focussed on Jesus and lifts your eyes off of yourself. Religion is very self-focussed, where we find ourselves obsessed with our behavior and our performance. But the gospel is Christ-centered where our focus is on Jesus and HIS finished work on the cross. Through the gospel, we can serve from a place of love, acceptance, and belonging rather than for it. We can obey from a place of love and intimacy with Jesus rather than a need to assure our spiritual safety.
I’m seeing many who are coming out of the bondage of religion into a true, pure relationship with Jesus. They are able to untangle the lies that were mixed in with the truth they were taught. Yet there are many so broken and wounded by religion they are unable to see a good and loving God through the pain they have endured. God was so wrongly represented to them that they want nothing to do with Him. My heart aches for these ones and I pray they will have a real encounter with the One true Jesus that will heal their broken hearts and bring them into true relationship with Him.
If you are of the latter group, and need help to sort through the lies and embrace healing, please reach out to me! I would love to walk alongside you as you journey into freedom and wholeness!