My Last Exorcism

One cannot escape the recent advertisements of the new movie "The Last Exorcism".  So I've maybe been cooking dinner or passing by the room were my children are watching TV and all of a sudden hear, "In the name of Jesus Christ" and these aweful blood curdling screams.  And I say, "what in the world?"  At this point, I've probable seen the advertisement a thousand times...but it still startles me and I say, "what in the world?"  I know I won't see this movie because it's just not my style, but I have been alerted by this title "The Last Exorcism" in my own life.

You see, I was possessed with a religious spirit.  This spirit causes one to believe that they have achieved a measure of godliness and holiness on their own merit.  Because all of the so called biblical requirements are fulfilled, like daily Bible reading, praying, witnessing, attending Sunday church and mid-week Bible studies, I thought God looked favorably upon me.  What I didn't realize was that He looked favorably upon me and loved me prior to ever fulfilling any one of those so called biblical requirements.  Now please don't misunderstand, I have no problem with any of these so called requirements in and of themselves, but I've come to understand that if I do any of these things at any given time, it is because I love Him, not to gain His approval.  It's not even to pass some sort of heavenly test, because if there was such a test, I would fail miserably.

What I can do is be humbled by His grace and mercy that He chose to give me and respond to His love by being led by His Spirit, which leads into all truth.  And that really is the key...being led by His Spirit.  God does not want a predictable, ritualistic routine, mundane experience with us, which is why He gave us His Spirit to be led by.  When the Spirit leads we have the opportunity to listen and follow His direction which is not predictable, ritualistic, routine or mundane.

The very thing that should have brought freedom to by life, instead brought a system of religion to which I fell prey.  The religious institution introduced me to this spirit of religion and held me bound and captive for years and years.  Now the Bible speaks of true religion which is to care for the widows and orphans, so in that sense, religion is good.  And I'm not going to expose or trample on the work or intentions of another.  Because I've come to some conclusions and truths in my life, doesn't mean that God didn't use religious institutions to impact my life.  There were so many good things I gained from my involvement, like character and discipline.  Somewhat like being involved in a secular educational institution where good things can be gained...but that doesn't mean that your devotion goes so far and so deep that you lose your own self and personal relationship with the Creator.  The main loss when being conformed to the image of a religious institution is being so performance oriented towards God that you don't really come to know who He is, but only what He requires.  That is when a religious spirit has taken over and is in control. 

In my last exorcism I was delivered from the performance, in my last exorcism I was delivered from a works mentality (even while quoting the scripture, not of works lest any should boast), in my last exorcism I was delivered from a predictable, ritualistic, mundane routine of religious exercises that only kept me wanting to do more and be better for His acceptance, in my last exorcism I was delivered from self righteousness and false pride, in my last exorcism I was delivered from codependence and from a religious system that kept me doing all the right things for the wrong reasons.

Lucky for me, my neck didn't twist around and I didn't leap and bounce off the walls and the ceiling, but trust me, in my last exorcism that religious spirit had to "Come out in the name of Jesus!"