Do Not Be Enslaved To Religious Men

I strive to be real rather than religious.

I have found that when we strive to be religious rather than real, we can become more controlling sometimes than the people in government.

Control is achieved and maintained by trust, but trusting others to think and do things "for us" prevents God commanded growth and ends up destroying relationships.

If "religion" should do anything, it should strengthen individuals and relationships--not destroy them.

Wisdom warns of trusting in man.

Paul writes: "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings" (1 Cor. 7:23).

And,

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1).

Obedience and responsibility are not the same thing.

Obedience to God increases man's responsibility and maturity.

Obedience to man stagnates man's responsibility and maturity. The Apostle Paul knew this and taught against it.

Do we?

Or do we have a worldview of compartmentalizing life that justifies obedience to man which is not the commanded responsibility and maturity that increases from obedience to God through his grace? (2 Pet. 3:18). 

As Seth Godin says, "Perfect is the enemy of good." Do we let men fool us into believing that God wants us to be perfect with their man made laws and interpretations?

Isaiah says:

"Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?" --Isaiah 2:22, NIV 2011.

And, again, Paul says:

"Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ....What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.... So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God"--1 Cor. 3:1...23, NIV 2011.

Recovery From Shame

Here is a link to 10 characteristics of ungodly, shame-based relationships contrasted with the 10 characteristics of godly, grace-based relationships:

Grace vs. Shame

SOURCES OF SHAME

Dale and Juanita Ryan write,

"Shame is a social experience. It is rooted in exchanges between people. It may grow out of experiences of public humiliation."

"It may result from experiences of being devalued. It may come from experiences of rejection. Many people learn shame early in life in their family-of-origin. Harsh criticism, neglect, lack of affirmation, humiliation, contempt and ridicule are not uncommon features of family life. Any of these experiences can contribute to shame in family members. The family is not, however, the only source of shaming experiences."

"Shame learned in families is often reinforced by experiences in other relationships and in other systems, such as schools and work settings. And shame is sometimes fostered as well by experiences in the Christian community. Experiences of public exposure, judgment and rejection sometimes happen in the name of Christ."

How To Build Self-Confidence

In The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence, Robert Anthony reveals three detrimental behaviors that prevent living an abundant life: Conformity, Comparison, and Competition. The way, he says, to overcome these harmful behaviors is to "de-hypnotize" ourselves of false beliefs. 

He writes:

"You may have spent valuable, irreplaceable years trying to fit into the parade only to learn, too late, that you will never fit in. What makes us follow each other like sheep?"

"It is because we are trying to conform to the majority."

"It's time to break out of this sheep state of mind and stop punishing ourselves because we are different from our family and friends, or anyone else for that matter. Much of our suffering can be eliminated if we refuse to let our lives be marred by conformity.

To think that we are controlled in any way by another individual, group, or society imposes a condition of mental slavery that makes us prisoners by our own decrees."

Dr. Anthony continues:

"The problem is that we have been conditioned by false concepts, values and beliefs that have prevented us from realizing how truly capable and unique we are. Faith is limitless. Jesus says that the "kingdom of heaven does not come with observation, but it is within you" and that "all things are possible to him who believes."

"Health, happiness, abundance and peace of mind are natural states of being once you break the bonds of negative thinking. Unless you perceive your own true worth as a person, you cannot come close to achieving self confidence and personal freedom. Only to the degree that you can acknowledge your own unique importance will you be able to free yourself from self imposed limitations."

"Yes, I said self imposed!"

Hebrews 13:7-18 in Context

Being Questioned By Authorities

When Jesus was asked by the religious rulers,

"By what authority are you doing these things?"

In his article--Mark 11:27-33--The Question!

John Mark Hicks writes,

"Jesus does not deny he has authority. Indeed, he implicitly asserts it. Moreover, the previous day he had acted on that authority by cleansing the temple. He simply refuses to justify his authority to those who not only would not believe what he says but who are only interested in some pretense for executing him."

"Jesus exercises the authority of the kingdom of God against the authority of the temple priests and rulers who live in shocking compromise with Roman authorities."

Reading Hicks blog and watching an interview on The O' Reilly Factor discussing "corruption" and a lack of "oversight" as the main culprits for problems in our society caused me to want to examine Hebrews 13:7-18.

In conjunction with the article, the interview reminded me that "oversight" is not about controlling others as one man once told me oversight meant, but is leading by example, desiring to be involved in the lives of people where they live, caring selflessly, and having the courage to confront corruption.

The damage done by corruption among the few in the state who are in power over others, as depicted in Hicks article and O' Reilly's interview, results from the inaction of people (overseers) not wanting to be troubled for standing up to the status quo.

When those in power are challenged--they don't like it--and often seek to punish those they view as troublemakers for challenging their power. Often the powerful just want others to join them so the status quo may continue. This is certainly the easiest thing for anyone in any generation to do.