One main appeal of the religious spirit is it’s offer to appease your conscience…. which it will do, in a measure. But it cannot remove your guilt. Only repentance can do that.
One most scandalous and damaging thing about the religious spirit, that we often don’t realize, is that it is a substitution for the ongoing, active, living work of Christ in our hearts.
The prevalence and pervasiveness of the religious spirit, all around us, moves quietly into all the corners of our hearts and begins to exercise it’s influence over our behavior. It makes us believe that we can remain close to God without the expensive discomfort of dying to our self-life. To be sure, that is a lie. Promising to make us known for what we know, the religious spirit seeks to work with our insecurities and self-promotion, calling on our desire to prove ourselves, and to perceive self-proclamation as a valid means of promotion.
This collective influence brings on a spiritual pride and intoxication, causing us to believe that we see and understand things that are beyond our reach, beyond our station. What parades itself as boldness is often self-righteousness.
We are led on, leaving humility and sensitivity to the input of others far behind, toward what is in fact a prison of self-delusion.
The answer for our insecurities is not bolstering our self esteem with lies, but in focusing on the work of Christ on our behalf, and His ongoing work within us. He values us, and, thru this awareness, we come to treasure His work as worthwhile and important.
Humility is the antidote to the delusional state which is pride, often brought on by the religious spirit. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may promote you in due season.