Trapped in the Religious Box pt1

Source: http://watchmanreports.com/blogs/entry/Trapped-in-the-Religious-Box-pt1

Do you have a love for the truth? Will you know it when you heard it? Will you
believe it or will you fight against it? I discovered over the years that many that
are deceived about various issues would rather continue in darkness. Is that you?
Are you willing to remain in darkness for the comforts of a lie? Or are you so
afraid of believing a lie that you are not comfortable until check what you know.
We have become so relaxed in the teachings of our fore fathers and pastors until
we do not even dare to investigate these teachings. We are so boxed into our
religions, and if the truth comes alone that goes against our belief we can't
accept it. Our foundations are built on the traditions of men and their teachings
rather than the truth.

The way I see it, there are four types of believers:

1. Religious Believer (a servant of his religion)
2. Church Believer (a servant of his church)
3. Pastor Believer (a servant of his Pastor
4. True Believer (a servant of Christ)

Which are you? Before you answer this question let me first describe what each
of these are.

1. The Religious Believer - This person absolutely believes that his religion is
the truth and all other religions are false or lacking in their doctrinal
foundation. He actually believes that all other religions must convert to his
religion. This believer may even know the Most High and even hear his voice as
long as the Most High doesn't speak outside of his religious teachings. God help
him if the Holy Spirit try's to teach him something different than what his religion
teaches. He will not hear the voice of Yah (God) and will actually think that it's
the Devil speaking to him.

They are stuck in a box of religion and may not ever be freed from it because
they have made their religion their god. Every bit of knowledge they
gain becomes huge building blocks to a massive wall of religious information that
strengthens their faith in their religion.

There is a perfect image of their religion that resides in their mind. This image is
an Idol, and they have committed Idolatry and don't even know it.

2. The Church Believer - This person is like the religious believer, they feel the
same way about the church (place of worship. No matter what is going wrong at his
church he is totally dedicated to his church. The church can be totally out of order,
but it doesn't matter. He feels it is his duty to serve the church no matter what, even if
the church is out of the will of Yah (God). They will even cringe as the Holy Spirit
convicts them of the things going on in the church, but they will not speak out
against the mess in the church. They continue, and continue to be among the mess in
the church until they are desensitized. After awhile they do not even feel the
conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning the mess in the church.
They have become like the 3 monkeys "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil," and
they have the guile to believe that this is the way of Holy Spirit.

They find themselves agreeing with those that say "Judge Not" or "Leave them alone"
because they don't want to cause any trouble, but little do they realize that they and
their church is already in deep trouble. They are in danger of being cut off from
God...

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent.Rev 2:5 (KJV)
They are so loyal to their church. The loyalty they should have for the Mashiach
(Messiah) they only have for the church. The Holy Spirit can give them all types of
warnings and signs, but they all go ignored. They take too much pleasure and pride
out of serving the church and they feel justified by the works they do for the church.

They are church believers and they draw their strength from the church. Many of these
believers cannot be out of the church for a period of time without backsliding. This is
because they really don't have strength in Yahoshua Mashiach (Jesus Christ) and they
do not serve Him. Their service is to their church because their church is their god.

They to have committed the sin of Idolatry and do not even know it. They have
become blinded by their service to the church.
This believer has one of two choices,
• Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.Isaiah 58:1
• And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them. Eph 5:11
•
Will you do this or will you be like the 3 monkeys?
3. The Pastor Believer - This believer is so brainwashed by his pastor until they
talk about their pastor more than Yahoshua Mashiach (Jesus Christ). Their pastor
can do no wrong, and if he does they are the first to defend him no matter what
he has done. He can be a fornicator, homosexual or even a child molester. It
may not even be this extreme, he could be a liar, or a believer of false teachings,
or a perpetuator of carnal behavior, to them it doesn't matter. They will stick by
him and defend him no matter what.

He could even be a false prophet. The scripture says.... For whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.... Heb 12:5-8 So no child, yet
alone a Pastor of the Most High can live in sin and not experience His
chastisement, or he is not a Pastor of the Most High. This poor believer will still
follow him even if it means their destruction, they will follow him right to the pits
of hell.
Even if the Pastor is a real man of the Most High he is not worthy of all the praise
they give him. You can detect a Pastor Believer by his conversation, he is always
saying "my pastor" and "my pastor just taught on this." or "my pastor said the
same thing. I know You give honor to whom honor is due, but how far will you go
with this honor? Do you talk about him more than you talk about the scriptures?
Do you run to him for permission on everything?

This believers knowledge comes from his pastor and they never get any
revelation from the Spirit. If the Holy Spirit does say anything to them they must
go and tell their pastor to make sure it's the Spirit. You can tell them something in
the word of God, and even show them the scripture, but that's not good enough
for them, they still need to go to their pastor about it. And If they can't here a
word from their pastor they will get weaker and weaker until they backslide.
Their strength is in their pastor. He has become their god and they don't even
know it. Just imagine if the Father has other plans that may be different from
what your pastor has for you. Who do you follow? The Holy Spirit may be trying
to move you in a certain direction, but because it goes against what your pastor
said you can't do it. Or because you are so dedicated to your pastor you won't
budge. That's because your pastor has become your Idol. Pastor Salvation is
what they have.
4. The True Believer - is a believer that will follow the Most High no matter what.
They understand the scripture that says... For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 and....My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee....Hosea 4:6

There are some things that God wants to reveal to you that will totally shake your
religious understanding, and cause you to even doubt your foundational teachings
and church traditions. Are you prepared to deal with this or will you just ignore it,
and continue in darkness and spiritual slumber? Or maybe you don't see yourself
in darkness, but let me say that we are all in the dark about something. This is
why Yahoshua (Jesus) has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.

What will be the state of the church when Yahoshua returns? In Matthew 25, the
story of the ten virgins show how the church was sleeping in the last days until
the cry was made at midnight. Midnight shows how late the hour is and how
darkness is everywhere. The virgins needed to trim and refill their lamps with oil
so that their lambs would burn and shine light into the darkness. David said...Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105
The True Believer will not follow some man blindly into every ditch and hell hole,
he will try every religious teaching by the word. He's not caught up into favorite
preachers and teachers, and he's ready to reprove and rebuke as soon he see
evil. If he summits to a pastor it's as long as his pastor is submitting the Most
High. He's not bound by a Pastor, Bishop or teacher, he's not locked in a box of
religion, doctrines and traditions. He is a true servant of the Most High through
Yahoshua the Mashiach (Jesus Christ) and will do only what thus say the Father.
He is a True Believer because he is a seeker of the truth, He knows that
Yahoshua is the truth and that he is come to sanctify the church through his truth.

Satan deceives those that have not the love of the truth...Even him, whose
coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness...2 Thess 2:9-12 (KJV)
Is this you? Do you have the love of the truth? Are you willing to forsake all for
the Mashiach? (The Christ) Or will you make another excuse to keep your Idols?

Shalom,
Watchman Banks

Source: http://watchmanreports.com/blogs/entry/Trapped-in-the-
Religious-Box-pt1