Matthew 15:8, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
People of God, never forget that Christianity is a relationship that lies in the heart – it’s not a religion. Today, it is very easy to prioritise impressive words to please people when praying in public or when going through the motions of reciting Scripture. But as Matthew 15:8 reminds us, we can easily pretend to ‘honour’ God with our lips while our hearts can be far from Him.
The religious mindset is so dangerous because it uses seemingly Godly things while disconnecting our daily dependence on God – our Source. For example, prayer can become a ritual when we say the words but don’t mean them – when the heart is no longer required and the Spirit can no longer inspire. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, your prayers can impress man but not reach God. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, you will read the Bible to be informed, not to be transformed. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, your fasting is just a hunger strike.
The religious mindset does not recognise the importance of the heart. That’s why we can follow a plan of man, even if initially it was inspired by God, but have turned it into a blueprint that we adopt irrespective of the heart. We need inspiration from the Holy Spirit, not imitation of man. We need revelation from the Holy Spirit, not repetition of what has worked in the past. We need relationship with God, not religion.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, forgive my religious mindset that has attempted to replicate results at the price of process, that has substituted inspiration with imitation, and replaced revelation with repetition. Give me the grace to honour You with all my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.