Beware of "Feel Good" Religion

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Recently a friend told me about a church she was attending that she really loves.  It is a fellowship of people who believe in God, believe in doing good, and that we are all part of a universal goodness that we can easily tap into.  It is, without a doubt, a "feel good" church, steeped in New Age philosophies.  Scriptures from the Holy Bible are not read there, just philosophical thought stemming from the likes of Emerson and Dr. Wayne Dyer, and others.  Interesting that they would believe in God, but not use or refer to His Word!  Many times, the moment I quote Scripture to such liberal thinkers, they are usually silenced, and sometimes they try to shut me up.  Why? Because the Word of God is living and powerful, and exposes all untruth.  It is our strategic weapon against all untruth, and when we wield it, things happen in the supernatural. God promises us that because it is living, it won't return to Him void, and it will also bear fruit.

Feel good religions do not want to hear the truth.  They want to believe what they want without the cost of giving up the pleasures of self and sin.  There is no real cost involved. They will rarely feel uncomfortable in their godless lifestyle because they believe that nearly everything is acceptable!  They will have no one over them to answer to because they believe there are no moral absolutes.   They believe that God is just one of many, and you can pray to a universal force, a spirit guide, a higher power, or other gods.  

In today's world, there are many religions that have a form of godliness and it all sounds good. The distinguishing mark is that they deny Jesus, and the power of His Words found only in the Holy Bible!  They have a religion of their own making that you soon discover is devoid of God as He reveals Himself in His Word.  If you talk about salvation and a new life that is available only in Christ, this is where you will notice that the entire tone of your conversation will change, and may come to a screeching halt!  It soon becomes evident that they do not know God at all in any sort of revelatory way!

Let's make no mistake, we can only know God as He reveals Himself to us, and He only does this through His Word.  We cannot personally know God through man-made rituals, nature, chants, relics, man's philosophy, or simply by going to church.  So our adversary the devil is doing everything possible to keep people from believing in and reading and searching the Word of God for their ultimate answers in life!

Paul's warning to the Colossian church had to do with Gnosticism among other pagan beliefs.  Gnosticism is a belief that they had superior spiritual knowledge, a dangerous belief that exalts self, and denies the reality of man's fallen sinful state, and the supremacy of God over all as it is written in the Bible.  The Colossian church was similar to the New Age thinkers of today.  It was steeped in humanism, the rights of individuals as more important than what God's Word says, and tolerance, that every belief is acceptable, and no one's "religion" is better than another's.  Does this sound familiar?  Yet, when people believe their own knowledge is superior, they dethrone God and His sovereignty that He reigns supreme.  They nullify the grace of God and make it into a cheap grace.  They make it seem that what Jesus did on the cross for us, taking our sin upon Himself, is a story book fantasy, and something they don't need.

If you are a Bible-believing Christian, take heed.  There are many seducing spirits out there hoping to dupe not only the unbeliever, but believers as well!  If you feel that you have already been affected, then now is the time to shake off a slumbering spirit and get busy for the Kingdom of God!  Seek His face and seek His Word -- everything that we need is found in Him and Him alone!

The Scriptures at the beginning of this blog make it clear that we do not need any of the philosophies of the world, nor the traditions of man.  Our fulfillment does not lie in any of the things of this world, nature, materialism, false gods, or anything else.  All that we need is found in Christ, and He reigns supreme over all.  As His children we have a great commission that is simple, uncomplicated and packed with power.  In these troublesome days, it is urgent that we take it seriously, and go out and make an impact.  We must be willing to go to the front lines where Satan has set up his colonies of deception and untruth, hoping to herd multitudes into a godless hell.  Time is running out, now is the time to act!