Introduction

Insecure. Powerless. Distant. These are some of the words that describe the way many people feel about their relationship with God. Countless numbers of us have been misled into thinking that if we fall short in our faith in some way, we might not make it to heaven. At times we can be unsure about our salvation. We may wonder if we have measured up to the minimum acceptable level of faith or if we have drifted too far away in our hearts to still be saved.

«Why don’t I feel close to God? Where is the power I read about in the Bible? Am I walking close enough to God to keep my salvation? What does God think or feel about me?»

This is a book for all of us who are looking to walk more intimately with God and to experience more of His power and presence. It is for those who want to know for sure that they are loved and accepted just the way they are, who want to stand tall and be confident in who God made them to be.

Many of us have been hurt and disillusioned by religion, but we still yearn to know the Creator of the universe on a personal level. We have felt the frustration and discouragement of constantly striving to meet certain “biblical” expectations. And yet we long to know more about the love, grace, freedom, and happiness we sense is available to us. Some of us have simply given up on Christianity, feeling disgusted by hypocrisy, condemned by leaders, and burned out by the endless treadmill of trying to measure up.

Bono (lead singer of the band U2) once said, “Religion is what you have when the Spirit has left the building.” Too much of Christianity has come under the spirit of religion by not allowing the Spirit of God the freedom to lead. We can easily know the Holy Spirit is present when there is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22–23.

Not only are these the fruits of the Holy Spirit, they are also words that describe God’s character. They should describe the people who know Him, as well.

The spirit of religion is the opposite of these. It promotes judgment, oppression, condemnation, accusation, self-righteousness, hatred, and fear. This type of religion is destructive, and it kills our souls. It deceives us into thinking that we are defending God’s honor, taking a stand for what is right and opposing what is wrong, when in reality we are being led away from His heart, which is full of grace.

It’s time to break free from the spirit of religion and put an end to these destructive ways. Religion shackles us to the fear of not being good enough. (Note: In this book, “religion” refers to that which is influenced by the spirit of religion, which is from the Devil, and not to the pure, godly religion spoken of in James 1.) Instead, let’s align ourselves with the Spirit of Truth. He is good and frees us from this fear with unconditional love.

We know the truth when we hear it because it makes us come alive in our hearts. Truth breathes joy into us. Truth is healing. Truth brings freedom. Truth is powerful.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the truth.”

Jesus is the truth that reveals God’s heart, and He demonstrated these attributes wherever He went. He was continually mobbed by thousands of people because life, joy, healing, freedom, and power flowed out from Him. Jesus was love wrapped in flesh.

Our goal is to get to know this Jesus better, to learn more about who He really is, what He really did for us, and what it means for our lives. To accomplish this goal we will look at the true, biblical meaning of grace and see if there are any limits to it. We will dissect Bible passages that seem to contradict this amazing grace and determine if they should be translated or interpreted differently. We will also see if the Enemy has distorted our perception of the Bible to promote religion and all of its trappings. And hopefully before the end of our time together we will get to the heart of God and see what’s really there.

Derek Mitchell