Lies We Believe About Religion

Strongholds. That is a word we don’t use everyday. It is unlikely that you’ve used it this week. The bible uses the word to describe a complicated pattern of thinking that is antagonistic to the will of God. Strongholds consist of an organized web of lies that keep our minds in a rut, and will eventually rob us of the joy of Christian living.

Religious lies make up the most dangerous class of strongholds in existence. Disguised as doctrine and theology, religious lies are routinely preached from the pulpit by well-intentioned pastors and teachers who have the liberty to stop by for dinner.

Religious lies have survived in some organizations for generations. We have heard these lies for so long, we never even question them. We consider it taboo to question anything that comes through the pulpit, therefore we continue in the same repetitious pattern of failure.

Listen. Whether in the pulpit or in our homes, all lies damage us emotionally. There is no way to grow spiritually as long as we respond to lies. And if we cannot grow spiritually, we cannot walk in consistent victory. And if we serve God year after year, but never grow and mature, it gets very tough.

When I gave my life to Jesus, I came straight off the street. I wasn’t a hardcore criminal, but I wasn’t of great social benefit either. Anyway, my greatest desire was to please God and fulfill His purpose in my life. But like so many others, I got caught up in the belief that I had to earn God’s love. I was always trying to do something to gain God’s approval. In spite of all my best and most sincere efforts, I always came up short. At that time, I was under a pastor who preached so hard about sin and hell, that he was often dripping wet with perspiration. I don’t think he ever studied "grace", or maybe he just wasn’t "led" to ever speak about it.

Unfortunately, grace was the message that I hungered for, and needed so desperately. God loves us unconditionally; and He proved it beyond doubt on Calvary. Scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Romans 5:7. God loved us at the time when we were the least able to earn it. His love never depends on anything we can or cannot do. He doesn’t turn His love on and off like a light switch. If we cannot be sure about the love of God, then we have no basis to trust Him. What kind of Christian life is that?

I spent fifteen years trying to walk the perfect Christian walk. Predictably, I failed. My failure had nothing to do with sin, but trying to be justified and approved by my religious works. Finally, my love for truth forced me to confront the teaching tat I embraced without question. Down came the stronghold.

We all live in a fallen world. Becoming a Christian provides no shield from pain. But I was taught and believed that when something bad happened, obviously God let down His protection. God messes up our lives to punish us for our sins is a religious lie fed to us as "good news".

Sure, the Christian life is full of joy, peace and contentment. But that doesn’t mean we never deal problems and pain. We want to believe the Christian life is a breeze, but the truth is that it is difficult. Faith in God makes it less difficult; not by shielding us from pain, but by giving us the resources to handle the problem. There hath no temptation taken us but such as common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a away to escape, that ye may be able to bear it 1 Corinthians 10:13.

When bad things happen, it does not mean that we have sin in our life. It could easily mean that you are growing deeper in the faith. God has given each one of us a free will, and typically, He does not get in the way of it. If we want to study and grow, we have the opportunity to do that. If we want to make unhealthy choices that bring painful consequences, God allows that also. We think that by coming to Christ, we should get a free ride. Christians don’t deserve bad things; they should have it a bit easier. If that is what we think, we’ve missed it. The most dedicated Christians in history had to die to self just like we do. The Christian life is one of self-sacrifice, endless service, and an attitude opposite of the "look out for number one" culture that we live in.

To be quite honest, if it were not for pain, most Christians would never learn anything from God. Even Christ "learned obedience by the things He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus had problems, but it had nothing to do with sin. And our problems are not the results of chastisement sent from God. We believe that lie because we seek an easy explanation instead of walking by faith. Unfortunately, we doom ourselves to a lifetime of guilt and frustration.

Why is it that when we become Christians, we think that we should never tell people "no". We feel that it is our duty to meet all the needs of others. Listen friend. We cannot be everything to everybody. That’s Jesus’ job. Jesus is the need supplier of the people. We can do our best to be available, but if we are not careful, the "Christians never say no" lie will drive us in the ground. We will set ourselves up for a "burnout".

If I wanted to, I could easily fill my schedule up with speaking engagements and projects. I have had offers from several churches to head their youth departments. But I have to be honest with my own priorities and limitations. Therefore, when I say "no", I have no guilt about it. I’ve turned that lying "Christians never say no" tape off.

Listen. God doesn’t give us the job of meeting needs and burn us out with it. The problem is not that we are not doing good things; just "too many" things. Too often we spend our days helping others, and end up taking the leftovers home. We forget that Christ is the One who said, "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…, …For my yoke is easy and my burden is light Matthew 11:30. Because we ignore His words, we turn Christianity into a heavy burden that nobody of sound mind would want to live.

I could go on and on with religious lies. Most people think a good Christian should never feel anger or anxiety. They should say, "Praise the Lord" and give thanks for everything. That’s a lie. People also feel that God cannot use them unless they are spiritually strong. Paul rejoiced in his infirmities because that was the time the power of God used him the greatest. The more honest we are about out struggles and weaknesses, the more liberty we exercise in receiving God’s power.

Lies do not just go away. We have to face them head-on and defeat them. The Word of God gives us the truth we need to defeat our lies. Each day is a battle, but through God’s Word, we have the truth we need to win the victory.