This month we are running a brand new video series which I just recorded and released: 49 LIES – 49 Religious Lies Jesus Told Me to Stop Believing. This goes along with a book I wrote about 40 years ago by the same title and is the story of my walk out of legalism and discovery of life in the Spirit.
I remember as a 15 to 20-year-old, I looked at the Church and felt it was devoid of the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was so different from what I expected and wanted it to be as a passionate, newly born-again believer. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I knew I wasn’t satisfied with what the Church was offering me. I wanted to experience what the disciples experienced when Jesus walked in Galilee.
In college I became aware of the history of revivals, and how a revival would quickly be extinguished and lapse into just one more newly formed denomination which embraced a new theology which explained the new truths of that particular revival. However they were often the first to reject the next revival that came along because it was outside their newly formed box.
When the Lord led me to journal about 49 lies that I and other pharisees believed, I was led to repent for believing them and embrace Jesus’ truth instead. This lifted a heavy load from my shoulders. I felt a new lightness and new hope, a new spring in my step. I finally had a clear vision of what the Church was to be and how revival was to be maintained. It was by daily communication with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Phariseeism is all about legalism. It is about making laws for obeying God, rather than having a daily direct encounter with God. Pharisees believe (as I did) that there is no ongoing, daily encounter with God available today, so the only recourse is to create a set of rules to follow and live out of rather than live by the Spirit.
Before I could identify God’s voice within me, I had no choice but to live out of law and be a pharisee. Once I discovered how easy hearing His voice is, that it is flowing thoughts which come from His River which flows within my innermost being, I could then live and walk by the Spirit. This broke me out of the cage of legalism and phariseeism. I was able to set my phariseeism aside and live in a newness of the Spirit.
It was refreshing! I felt more alive than I had ever felt.
This is what we are offering to you in this training series on 49 religious lies Jesus told me to stop believing. May you, too, find full freedom in Christ, and reinvigorated hope and vision of what the true Church looks like and accomplishes in the world today. May we all be set free of our phariseeism so we can worship the Lord in Spirit and truth!
Click here for one of the 49 videos where Jesus speaks to me about renouncing a lie I believed. The lie was that I was to live out of the Bible. See if your heart doesn't burn within as you hear my journaling.
Revival can be ongoing in your life! It does not need to degenerate into one more rule you keep to make Jesus happy. You can experience daily revival by taking daily walks with the Lord in the garden in the cool of the day. Come be restored to God’s original intent, daily conversations with Him! I know religion has told us that He no longer does this, but that is a lie.
Once you are restored to daily walks with Him, you will be as the disciples who talked with Jesus on the Emmaus road. Their hearts burned as He opened Scriptures to them (Lk. 24:32). Yours will, too.
Your theology will be transformed, just as theirs was. Your emotions will be transformed from sad and fearful to joyful and excited, just as theirs were, and your life will go from un-anointed to anointed. How much is this worth? Priceless!!!
Who do you know who would appreciate the opportunity to break free from religious legalism? Guess what: you can offer them a way of escape by encouraging them to watch our April worldwide video event. So spread the word. Let’s fan the flames of revival! The world and the Church so desperately need communion with a Wonderful Counselor. We can offer it to them. Be His feet and hands and spread this good news. Jesus is alive and speaking today and you can easily hear His voice!
