Once we understand the Cross of Jesus for our sanctification and spiritual growth, we can’t remain in our religion.  Adding His Work to our religion is an unholy mixture that the Bible refers to as spiritual adultery.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:4-6.

The Holy Spirit is envious and jealous over that which is His responsibility.   It is the Holy Spirits commission from God, the Father to equip the Saint for their ministry, to deliver the Saint from their oppression and to give them victory but He, the Holy Spirit, can only do this when our faith is solely on Jesus Christ and HIS finished work  (Romans 8:2) not our works.  Our works include all of these religious activities in the church that cause us to break relationship with the Lord in order to have relationship with Him.  As ridiculous as it sounds is indeed how ridiculous it is.  Causing one to break relationship with God (ie. 40 days, 100 ways, instinct, pythons, etc.) in order to know God is absurd. We know the Lord and His ways by fellowshipping with HIM.  Jesus Christ is not only a man from 2000+ years ago, He is not only our soon coming Saviour but Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour right now today and He is active in our lives when we allow Him room.

Religion, as religious as it may seem, will attempt to smother the Holy Spirit out of our lives, keeping us too busy to actually fellowship with Him.  In this way, we never actually know Him, we just know a lot about Him.  Our Salvation remains in our head and never ascends to our heart.  We are obedient to His Word, as we should be, but it is because we are “suppose” to and not because we want to.  We are more superstitious than we are righteous.

Don’t mix these religious ceremonies and rituals the modern day church has devised with the Holy and Sacred Sacrifice God has already provided, Jesus Christ, to overcome sin.  This mixture brings death not life.  The only Sacrifice that brings life and defeats sin is the Sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, don’t defile His Work with flesh or religion.  The Holy Spirit wants to equip us for the work the Lord has ordained for us to do but as long as we are practicing our religion, we will get religion; flesh births flesh.  “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6.  We can’t mix flesh and spirit, it is an unholy mixture.  – Donna Clark Warren.