The idea for this blog came while I was working on one of my novels. It was while I was writing the following excerpt that I decided it would make a good blog topic.
Taken from "Zynastria: Pilgrimage" (book 2 in the Zynastrian Chronicles), chapter #24 titled "The Wrong Foot." 44 Year-old Branson is having a conversation with the almost sixteen-year-old Otto. (This is a rough draft.)
"Your family is pretty religious, huh?" Branson asked as they began unloading the box of mismatched plates, cups, and silverware to set the table.
"I wouldn't use that term, but, yes, we are."
"What word would you use?"
"Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions. You can't place God in a box. What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator. It is personal and different for everyone."
Branson nodded, showing he was listening, but did not respond.
"You're seeking, aren't you?"
"'Seeking?'"
"God."
Branson laughed, "You're pretty smart for a teenager."
Otto indeed was quite observant and usually accurately assessed those around him. He had been watching Branson for around a month now. He saw what everyone did on the surface, an arrogant, self-centered man. Yet Otto also noticed Branson's tear-filled eyes he tried to hide during the praise services. He knew Branson spent time praying with Paul from time to time.
"It is good to seek God," Otto encouraged, "He has always been chasing after you. Why not let Him catch you?"
"I have a little more changing to do, but I appreciate the advice, Pastor Otto," Branson's words were sarcastic, but his tone was sincere.
"We all have changing to do, it's not as if we quit growing up when we accept God as Lord of our lives. It's a daily process," Otto continued.
"I know. I'm not saying I see perfection in you believers. I'm just saying I need to..." he paused with a frown, "I guess I can't quite put the right words to it."
"You need to repent. Come to God so he can clean you up so you can and start over."
"Was that a question or an observation?" Branson wondered.
Otto self-consciously laughed. "Sorry, Mr. Branson, I know I have a bad habit of over-stepping my bounds with my elders. I meant no disrespect."
"I may be old enough to be your father, but you can talk to me freely, Otto," he insisted, "And, again, I appreciate your council.
In 2013, Mel and I had been attending a church for a little over a year. I was feeling increasingly more uncomfortable with the group. I could see a love for God and compassionate hearts, but I also saw a lack of respect for the things of God. I am not trying to be self-righteous or insult anyone, but the majority of these people were full of the world. Of course, only God can judge the heart, but from what I observed, the church was more about religion than about seeking God.
I wanted to leave the church but kept my opinions to myself as Mel seemed to be comfortable there. What I didn't know was that God was also speaking to Mel's heart as well that we were in the wrong place.
One morning during the singing portion of the service, I was closing my eyes and trying to worship God but kept feeling like my praise was hitting the ceiling. I asked God why this was happening. God spoke to me and said, "I am being restrained in this church." I then had a vision of Jesus in a clear box squatting and pushing against the sides as if He were trying to push out of that confined space. I thought the image in my mind had been too irreverent to be from God. Yet, after the service I told Mel about what I had seen. He was startled not because he thought I was being sacrilegious, but because he had seen the exact same image of Jesus in his dreams the night before. The message was clear, you cannot, and should not try to, place God in a box.
When a church or individual does not acknowledge the Holy Spirit, they are limiting one-third of who God is. I believe God is one entity that manifests in more than one way, I believe in the Trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If someone saw you as only your father's child, but not your mother's, they would be denying half of your heritage as well as probably refusing to acknowledge your full personality. To reveal God in all His glory, we must acknowledge all sides of who He is.
Some religions refuse to say Jesus is divine, while others say the Holy Spirit was only for biblical times. God never changes; His ways are eternal. The same Holy Spirit that set the church on fire in Acts is the same One we should call upon today.
The above-mentioned church was afraid of the gifts of the Spirit because of all the counterfeit revivals that exist. That is just one excuse to quench the Holy Spirit, fear of acting in a way you think is not natural. Make no mistake, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not make any person bark like a dog, laugh like a lunatic, or crawl around on the floor. God is a God of order and respect. When we accept the Holy Spirit, we may or may not speak in tongues, but if we do, it will always be done to honor God, not to bring attention to ourselves.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
In my opinion, man-made religions are the biggest offenders of placing God in a box. How can one define a religion as man-made? As Otto said to Branson in the above passage from my novel, "Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions. You can't place God in a box. What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator. It is personal and different for everyone." When we confine God to ritual and obligation, we limit the spontaneous experiences. By this I mean if we read liturgy or follow the exact same routine in church every week, we quench the leading of God's spirit. When we pray, we should pray from our heart and use our own words, no matter if we think we sound awkward or don't quite know how to word ourselves.
Religion is a thousand different denominations. Relationship with God is about a one-on-one experience with God. If you go to church and only say and do what your leaders tell you to, you are into religion. If you only believe what you hear and never seek on your own, you are into religion.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
In my opinion, man-made religions are the biggest offenders of placing God in a box. How can one define a religion as man-made? As Otto said to Branson in the above passage from my novel, "Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions. You can't place God in a box. What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator. It is personal and different for everyone." When we confine God to ritual and obligation, we limit the spontaneous experiences. By this I mean if we read liturgy or follow the exact same routine in church every week, we quench the leading of God's spirit. When we pray, we should pray from our heart and use our own words, no matter if we think we sound awkward or don't quite know how to word ourselves.
Religion is a thousand different denominations. Relationship with God is about a one-on-one experience with God. If you go to church and only say and do what your leaders tell you to, you are into religion. If you only believe what you hear and never seek on your own, you are into religion.
Read your Bible and study on your own. Closely examine every book of the bible. Not everything the church teaches is accurate. I promise if you start reading your bible on your own, you will often find yourself sitting in church saying, "That's not what the Bible teaches." The grace- for-everything-never-needing-to-repent message is one large example. The idea of a pre- or mid-tribulation rapture is another.
My point is, not seeking God's face and discovering who He can be to you is limiting God. When you meet someone for the first time, do you take all the rumors you've heard about him at face value? Or do you get to know this person based on forming your own opinions? Would you get married and then never talk to your spouse? Would you tell yourself you knew your mate well enough before you got married so you don't bother trying to learn all his layers and all he has to offer? Would your love for each other stop growing after the wedding? I sure hope not! No, you would continue to get to know every nuance about each other and fall more and more in love. Even 12 years into our marriage, Mel and I are still telling each other new stories from our pasts. It is fun learning something new. Mel and I fall more and more in love because we nurture our relationship and never let it grow stale. The same attitude should be applied to Jesus. Get to know Him better and better. Walking with the Lord means you never stop learning and growing in Christ.
Read all of Mark 7, it gives just one example of how the religious leaders kept God in a box. Jesus even tells them that they are restraining the gospel. It also tells them that though they acknowledge God with their lips, they deny Him with their lifestyles. We can say and do all the right things that look good on the outside; make it seem like we are glorifying God, but if our hearts are full of sin and our vessel is filthy on the inside, God is not honored, (And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11:39). We have to be a Christian in private, not just when others are watching.
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Mark 7:6-9
Not acknowledging God's power to perform miracles and speak to His children through dreams and visions, as well as lacking in faith in general, all place God in a box. When we refuse to see God as sovereign and mighty, we deny His authority. We all have periods of low faith, but when we say God is not capable of helping us or refuse to see His hand guiding our paths, we rob God of blessing us and us blessing Him. There are several places in the New Testament where it says Jesus performed less miracles in certain cities because of their lack of faith. He would have loved to have helped them, but their hard hearts caused Him to walk away.
Let me be perfectly clear, no one can prevent God from doing anything. We are not actually holding him back by our own power. God is the Creator of the universe, and nothing can truly restrain Him. It is our actions that make it impossible for God to shine, to get the glory He deserves. We throw a dark blanket over the Almighty by not sharing Him with others, by not allowing His spirit to move in our lives, or by habitual sins. God is a holy God and cannot abide in an unholy dwelling. Would you take a drink of water from a cup that was stained and full of dirt? No, you would want to disinfect it first before allowing it to serve its purpose. If God cannot use our talents because we refuse to let our sins go, we are squandering away God's gifts.
I hope this all makes sense. As I have mentioned before, I am not a preacher, I am a storyteller. However, God is still calling me to write articles and not just stories, therefore I must let God out of the box I have placed Him in and must be obedient. I do this out of love for my Heavenly Father, not for reward. I want to please Jesus for all He has done for me and just for being God. I do not want any part of my service to Him to be boxed in.
Read all of Mark 7, it gives just one example of how the religious leaders kept God in a box. Jesus even tells them that they are restraining the gospel. It also tells them that though they acknowledge God with their lips, they deny Him with their lifestyles. We can say and do all the right things that look good on the outside; make it seem like we are glorifying God, but if our hearts are full of sin and our vessel is filthy on the inside, God is not honored, (And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11:39). We have to be a Christian in private, not just when others are watching.
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Mark 7:6-9
Not acknowledging God's power to perform miracles and speak to His children through dreams and visions, as well as lacking in faith in general, all place God in a box. When we refuse to see God as sovereign and mighty, we deny His authority. We all have periods of low faith, but when we say God is not capable of helping us or refuse to see His hand guiding our paths, we rob God of blessing us and us blessing Him. There are several places in the New Testament where it says Jesus performed less miracles in certain cities because of their lack of faith. He would have loved to have helped them, but their hard hearts caused Him to walk away.
Let me be perfectly clear, no one can prevent God from doing anything. We are not actually holding him back by our own power. God is the Creator of the universe, and nothing can truly restrain Him. It is our actions that make it impossible for God to shine, to get the glory He deserves. We throw a dark blanket over the Almighty by not sharing Him with others, by not allowing His spirit to move in our lives, or by habitual sins. God is a holy God and cannot abide in an unholy dwelling. Would you take a drink of water from a cup that was stained and full of dirt? No, you would want to disinfect it first before allowing it to serve its purpose. If God cannot use our talents because we refuse to let our sins go, we are squandering away God's gifts.
I hope this all makes sense. As I have mentioned before, I am not a preacher, I am a storyteller. However, God is still calling me to write articles and not just stories, therefore I must let God out of the box I have placed Him in and must be obedient. I do this out of love for my Heavenly Father, not for reward. I want to please Jesus for all He has done for me and just for being God. I do not want any part of my service to Him to be boxed in.
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