Why I Hate Religion

Religion is the cause of many wars, it has ordered more deaths than it has given life, it judges people without fully knowing who they really are, it sets impossible standards that people can’t meet and it’s the cause of many who suffer from mental health. I hate religion!!

Now before you get carried away let me clarify. I’m not saying I hate God but I’m simply saying that I hate the way people have created God to be. And just so you know, I’m not the only one that feels this way. Jesus felt the exact same way and had zero tolerance for it. The Pharisees (religious people) were all in contention with Him and He warned His disciples to stay away from their teaching. They valued the Word and theory of God rather than a real relationship. Love was never the centre but instead rules and regulations were. This is the same thing we have seen time and time again in history and in the present, but just manifests in different ways.

Here are some reasons why I hate religion:

– It requires everything from you but doesn’t give anything back
– It focuses on the outward appearance but neglects a persons heart
– You can’t do anything right
– It requires you to attain perfection by yourself
– It promotes hate over love

Jesus never promoted this sort of lifestyle but promoted love everywhere He went and gave people life. He was not focused on people’s sin and mistakes but was more concerned about bringing healing to a lost generation. His ultimate sacrifice on the cross freed us from a mindset of trying to get to God through works, but now through simply believing. Where religion makes it complicated God makes it simple!!

The Revival That Never Stops

Most revivals we know have started well and produced extraordinary fruit but for one reason or another have stopped. This became a common theme for moves of God such as Azusa Street, The Welsh Revival and the Jesus People Movement where they would have a year or two of intense breakthrough but then it would end because of failure to take proper responsibility for what was given.

Even though this was once normal for revivals to stop, it was never meant to be the norm. When God starts something it’s not meant to end but instead go on to impact generations to come. The aim is to go from glory to glory and not from glory to nothing!! Another revelatory fact about revival is that it was never meant to be something that magically turns up out of nowhere, but it was always meant to be carried and stewarded by individuals that know their identity and what is available to them because of the price Jesus paid. Bill Johnson senior Pastor at Bethel Church, Redding, Ca says that “Jesus didn’t just pay a price to get us into heaven, but He paid a price to get heaven inside of us!!” When we begin to view it this way we realise that we walk under an open heaven where anything could happen at any time if we dare to believe.

If you are currently experiencing a move of God in your life and you are afraid that it might stop, or you are experiencing tremendous favour then please note that it is not meant to stop but only increase as we are born to bear fruit until the day we die. You are unstoppable!!

7 Reasons Why The Power Of God Is Not Active In Your Life

1. You believe it’s only for certain individuals – I use to believe that the power of God (miracles, signs and wonders) were only for certain people because that is how I was taught. I was taught that only leadership was allow to lay hands and visiting pastors or prophets. I thought I would have to fast 40 days and nights to even get close to what they are carrying. In light of this, it all changed when I found out that the Spirit of the Resurrected Christ lives in me. I realised I carried the same power so I too was able to see what they saw!!

2. You only wait for things to happen but don’t step out to see the power of God activated – If the Holy Spirit lives in you then the next step is to look for opportunities to see Him released. Waiting for things to happen only expresses lack of understanding in what you have and the commission to give it away.

3. You pray things like ‘IF it’s Your will!!’- The word ‘if’ should never be used at the start of a prayer as far as faith is concerned. It only serves to make you double minded and unsure as whether or not God wants to do what you have requested.

4. You might of been taught that miracles were only for Bible days – Some church circles believe that miracles passed away in ancient times so now we only get to practice a Christianity that is based on moral behaviour, being good to people and getting people saved. This might sound right but was never the example of Jesus or anyone in the New Testament. In fact He commanded His disciples to go and teach the world everything He commanded them. What did He command them to do? Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy and drive out demons!!

5. You have been sucked into a culture that celebrates theories and concepts more than experience – “Bible study without bible experience is pointless.” – Bill Johnson. The point is that when we focus on just reading or listening to words without experiencing them we step into an inferior Christianity. Christianity was never meant to be known by words only, but by power. Knowing God can not be achieved by just reading and entertaining concepts. To know Him is to experience Him!!

6. You are waiting to get to a certain level of spirituality – The power of God is not based on where you are spiritually and certainly not on how good you are. It’s always based on how good GOD is!! The Spirit of God lives in you now, not later and comes fully equipped with power so start moving!!

7. The fear of something not happening holds you back – Before I started to see miracles through my own hands I was afraid to step out because I thought I would feel embarrassed if I put someones hopes up and then nothing happened. After doing this for a little while I realised that if I don’t step out and take the risk nothing will happen!! I then had to get over myself and step out regardless of whether I saw an instant result or not. It’s about the risk more then the result.

11 Traits Of A Confident Man

1. He is not afraid to speak up when he sees injustice – Most people in society remain silent when they see injustice or think they are not significant enough to make a difference. A confident man is not bound by who he is not, but rather who he is. Its hurts him to NOT speak up.

2. He sees vulnerability as a strength not weakness – Vulnerability is part of overcoming shame and fear of being seen for who you really are. Confident men will show who they really are without apology.

3. He is not afraid to celebrate other people – A confident man loves to call out the gold in other people and celebrate who they are. It does not make him feel insecure because he knows who God created him be.

4. A confident man is not afraid to admit his flaws – Everyone has flaws no matter who you are but not everyone has the humility and boldness to admit those flaws. A confident man will admit his flaws because he realises that it is not about where he is at now but where he is going. He is also not afraid to be judged.

5. He knows that God is his source and that prayer is essential – Without acknowledging God as your source your confidence and advancement is limited. With prayer and acknowledgment that God is your source your confidence increases and you become comfortable in who you are.

6. Failure is seen as strength – If failure is handled well you are guaranteed a victory. The reality is that failure is just an opportunity to learn and get better at what you do. It’s not the end but potentially the start of something great.

7. He doesn’t use control to gain respect but uses love – When you are not comfortable in who you are, you have to use control to get people to respect you. A confident man does not have to use control but just believes that people will do things for him based on who he is. He gains respect because he is an integral person.

8. Putting himself out there seems scary but he will still do it regardless – Putting yourself out there is not always the easiest thing to do but sometimes you just have to go for it anyway. Fear only becomes a problem when you give in to it!!

9. He is not defined by other people’s perceptions of him – People’s perceptions don’t matter at all. They only define you if you allow them to. Perceptions can change at any time so it’s just easier to believe in who you are and who God calls you to be and don’t worry about what people think.

10. God’s word is the most important thing in his life and everything else is secondary – When you make God’s Word first in your life then success is sure. You continue to change and your confidence rises.

11. Lack of resources does not define him – A confident man does not wait for everything to line up before he moves but believes that when he moves resources will come. He also is not defined by what he doesn’t have but focuses on what he does have.

Condemnation Vs Conviction

Many people can’t tell the difference between condemnation and conviction even though they are very different. They can feel the same sometimes because of how it is taught or when people say, “I feel convicted.” What they are really saying is that they feel guilty and Sometimes shameful.

The biggest difference between condemnation and conviction is that conviction empowers while condemnation disempowers. Let me explain… Conviction shows you who you really are and who you are called to be and the standard that you really know you ought to live by. It almost feels like a light bulb moment and right away you feel the power to change it. Whether you have wronged somebody, participated in a sinful habit or not gone after what He has called you to. He will release power to apologise, turn from sin or go after your calling. Condemnation on the other hand pushes you into a hole and allows you to follow in self pity. It’s primary function is to cut off your awareness of the power you have and make you feel guilty and distraught. One of the reasons why this feels like conviction is because a lot of people are used to performing out of guilt or pressure to be someone. Sometimes it’s our parents, teachers, friends or bosses that have made us this way so we think that the only way we can change something is if we feel guilty enough, but God thinks differently.

Contrary to popular opinion God does not have to use guilt to get people to do stuff. His method always involves love, mercy and grace. Grace is not just unmerited favour but it’s the operational power of God. This basically means that He can empower you to do something you could not do moments before, so if you are in a situation He will use conviction filled with grace so you can get out successfully.

The next time you feel convicted pay attention, because typically grace to change will follow, to empower you to make a right decision and move forward. If you don’t feel any of these you are probably just hearing the voice of condemnation speaking!!

5 Secrets To Extraordinary Faith

1. God Loves You And is For You – Gain the understanding that God loves us more than we can comprehend and wants to give us more than we can take. He actually likes us and cares about the things we care about, even the minor details in our lives. So upon this revelation we are able to walk an extraordinary but simple life.

2. Stop Listening To People That Speak Against what You Want – If there is one thing I know that can destroy faith it would be listening to negative words from people. Sometimes when I’m believing for something I have to shut down certain voices in my life so that my faith can remain level headed. If not, my faith will start to slack and before I know it I’ve become a “doubting Thomas”.

3. Feed Yourself On Good News – Just as negative words and reports can sabotage your faith, on the contrary encouraging words, and powerful testimonies can boost your faith into another realm. When you begin to focus on what is happening rather than what has not happened, you set yourself to have extraordinary faith.  

4. Get A Word – A word acts as an anchor or something that reassures us of the victory we already have. This is important because our confidence increases when we know we have a Greater Authority and Power behind us working everything out.

5. Pray – Some people just think that prayer is a good thing to do but don’t recognise the power of it, but let me be clear!! Everything you need and want is found in this place. This includes your emotional strength, healthy thoughts, financial breakthrough, healthy friendships, jobs and the list goes on. As I said before, anything you desire to see happen first starts with prayer!!

5 Reasons Why The World Do Not Take Christians Seriously

1. We Value Words More Than Power – Jesus demonstrated everything He spoke about, and only spoke about things He could demonstrate. Whether it was morally or seeing blind eyes open, He proved everything He believed. We as children of God are called to do the same thing and according to Jesus, even greater things.

2. We Show Love With An Agenda – Love is unconditional and does not carry an agenda but simply loves. A lot of Christians love with conditions and will let go when what they hoped for didn’t go according to plan. But real love will hold on no matter what and will give, knowing that they might not get anything in return.

3. Religion Causes Us To Be Someone We Are Not – I think this has to be one of the worst ones because it is so deceiving. Religion makes you feel like you are doing good not realising that it is drawing you further away from God and makes you bound rather than free. The world recognises it and on most occasions don’t want anything to do with it.

4. Most Things Are Over Spiritualised And Deep – Have you ever been around a Christian that is over-spiritual and deep? If you have then, you would know how frustrating it can be to listen to words coming out of their mouth. I remember asking a guy in my old church if he was a regular member at the church and he responded by saying “We are the church brother!!”. Well, technically he was right but it didn’t answer my question and I could see that he was trying to impress me with his deep spiritual knowledge. Unfortunately for him I was not impressed one bit and I’ve found out that not many people are!!

5. Unbelievers Feel Treated Like A Project And Not A Human Being – This point is similar to my second point in that, Love has no agenda but gives unconditionally. Unbelievers feel like a project when some Christians are showing them love. The unconditional element was taken out and now they feel like the only reason they are being pursued is to get them to do something. That’s why, if you haven’t noticed, when you talk to certain people about faith they get their backs up immediately. This is not because they don’t want to hear about God but they feel that you are going to try and get them to do something without actually valuing them. There is nothing wrong with talking to people about God but everything should be done in real love.  

Secular Vs Sacred Work

I’m sure most people reading this blog have heard of the terms “secular” and “sacred”. In the Christian world secular stands for anything that belongs to the world and does not have its origin within the Christian faith. E.g unless you work within a church setting (pastor, worship leader, church secretary etc…) which is considered sacred, then every other job is considered to be a secular job. Now if this sounds about right to you then I have some news for you, its all the same!!

Let me explain. When we separate the two we have a conversation in our minds that says “the sacred is what I do for God and the secular is just what I have to do to make a living”. We don’t believe that God is really for it and we tend to esteem those in a sacred job as more holy than us, not realising that anything we do we are meant to do it as on to the Lord.

This means that any job I do that is good and does not require me to partake in evil is considered sacred and unto God. Now you might be asking, “why is this important?” Well it’s important because many are confused about whether they should keep going after their career and in some cases what they were born for – or just go into full time ministry and become a preacher. They think this way not necessarily because they feel a calling from God but it’s just what we have been taught as being the high water mark.

Everyone desires the best that God has so if preaching or some sort of other “sacred” occupation is marketed as the best then that’s what we will want to go after. If this is your bent then I’ll gently warn you that you will never get to your God given destiny by just doing what appears to be right or good. You have to go where your heart comes alive!

So whether you are a actor, business man, tax man, teacher, Pastor, IT specialist, charity worker, entrepreneur etc… it’s all sacred when you do it unto the Lord.

God Likes Creativity

Are you a creative person? Have you ever wondered if God really supports what you do? Have you ever thought about giving up your creative journey so you can please God in doing something else? If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of these questions then I’ve got good news for you. God likes it!!

A few years back I met a lovely lady that was a seasoned artist and was able to make it her full time job. While in conversation with her she began to tell me that when she first became a Christian she put her craft to the side because she felt that God didn’t accept it. Now this might seem noble to some, to put something down for God but there is a difference between releasing something for a season to give God ultimate focus and releasing something because you think He doesn’t care about it not realising that He was the One that gave you the gift.

As we spoke more we realised that God was not involved in her decision to put her gift down but rather it was the church that she attended. They didn’t have a value for art but saw it as worldly and could not see how God could be interested in it. So because the church (the people not the building) is suppose to be a representation of God their views got projected onto God. This might seem extreme to some but it happens all the time.  There are people that are sitting on gifts that could change the world. Let me be clear – God expects us to create and takes great joy in us doing so. He is the ultimate creator and chose to create us in His image, meaning that we should naturally do the same thing that our Father in heaven does. We have the spiritual essence of God so therefore we to have the ability to create extravagantly and notice the smallest details as He does and express them through our creativity whether that’s music, painting, writing, architecture, hair, fashion etc. Creating is normal for Him and it should be normal for us also!!

My message for you today is, keep creating without being discouraged by the negative concerns or suspicions of other people. You have been called to create.

The Power Of Vulnerability

Hiding who you really are is a very common and popular way of life. It’s something that is promoted as wisdom but at the same time short changes you and eats away at the core of who you are. It plagues our families, churches, schools and community and has a primary motivation, which is the fear of punishment.

Now, I’m no saint in this area and I’m definitely on a journey however, at the same time I’ve chosen to live a life where I’m the same everywhere I am. I hide as little things as possible. It’s ‘the only way to live with your heart out loud’ – Kris Vallotton; and develop trust that goes beyond good behaviour. It creates safety but also activates freedom in the hearts of other people. In spite of this, most people won’t show their real emotions but will instead suppress or cover them up, because they don’t want to be shut down. If they have a personal struggle they won’t let anyone know, but will instead keep it to themselves, not realising that it could torture them. Depression, lack of sleep, suicide and over eating are all things that can take its toll on you if you haven’t learnt to live a vulnerable lifestyle.

The discovery of learning how to live vulnerable and free are very powerful tools that only a few grab ahold of, at the same time  – by the masses – it is seen as weakness. If you can overcome the fear of punishment and rejection, you are on your way to living a powerful life that is not affected by people’s opinions or judgments. You will live a life that is full of real fruit that can be picked and eaten with joy. So choose vulnerability today and don’t look back!!