I remember when the government officials came to take the census, I was asked what my religion was and he gave me a list to choose from. In that list was other, having thought for a bit I put other. The man asked me what I believed in when I mentioned other. I said I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have a living relationship with Him. I asked him if I believe in a living person how can I say that is my religion.
Wikipedia free encyclopedia – Religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices, world views, sacred texts, holy places, ethics, and societal organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called “an order of existence”.
Having a relationship with your Maker does not make you religious unless you get into certain types of behaviour and practices. For example: Religion often lays down rules “cover your head”, don’t watch television it is a sin, wear only white, girls should not wear trousers, killing in the name of your god, and the list is endless.
Two years ago when I was in India ministering to a group of 700 people I asked the Lord what He wanted to do that morning. I have a relationship with my God so I could talk to Him and get an answer immediately. He told me He wanted to heal the people. So I agreed, and very excitedly told my team this was what God wanted to do. Someone on the team religiously said we should lay hands on each one, I said to her “no laying hands”, God is going to do something and I am just making an announcement that God wants to heal, and that’s it. She argued “oh but its biblical” I said yes I agree however let’s not get religious over this lets work with God and obey Him by just making the announcement. What do you think happened? The Lord gave me words of knowledge on the sick and I announced those first and then asked people to come to the front and stand under 6 yards of a blue saree we held up from the 4 corners. People started to run up as they identified the sicknesses they had with what I had announced. I asked them to run up to the stage and testify when they got healed. From that moment on I had no work, I watched as God showed up healing people all over that auditorium. I was overwhelmed. Literally hundreds were healed.
Religion did not work but relationship did. If we build our relationship with the Lord more we will see miracles more. Today we don’t see enough of the miraculous simply because Christianity has become a religion.
You only need to look at our church services to know that we are so religious. We read our prayers from a book, if the sermon goes beyond 15 minutes we get angry at the preacher. We have a plan for the service and if and when the Holy Spirit wants to move we shut Him down because He doesn’t fit our religious schedule. Does all this sound familiar? Let us ask the question like Gideon where are all the miracles we have heard off Judges 6: 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
If you read his story you will find after he begins a relationship with God everything changes for him. He began to experience the miraculous.
There are so many students of the Bible. They read and study it and they can quote the Bible inside out. In Israel the tour guides have to learn the Bible like this. We read, we study but have no relationship with the One who we are reading about. So we miss the joy and blessing of knowing and having a relationship with the creator of the universe. If you feel that you need to change the way you do things after reading this blog pray with me.
Dear Lord Jesus I have read about You I have studied about You but I have no connection with You. Please help me today to change my religion into a relationship so that I will experience who You are and the miraculous way I can live. In Jesus name Amen
Rhuani Rambukwelle
