What Kind of Spirit Do you Have?
By
Bishop Melvin Maughmer
OPENING: - One of the greatest hindrances you will encounter in your Christian walk is that of the religious spirit. Religious spirits endeavor to interfere with the free flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. They can be hard to discern simply because they are religious; they are pious, even hyper-spiritual. Their influence can spread through every aspect a person’s life and church like yeast in a lump of dough. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 16:6 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”. The religious spirit is a demonic spirit that influences a person, or group of people, to replace a genuine relationship with God with works and traditions. When people operate out of a religious spirit they attempt to earn salvation by adopting nonbiblical beliefs, traditions and customs.
At the early part of Jesus’ ministry, He gives seven blessings on the righteous. Matthew 5:3-10 we find the portion of the Sermon on the Mount which is the Beatitudes. It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew and takes place shortly after Jesus has been baptized by John the Baptist, finished his fasting and spiritual battle with Satan in the desert. In this message Jesus says to the righteous “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, they shall be comforted, shall inherit the earth, shall be filled, shall obtain mercy, shall see God, and shall be called the sons of God”.
Near the end of His ministry He declares eight woes on the unrighteous or self-righteous Pharisees Matthew 23 13–31 because WATCH THIS:- They shut up heaven, took advantage of widows, misled men to eternal destruction, were covetous of worldly things, refused to show compassion, were inwardly corrupt and afflicted the righteous.
SCRIPTURE:- Matthew 23:1-31 focus verses 13 -31. There are 2 words that I feel I need to highlight in the beginning of this message, they are Hypocrite and Woe.
The word HYPOCRITE is according to Webster’s Dictionary a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion, a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
The word WOE is according to Webster’s Dictionary is a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief, ruinous trouble calamity affliction.
The reason why Jesus declared these woes upon the Pharisees is because of Religious Spirits. A religious spirit is a demonic force that wages war against the grace of GOD in our lives and the acceptance of JESUS' work as true fulfillment of GOD'S covenant between GOD and man that hinders us from developing a relationship with God. As stated, religious spirits endeavor to interfere with the free flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. They can be hard to discern simply because they are religious; they are pious, even hyper-spiritual. Their influence can spread through every aspect a person’s life and church like yeast in a lump of dough.
The problem with religious spirits is many times those who have religious spirits don't come close to the behavior they read about with the Pharisees, so they don’t believe they have religious spirits operating in their lives.
Proverbs 18:14 says “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear”? Religious spirits cause our spirts to become wounded and if not taken care of who can bear?
We must understand that we are a Dichotomy, we have dual natures or spirits. We have a flesh nature/spirit and a spiritual nature/spirit, and they are at war with each other. Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would”.
The sad thing is many times the spirit natures looses in the battle because how can it fight against the flesh when the flesh eats better and lives better. Many times, the spirit part of us only eats once a week and that is a drive thru meal. We often spend a great deal of time making sure the flesh get exercise and is taken care of properly, not that we are a body builder or athlete but, we walk, golf, ride bikes, etc. to ensure the flesh is good, but when it comes to the spirit side of us all we do is pray 2 to 3 minutes before we fall into the bed and go to sleep. Sometimes we shout out a Hallelujah or Thank you Jesus because that could have been an accident, but it wasn’t.
UNDERSTAND:- Having a religious spirit is so destructive to our intimate relationship with GOD and ultimately the effectiveness the church is supposed to have in the world. Just like the flesh and the spirit, are contrary toward each other so is religion and relationship. That is why religious spirits work so hard to hinder true meaningful relationships between GOD and us.
David said in Psalm 27:4 “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple”. Paul says in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. Fred Hammond comes and says, “Just to be close to You”. That is relationship and if you want a true intimate relationship with God then we must be aware of and avoid religious spirits!
Religious spirits are far more dangerous to the health of Christ's Church and the people of God than all the New Age, Occult, Satan worshiping movements put together. Because you know and expect negativity and disruptive motives from them, but so-called religious “Christians” is something you don’t expect.
Someone may say but Jesus is talking to the Pharisees of His time so why are you talking about religious spirits today. The question is do religious spirits manifest in our lives today and the answer is a definite YES! WATCH THIS: - Some may be plagued with feelings of never being good enough for GOD, while some may be infected with self-righteousness and false holiness. Some have a form of godliness but lack the power. Some people know the current religious buzzwords and Christian lingo, they know how to shout and speak in something that might resemble tongues but they are faultfinders that put down those with true spiritual discernment while they live a life directed by carnality and false religion.
It is easy for people of today the so-call modern Christians to scoff at the Pharisees.
In the Gospels, they appear mean, petty, and vindictive. Let us be careful, though, because the Pharisees were the religious leaders of their day, enjoying and abusing their power and prestige. Today’s church sadly is full of leaders and laity that face these same temptations of power, prestige, superiority, holier than thou-ism.
Let us get into the meet of this message.
THE FIRST WOE: Matthew 23:13 - SHUT UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Matthew 23:13 says “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in”.
In the first woe, Jesus teaches us that religious spirits are carnal hypocrites that stand as legalistic guards against the deep spiritual and meaningful things of God.
They won’t enter in themselves, nor will they permit you to enter in. Shutting up the Kingdom of heaven against men is a very common activity today of religious people that neither advance nor increase in the things of God or allow anyone else to, either. They stand as fiery Seraphim that so-call guard the things of the Spirit of God all in the name of religious duty. They spew out of their mouths the 7 deadly words of the church “We never done it like this before”. They are Denominational separatist that exercise complete control blocking people from God by establishing traditions and spiritual roadblocks. They teach that their church or their denomination is the only one that is right and refuse or hinder receiving knowledge, which is shutting up heaven, from others.
I recall I had someone once question me and even try to debate me on it. We were getting ready to have a service and I invited this certain preacher to be the guest speaker for this service. This person that was clearly operating under a religious spirit said “Are you really going to allow them into the pulpit and preach”? I said of course why not they said, “Well they are from another denomination and they don’t have it like we have it”! I had to remind this person that it was Jesus Christ Himself – when the disciple came to Him and said we saw other, not of us, cast out devils in your name and we started to call down fire from heaven – Jesus said leave them alone, other sheep I have not of this fold I must need bring in – if they are for me then they can’t be against me”.
See tradition caused that religious spirit to raise it’s head and question something that was the rudiments of men and not the Will or Word of God.
We must understand that when God created this planet He did put all the gold, silver, iron, oil, and all the other minerals in one place, but He spread it out all over the planet WHY because no one can say they have it all, but if we can get one mineral from here and another from there then maybe we can work together and actually accomplish something.
Has anyone ever blocked Scriptural truth from being taught to you? Has anyone ever made fun of your spirituality or your relationship with Jesus? Saying things like you just think you are holier than thou! What you just trying to get God all for yourself. You trying to deepen your relationship with God and all they are worried about is are we going to get wings or pizza tonight.
Still others shut up the Kingdom of Heaven by opposing personal prophecy, fervent prayer, speaking in tongues, praying for the sick, singing that song, going to that church, and so on.
That is just a few of the obvious ways people today shut up the Kingdom of Heaven, let’s keep in mind that sometimes shutting up the Kingdom of Heaven can be less obvious. It can be as subtle as not being supportive of your church’s leadership. So rather than getting behind the vision and helping, for example, the religious spirit refuses to cooperate. The religious spirit prefers to buck the vision, argue incisively, complain completely, debate and debase, therefore impeding the plans and progress of God. How Bishop because religious spirits hinders God’s plan for the church. All of us must beware of the religious spirit who shuts up the Kingdom of Heaven.
THE SECOND WOE: Matthew 23:14 RELIGIOUS SPIRITS PUT ON A SHOW
Matthew 23:14 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore; ye shall receive the greater damnation”
In the second woe of Jesus, we discover that religious spirits will put on a show. In the Scripture below “for a pretense” could be translated “to put on a show.”
The Religious spirit of entertainment has so corrupted the Church today that millions don't even know that it's a heresy. They don't realize that it's as much heresy, as the counting of beads, praying to idols, offering human sacrifices or something else.
UNDERSTAND:- The church is not a religious stage to provide a place for amateur entertainers to display their talents! For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was a device designed by the devil for wasting time, a scheme to divert the attention from moral accountability and focus on sensual desires.
However, as the religious spirit of entertainment has infiltrated the church and many people of the church it has caused the church to act in a way of seemingly being unable to conquer the god entertainment. Therefore, they try to join forces with him and make whatever use of his powers. The result becomes that the religious spirit of entertainment pushes out the serious things of God. Sadly, hardly anyone raises their voice against it because it is being presented and accepted as a new move of God when the Bible says there is nothing new under the son. The religious spirit of entertainment amuses people by telling them stories that take fast hold of the minds of the saints and amuses them instead of presenting the unadulterated Word of God which will Convict, Convince, Convert, and Comfort them. Story-telling and other forms of entertainment may be natural and beautiful in a child-like setting and theater but when they try to invade the sanctuary and seek to pass for true religion it is deadly. The church is not a religious theater where performers are paid to amuse those who attend. It is an assembly of redeemed sinners, hurting people that desperately need an encounter with God.
Before the pandemic it had become common practice for some churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious spiritual and biblical instruction. We now find it almost impossible to get people to attend a meeting, like a prayer meeting or Bible class where the only attraction is God. It seems as though the people of God bored with God and must be wooed with sugar coated sermon and popcorn.
Have you ever experienced or even may have done yourself a religious show that was nothing more than a demonstration of a false anointing? Heard a person’s testimony or given one yourself that was nothing more than a personal preaching promotion.
Then you have likely witnessed or fallen under the religious spirit of pretense.
THE THIRD WOE: Matthew 23:15 FALSE DISCIPLES AND SPIRITUAL SONS
Matthew 23:15 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves”.
In the third woe Jesus declares that the Pharisees are hypocrites that do everything possible to raise up religious sons just as legalistic as themselves.
Romans 8:19 says “The whole world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God”. People with religious spirits, however, are not interested in the development of true sons of God. They work on duplicating others after their own religious images rather than sons of God who are conformed into His image. This is a strategy of the religious spirit to isolate its prey from true spiritual covering with false mentoring that creates unhealthy soul ties. The goal, of course, is to create false sons.
False leaders (spiritual fathers) exercise the seat of authority in a "lordship" type position. They become stuck on title and position instead of relationship and service. The atmosphere of the entire congregation is inundated with a sense of everyone needs to serve the leader and it's all about the leader’s vision and any sons need to serve their father's vision. They fail to understand the scripture of old men having dreams and young men visions.
The problem with this line of thinking is that it is the opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus said that those leaders who are considered great, are those who serve everyone else. The one that pastors the church and governs it must become the servant. This does not mean that the governor should require everyone to serve him and build his ministry. It means that the governor uses his power and authority to empower people into their God given callings. Any natural father desires to see his sons do better and do more than he did and this is how spiritual fathers should be.
Ephesians 4:11-13 deals with equipping and empowering the people of God for the work of the ministry. The scripture does not say that the leader is to perfect/equip the saints for the building up of and work of his own ministry.
True sons will serve their father, but service should always be based on relationship, not requirement. Required service is the operation of a religious spirit, it is burdensome, while service done out of friendship is an easy yoke to bear.
Jesus called His sons to be in relationship with Him before He expected them to serve Him. Some pastors or leaders will not even consider spending time with someone unless they serve their ministry first. Some leaders will not even allow you to "fit in" at their church until you prove that you are willing to serve them and their agenda. We must ask ourselves, is that how Jesus operates? Is that the love of God? Jesus got His sons to serve Him faithfully by establishing relationship with them. Whether it is sons serving fathers or fathers serving sons; relationship must be our foundation. That is Kingdom.
If you ever been under the authority of one of these leaders that suppress spiritual growth and only want you to serve them or have been one yourself that is a religious spirit.
CLOSE PART ONE.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr
