Goodbye Religion. [hello Freedom]

There is a disease that has plagued Christians for generations upon generations. I too have suffered from this disease. It is not a disease of the body, (although I'm sure that there are more bodily manifestations than we realize), but no, it is something of a different sort.
It is the disease against which so many in our world are reacting.
It is what keeps so many from coming to know the Truth.
It is what keeps so many who "know" the Truth from being free.
It is the spirit of religion. Or rather--religion that the Father does NOT accept as pure and faultless.

James tells us that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  (James 1:27, NIV)

If that is what God sees as religion, what the heck have so many of us been doing all these years??
Also, it is important to realize that our Faith goes far beyond religion--even the pure kind.
Religion as we know it in this world is only a tweaked and polluted version of what true religion is.
Because of this, I don't like to use the terms "religion" or "religious" at all. I have heard too many people object to Christianity because they "don't like religion" or "don't want to be tied to a religion."
I have also seen too many of us Christians bound by the unhealthy fear that is saturated and rooted in religion.
Jesus came to bring Freedom--this goes far beyond an escape from hell.
Jesus came to bring Life! Real, abundant Life.
What does religion do for us? It binds up. It tears down. It kills the soul. It kills dreams. It divides households.
I feel as if I can identify with Paul as he wrote in Galatians 5:

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery....You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace....The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:1, 4, 6, NIV)

I'm sorry, did you miss that? The ONLY thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

So let's stop striving for anything more than that.
Let us step back, let go of our religious fears, and let Jesus do His thing.
When we resolve to be nothing but a vessel through which His Spirit can work and bring Life, we become free from the burden of religion and fear.
We will begin to bring Life to others and will produce Fruit that is so incredibly saturated with heaven that the Freedom and Love in our lives will be immeasurable.

Feeling Helpless. [when you don't know what to say]

The bad news these days never seems to end.
Depression and anxiety are running rampant.
If you have never been through any big trials in your life, you might be tempted to just throw a bunch of [christian] cliches at people's problems.
But I know first hand that life is not always that easy.
This world is messed up.
Very few things in life seem to fall under a category other than 'complicated'.
The "right answer" doesn't always work.

So to everyone out there who feels like things are falling apart--to everyone who feels alone, abandoned, helpless, hopeless, desperate, angry, confused, hurt, and/or just utterly overwhelmed by life, this song comes directly from my heart to yours because it expresses exactly how I feel and the only cure I have found to the sickness of this world.

"Life gets tough, and times get hard

It's hard to find the truth in all the lies

If you're tired of wondering why

Your heart isn't healing

And nothing feels like home

Cause you're lost and alone just screaming at the sky

When you don't know what to say

Just say Jesus

There is power in the name

The name of Jesus

If the words won't come

Cause you're too afraid to pray

Just say Jesus

Whisper it now, or shout it out

However it comes out, He hears your cry

Out of nowhere He will come, you got to believe it

He will rescue you

Just call out to the Way, The Truth, The Light

When you don't know what to say

Just say Jesus

There's still power in the name

The name of Jesus

If the words won't come

Cause you're too afraid to pray

There is just one name

Strong enough to save

There is just one name

There is just one name

Jesus

When you don't know what to say

Just say Jesus

There's still power in the name

The name of Jesus

If the words won't come

Cause you're too afraid to pray

If the words won't come

And you don't know what to say

Just say Jesus"