Religion vs Relationship
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. [James 1:26]
QUOTE: Religion is a woman in church thinking about hiking, not focused on God. A relationship is a woman out hiking and talking with God (Cathy Fraser).
RELIGION VS RELATIONSHIP
We are taught to be “politically correct”. This means we are not to talk about religion or politics at dinner parties, at social events, and certainly not at business functions. These are two topics that have caused many relationships to fail and many countries to go to war. It has caused heartache, pain, frustration, and confusion.
Well to be honest I’m not very good at being “politically correct.” What I can do is pray for our government and do what I believe is right. So, let’s talk about a relationship vs religion. I think this is an important message to share right up front before we go any further on our hike.
All through this book, I share snippets of my personal journey and my relationship with the Lord, not a religion. I share my imperfections, my flaws, my mistakes, and the grace that God has shown me, not religion. I share how God is with us through the biscuit-flying seasons, the good times, and when we just don’t know what to do; it’s a relationship with God Almighty, not a religion.
No religion in the world loves us like God does. Religion is man-made and relationships are God made. There is a big difference between what religion is and the relationship that God desires what us. Religion robs people of intimacy and separates people from God. Religion is what confuses people and makes people misunderstand who God really is. It’s religion that has given most people a very mixed view of how who God says you are.
Because I like visuals and charts, I’ve created a chart below to show what I feel is the difference between religion vs relationship.
| RELIGION | RELATIONSHIP |
| Teaches that we have to “do” certain things to get to heaven or be loved by God | We have been given the privilege of being in a relationship with God through grace |
| Keeps us in bondage | We have been set free |
| Teaches us that we can’t do things that appear fun | Changes our hearts so we don’t want to do certain things |
| Praying out of duty or obligation, what is expected, memorized prayers with no meaning | Praying to become closer to God; develop the relationship, talk with God, and listen to Him |
| Blindly following what is taught by a pastor, parents or other teachers | Allowing the Holy Spirit to show you the truth and the ability to see what He reveals to you |
| Religion makes people worry and concerned about what others may think about you | I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM… PERIOD
|
| Religion makes you believe you need to be perfect | We are loved with all of our imperfections and flaws |
| Religion breeds hypocrisy, trying to ‘appear’ religious or be someone you are not | God desires a true intimate relationship without any fluff or fakeness |
| Religion kills the heart, mind, and soul | Relationship nurtures and feeds the heart, mind, and soul |
| Religion is judgmental and self-righteous, you have to ‘appear’ to be different on the outside | A relationship with the Lord allows us to be changed on the inside and eventually our outside appearance will reflect what is on the inside |
| Religion tells us we need to be good for God to love us | God desires to have an intimate relationship with us |
| Religion makes people feel guilty and not worthy of God’s love | A relationship is seeking God and learning who God is and what He desires for us to do. |
| Religion divides and hurts | A relationship mends and heals |
| Priority are rules, regulations, customs and traditions | God’s priority is YOU and a personal relationship with YOU |
| Religion or churchy stuff is one way; listen and obey | A relationship is a two-way communication and dialogue |
| Religion can be absolutely boring and separates people from God | A relationship with God is a life-transformational, destiny-changing experience |
John Woodbridge stated in Christianity Today, 2001: “The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim God with their mouths and deny Him with their lifestyles is what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable.”
This statement is so true and scary and trust me I am not claiming to be perfect, far from it. However, he is referring to people who go to church on Sunday, appear religious, have that Christian bumper sticker, and then during the week are people without integrity, treat people with disrespect, and are totally self-centered.
It’s a religion that causes this disconnect, not a relationship. It’s religion that divides and hurts, it’s a relationship that mends and connects.
RELIGION VS RELATIONSHIP: God is NOT a religion; He is all about RELATIONSHIP. My hope is that you will see there is a huge difference between “religion” and “relationship and that you will understand who God really is and WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE.
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DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: Take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!
TAKEAWAY GEMS
- In order to change your thinking and self-limiting beliefs you need to understand there is a difference between religion and relationship.
- Please review the chart religion vs relationship.
- God is all about relationships.
- This is the most important relationship that you can ever have in your life.
- It’s a relationship with God that transforms lives not religion.
QUESTIONS TO “THINK ON
- What are your thoughts about religion?
- What is your relationship with the Lord like?
- What is your understanding of the difference between religion and relationship?
ACTION STEP
RELATIONSHIP: If you don’t have a relationship with the Lord, it’s easy to start. This is when Jesus becomes our advocate and intercessor. All you need to do is say a prayer from the heart that you believe in who Jesus is, what He has done for us, repent from all of your sins, and put all your hope and confidence in Him alone. That’s it, your relationship starts from there, it’s walking this out daily where the adventure is! Ask the Holy Spirit to help and guide you every day’ that’s why he was given to us!
DAILY SCRIPTURES
DAY 1: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. [1 John 1:9-10].
DAY 2: If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. [James 1:26]
DAY 3: Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world [James 4:8]
DAY 4: He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. [John 14:17-18]
DAY 5: The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. [Matthew 23:2-4]
DAY 6: Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. [Revelation 3:20]
DAY 7: For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. [Zephaniah 3:17]