Freedom # 2

FREEDOM TO OWN YOUR FAITH

Long ago, people lived by a system of rules and regulations that told them how to live their lives, and they used priests as intermediaries between themselves and God. We read through the Old Testament and feel thankful that we no longer operate under this burdensome system. We don't have to follow the law and we're plugged directly in with God, we tell ourselves. Yet when you step back to observe the lives of many Christians today, has that much really changed?
In far too many instances, we have created replacement "priests" and laws. We have a mental checklist of things we have to do in order to be okay in our spiritual journeys. Did you attend the Sunday service this week? Read your Bible every day? Prayed before each meal and at the end of the day? Tithe your 10%?
We rely on the experts to interpret scriptures for us and tell us how God wants us to live our lives. Does this sound familiar...you seek direction from God for something in your life, then run what He put on your heart by church leaders only to abandon the nudge you felt if these experts don't agree with it? We worry we'll somehow fall off the deep end or make a major mistake if we don't have a spiritual covering (usually leadership in an institutional group).
Let's face it...as long as your religious practices match up with the accepted creed and principles governing your chosen group of believers, don't you feel you're on track? That you've done enough? Be honest now! And if you don't measure up to the accepted checklist, don't you feel that you're somehow falling short just because another human being is telling you it's so?
While the advice and encouragement of other brothers and sisters who are walking this same journey with you can be invaluable, don't let it end there! This is your life and your spiritual walk we're talking about here. God's desire is a personal, intimate relationship with each one of us. No intermediaries, no list of rules. Just a two-way, no-holds-barred relationship. It's important to know that:

* God wants to walk and talk with you directly
* Jesus came to bridge the gap and show us a better way than through intermediaries or a religious system
* You may not have fancy education or specialized training, but you have Christ's Spirit within you
* The Holy Spirit is big enough to guide us...trust Him
* It's time for you to take ownership of your own faith instead of abdicating that control to other people or a system of rules

Mike & Laura Ege
Outside Edge Coaching