RELIGIOUS LIFE SUPPORT

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

People really like to throw around the term “fake it till you make it”, and I’m sure you’ve heard it said before on multiple occasions. In the last blog post that I wrote titled “How Dead Is Too Dead”, I mentioned how many “Christians” today are on religious life support.

The Lord has been working on me with that phrase since last Thursday, and I would like to share with you why it’s such a big deal to me.

I think that many people who say that they believe in Jesus are actually just propped up by their fake religion. When they go to church they sing, not because they want to worship God, but because that’s what everybody else is doing. They say all the right things, and no one ever questions whether they really believe those things they speak.

Actually, you know what so many “spiritual people” are doing right now? They’re crowd surfing.

There are enough “Christians” in our world today, there are enough grandma’s and grandpa’s and Christian classes to just prop us up and make us look like superheroes in the faith. Obviously after reading some of the stats we did a couple blog posts ago, I think it’s safe to say that’s not working.

We’re crowd surfing over all of the shallow worship songs that are more about us than Jesus, and all the superficial pastors who do more motivational speaking than convictional preaching.

Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

Some of you may be reading this and wondering, “Ok, Lilly. That’s all true. But how do I really know if I’m personally on life support in my spiritual walk?”

Well, I’m glad you asked, friend. 🙂

If you want to know how to measure success in your relationship with Jesus, then you should see fruit from your actions; not just hear words from your lips. Your faith and relationship with Jesus has to be yours.

YOU have to own it for yourself. It can’t be whatever your pastor is telling you or grandma and grandpa’s religion that they have been practicing for the past 50 years. You have to read the Bible for yourself. You have to be the one who decides not to go along with somebody’s wrong idea at the party.

That’s all you. Nobody else can prop you up and make it seem like you’re doing just fine.

This is why I think people get such a high from hearing missionaries come in and speak at church events, and why conferences are such a huge hit. Those things prop “Christians” up like nothing else can.

However, what happens when it’s just you? Do you run after and pursue Jesus on your own? If not, could it be that nothing’s going on inside?

For me, Jesus isn’t my religion. He’s my relationship.

Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.”

I want to be a passionate and genuine believer of Jesus, not religion. Let’s be a people who don’t just settle with being on life support.

May we actually desire to be alive in our Savior who has made such a thing possible!

“One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.”  (Leonard Ravenhill)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Are you seeing the fruit from following Jesus in your life?

= Have you been settling for shallow, spiritual things?

= What are you going to do differently?