Read James 1:26. “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” Oh how I thought I was religious! I had someone very close to me say on Christmas Eve that it is BS (her words were said in full) that I was not a Christian when I was in High School. I was super “religious” in the way James uses the term. Back when the Book of James was written the word “religion” was understood to mean a persons outward display of ceremonial worship. I was even respected by this person because I was not too over the top. My “religion” was politically and socially acceptable and palatable and because of that it was desirable. It was what is called “easy believism.” It was not hot. It was not cold. It was right in the middle. That perfect (disgusting) lukewarm “Christianity.”

I believe there is going to be a great shift soon and it is already happening around the world. People are going to start becoming more black and white. More hot and more cold. There will be people who literally fall away from their “faith” and those that realize their faith was no faith at all and they will repent and turn FULLY to Christ. Think about James 1:26. “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” What do we see happening in most Christian circles today? Gossip. TONS of gossip. All in the name of prayer, or supporting one another. The church’s tongue is not bridled. There is rampant deception going on right in our very own churches! Pastors are watering down their sermons and their theology so much that they have no problem advocating a One Faith Religion.

Take note my friend, just because people claim to be a follower of Jesus does not mean we are “on the same team.” This is not my theology. Read the entire Bible and it will scream at you. Many people who claim to be faith based believers in Jesus Christ will not be going to Heaven. READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE! That is where most people fall short. They never have actually read the entire Bible. Cover to cover. Multiple times. The reason it is called the Living Word is because it brings life to those who read it. It brings eternal life. As my pastor, Mike Fabarez likes to say “The best way to guard against heresy is to read the Bible thoroughly and often.”

This world is so infectious! It is like when your child wants something from you, they are relentless. To ignore them is to be a superwoman. There is no balance in this world as so many people think there is. There is no way to COEXIST as the bumper sticker says with all the religious symbols. It is clear in the Bible that if you are a lover of the world you cannot have the love of God. (1 John 2:15) You cannot have it both ways. This was what hit me so hard a couple years ago. I thought I was saved and then started looking at how I was living my life: chasing after money, bigger homes, nicer cars, upgraded kitchens, etc etc etc. These things are a waste of time. One of my good friends calls it “shining the poo.” That is all we are really doing when you really think about it. It is a funny turn of phrase but it makes sense. Compared to where we are going (if you are indeed headed for Heaven) then anything we love in this world is pretty much poo.