Definition of Religion –  – Following a set of guidelines your church, spiritual upbringing, yourself or someone else has said you must do to be accepted by Father God in order to get His approval.

Definition of Christianity – Where we accept what Jesus did for us allowing us to enter into relationship with the Father God where we have His unconditional approval.

Religion never brings us closer to God. But we often keep trying. Religion – the desire to try to get to God – is insidious, often hidden, unconsciously reached for and will always produce 1 of two outcomes: Pride or Depression.

That’s right. If we insist on doing something to improve our standing with God it will always produce pride or despair but never a relationship with Him.

PRIDE (SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS) – If we actually do what we think God wants done we will get prideful because we made it. We end up arrogant and devoid of a relationship with God because we didn’t need Him to get to our goal, because we are doing it.

God didn’t save us to do it.

DEPRESSION – If we fail repeatedly at what we think God wants done we get depressed because we aren’t doing it. We end up lonely because we run from God in shame. God didn’t save us to measure up to Him.

Jesus did it once and that is enough.

Help! I am Prideful. What do I do?

1. Humble Yourself and say you don’t know everything. It is good for you. Do this before God does it for you.

2. Tell yourself you can’t do it perfectly and never will. When you think you are doing it remind yourself you are really deceived and the scale of perfection you are using is the wrong one.

3. Listen to others. Others are right every once in a while.

4. Remind yourself your identity is not in doing it right but in being a son. You are accepted because you are a son He picked out. He adopted you and not the other way around.

Help! I am Depressed! What do I do?

1. Run to Jesus. He will accept you as you are and point you in the right direction with love and mercy.

2. Remind yourself your identity is not in doing it right but in being a son. You are accepted because you are a son He picked out. He adopted you and not the other way around.

So, in summary, relax! Walk with God, not for God. It makes all the difference.