The Spirit of God Doesn't need to be Reformed, it Needs to Be Released!

If you're feeling burnt out on religion, READ THIS. . .

I don't know what your faith background is like, if you grew up in a denominational or non denominational or even a secular household. I don't know what your view of the Bible is: if it has authority over your life or it's just another dusty book on the shelf.

No matter what you're experience is, I can only assume you've formed an opinion about church at one point or another. It seems to be so popular these days for us to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith as we experience hurt within the church, broken relationships and unmet expectations.

As we see lead pastors "fall" and evilness rise in our society, we tend to look to the Bible as a puzzle that needs to be solved instead of LIVING Truth. If we could just figure out "the right" interpretation of the Bible, maybe we could find a way to not be so disappointed by the Church. We could find a way to make sure "those people" don't end up with a platform.

We use this knowledge as protection and we hide in our fortress of theory and ideas. Do you find yourself guilty of this? Full transparency, this is something I know all too well. If you also resonate, I want to challenge you to recognize this without judgement. It only makes sense that we would end up this way. We have more information, news and updates at our fingertips than ever before. As we have become so informed, we have become arrogant in our theology. It’s as if the final word of God isn’t enough unless it’s backed up by a degree, 2 different celebrity pastors and a book you read.

In our western, American culture we seem to want this balance of just enough structure to point out the wrong in others and just enough freedom to justify whatever we want to do. We use the Bible as a means to an end & in the process, the will of God becomes a casualty.

My question to you, believer, is how does this make us any different from the world who hides behind their politics, theories and critical ideology?

Today, I want to remind you that what sets you apart is that you are AWAKE and alive because of the SPIRIT of God inside of you. You have the ability to read and receive the word of God and trust that His word is Spirit AND Truth and He will guide you into all understanding. In the Spirit, you can receive the word of God and know what it means to apply it directly to your life. Not from your own logic, but from the understanding of the Lord whose ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts.

1 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

This verse so beautifully sums up the power of the word of God. What I love especially about this verse is that it’s written to Timothy from his mentor, none other than the Apostle Paul. It’s given as a piece of advice, a way which Timothy and ultimately we should interact with scripture. And I love how it gives the scripture the final say as it applies to our very own lives. And if you take a moment to read all of 2 Timothy 3, you will find that this comes at the end of a chapter warning about the last days. Click here to read.

I’m not here to say when that is or even if I believe it to be any time soon, yet I do feel confident in saying we are closer to the time of Jesus’s return now than Timothy was when he read this letter. We are living in a time where the self is becoming the ultimate Lord of our lives. And I see this equally in the church as I see this outside of the church. We twist and use scripture to satisfy our wants and our lifestyles which we have grown comfortable with. We use it to throw stones at others, without first using it as a mirror to examine our own hearts.

So believer, does God's word have LIVING authority in your life or just logical stimulation? Do you open your heart for examination when you open your Bible?

This is where you encounter the Spirit of the living God. As you use it to illuminate every dark cave of your heart, it’s not always about understanding it with theological correctness. While I hope you come to a place where you have a solid theology, I trust that God as the creator of the universe can teach you, His created and beloved child to understand these foundational truths. When you view the word in this way it changes everything, and mostly it changes YOU. I love how 2 Timothy 3:16 has nothing to do with using the Word against others and everything to do with using it to look at ourselves.

It burdens my heart how rare of an approach this is in the body of believers. And it’s left a lot of us jaded and confused. But friends, this is not the time we back down and blame the way of those who have gone before us. This is not the season in which we sit on the sidelines and watch people play church. This isn’t the time to write of every megachurch pastor as a heretic. And it most certainly isn’t the time to put our Bibles down and stop seeking the Spirit of God.

We need a generation of those who are willing to yield to the Holy Spirit and walk in obedience. We need a generation of people who will not wait for it to make logical sense until they obey. Rather, those who walk on a firm footing into what it is they have been purposed to do for such a time as this.

All my love,

Hailey