Religion or Relationship

Wednesday 6 December
READ:  Mk.7:13  
MORE LESSON: Jn. 5:39-47

All religions of the world have one thing in common; a special book considered to be holy and containing instructions  from a 'divine deity'. This special book is seen to impact the culture and even determine the entire lifestyle of devotees. They are required to diligently study and sometimes memorize portions of these instructions until the words become part and parcel of their lives.

In  today’s text, we see that this is not the case in Christianity. Christianity is not a religion; it is the way of life. The pages of the Bible are not given to us to  flip back and forth as religious requirement for spiritual accreditation by an impossible to please deity or anything of that sort. The scriptures are carefully scripted and crafted by the inspiration of Almighty God. The Living Book is a love letter from God  to us His kids, the sons of God; for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal.3:26

It is the Creator's manual for effective living. In it are spiritual lively capsules for living above the circumstances and forces of life. The Bible is God's given manual for unending victories and success. As an anchor is to a ship, so is the Word of God to our souls. Those who hold on to the Word of God are the most successful people alive.

Unfortunately, a lot of unbelievers  practice some teachings of the Bible more than some of us who are saved and profess to be Christians. The Word of God works any day, any time and God did not give His Word to only a group of people  but to the whole wide world (Jn3:16). Anybody who believes the Word and practices it will find the favour and successes that it provides. A good example is the act of giving as taught by the scriptures. I see Muslims who pay tithes and heathens who give offerings to help the needy. In fact, only recently, ten of the richest men alive, most of who are unbelievers, met at a round-table and decided that they would spend half of their wealth on the orphans, widows and the needy. This is because they discovered that giving is one secret of wealth that they all share. Simply put, they discovered that God's Word on giving and finances works!

Take up the challenge today. Those of us who have Christ living inside us should not live less than the Bible speaks of us. If you will dare to act on the words of the Living Book today, the skies are only a run-way. Like the noble man in Jn. 5:39-40, when everything else fails, go for God's Word. It never, ever fails because it surpasses religion; it creates relationship with God.

Prayer/Action
*  Rebuke the spirit of religion from your heart and soul. 
*  Declare a season of deeper intimacy with the Holy Ghost from today.
*  Confess your favourite scriptures into the atmosphere over your life and prophesy unending victories in the battles of life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every evil circle of lack, debt, begging, loss and inadequacy that has persisted since January, I break your yoke off me this month, in the name of Jesus.