Break Free from the Religious Spirit and Legalism

Barnhill @BarnhillGena

The religious spirit is a lying/deceptive spirit that keeps us from an intimate relationship with Father God. It robs us of the joy we were meant to have in our relationship with God—abiding in the Lord. Its focus on rituals leads us to become legalistic in our thinking and believe we need to cross one more “t” and dot one more “i” to get it right and be acceptable to the Lord. We operate from a work-based mindset instead of a relationship-with-the-Lord mindset.

Have you heard people describe someone who regularly attends church as a “religious person”? Their idea of being religious is based on outward behavior such as following church rituals or traditions. Yet, Jesus desires our hearts and a personal relationship with us that extends beyond church attendance. When we do not know how to connect with God, we find it easier to follow rules than interact with Him.

Ouch! Was I partnering with the religious spirit? We were created to be in a relationship with the Lord and to rest in Him. Yet, I sometimes slipped into a performance-based mindset and found it challenging to abide in the Lord.

Behaviors Characteristic of the Religious Spirit:

• Feeling overwhelming guilt because we can’t measure up to what we mistakenly think the Lord expects
• Comparing our spiritual life with others and keeping score
• Focusing on outward forms of godliness, including performing rituals for others to see
• Policing others using the law like the Pharisees did, instead of extending grace
• Directing our efforts to tear down all we perceive to be wrong with others, churches, and church leaders
• Being unteachable because we are convinced we are right
• Exhibiting self-righteous behavior, false humility, and performing religious rituals and traditions instead of the fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

Break free from the Religious Spirit and Legalism #healing #legalism #religion Share on X

Warning Against the Religious Spirit

Paul warns us to stay away from people who act religiously only for show and reject the power of the Holy Spirit. Second Timothy 3:5 (NLT) says, They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

Jesus repeatedly accused the Pharisees of using the religious spirit against people. He called them whitewashed tombs that appeared outwardly beautiful but were filled with impurity on the inside. (See Matthew 23:27.)

Churches can unknowingly operate under a religious spirit when they focus on rules and regulations like the Pharisees did instead of focusing on a relationship with Jesus. Ask these questions:.

• Is the church’s main focus on a relationship with Jesus or on man-created rules and requirements?
• Is judgment a common theme in leadership?
• Are church members and attendees judged by what they do for the church organization?
• Are only rote prayers used instead of relying on the Holy Spirit when praying?
• Does the preaching line up with the Scriptures?

The religious spirit is dangerous because it: 

• causes us to miss intimacy with God when we find it easier to do things for God than spend time with Him.
• leads to division among God’s people.
• traps us in self-righteousness, deception, and performing good works.
• distracts us from the truth and deceives us into thinking we are okay.
• causes us to become zealous in the wrong places.
• partners with our feelings of rejection, guilt, and fear, causing us to judge others and become prideful of our spirituality.
• leads us to believe we can make ourselves righteous when righteousness only comes from Jesus.

How to Have a Relationship with God 

The battle against the religious spirit is won by living our lives focused on Jesus, the Word of God, and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Jesus already won the battle at the cross. We need to lean into Him and accept what He did for us.

Knowing who I am in Christ is critical to being in relationship with Him. As Christians, our identity is based on Christ and what He did for us when He took our sins upon Himself at the cross. We need to thank Him and receive His grace. Ask Him for forgiveness for partnering with the religious spirit. The Holy Spirit can show us how to be in a personal relationship with Jesus.

We are the Lord’s beloved children. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us more or stop loving us. He dearly loves us and wants us to ABIDE in Him. This is how we break free and overcome the religious spirit.

We Abide by:

• Asking the Lord if we believe any lies that keep us at a distance from Him. If He reveals lies, ask for His forgiveness and help to change our behavior and thoughts. Ask for His truth.
• Basking in the Lord’s presence. He will reveal Himself to us when we draw near Him.
• Inviting the Lord into our lives. He’s waiting for an invitation.
• Deciding to dedicate or rededicate our lives to the Lord.
• Emphasizing grace over judgment, humility over pride, relationship over good works, and unity over division.

Before I share a prayer, I’d love for you to have the opportunity to share your thoughts. What new insights have you gained from this post?

Please share your thoughts in our Facebook Group Healing Prayer Discussion.

We are all stronger when we learn from each other. Looking forward to your input.

Blessings,
Gena

Prayer for Freedom from Captivity 

Lord, I want to be in a close relationship with You. It has been easier for me to do things for You rather than spend time with You. I have been zealous in the wrong places trying to make myself righteous so You would accept me. I used good works to try to gain your attention when I had it all along. Forgive me for believing the enemy’s lie that I had to strive to please You. Help me to focus on the truth of Your word. I repent for my pride in thinking good works made me more holy than others. Also, I repent for judging others and allowing the religious spirit to negatively impact my relationship with You. Lord, help me to stay steadfast in knowing my spiritual identity in You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to rest and abide in You. Amen

In case you missed the rest of the Ancestral Influences Series, here is the link to the Archives:

https://simpleeffectiveprayer.com/category/healing-ancestral-wounds/