![solar-myths-dispelled_clouds[1]](http://i0.wp.com/www.suzies-story.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/solar-myths-dispelled_clouds1.jpg?resize=993%2C436)
She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: “I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows”.
Proverbs 7:13–14
Unfortunately, there are those who use religion to get their way. Some businessmen use the art of Christian conversation to give the appearance of values and principles based on the Bible. However, once they make the sale or close the deal, their self-serving and dishonest ways reveal who they really are. They may be single adults who prey on unsuspecting single adults in church. They attend church to take advantage of trusting souls.
One of the worst types of deception is spiritual deception—using God to get our way. In marriage it may be the husband who uses submission to control his wife, or it may be the wife who uses grace to withhold from her husband. Therefore, warn those who, like Simon in the early church, try to buy the Holy Spirit for their benefit. Cultivate authentic spirituality in your heart and mind through prayer, worship, and community. “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” (Colossians 2:23).
True spirituality, on the other hand, is motivated and controlled by the Spirit of Christ. There is authenticity because almighty God is the initiator. True spirituality is not just looking out for itself but is sincerely concerned with serving others. You are comfortable with them because you know they care for you. Integrity rises from their business and religious activities. Their yes is their yes, and their no is their no. There are no surprises; what you see is what you get. True spirituality comes over time. It is forged on the anvil of adversity, taught at the hearth of humility, and received at the gate of God’s grace.
You know your religion is real when you love others above your own needs and you care for the poor and needy. True spirituality leads others to love God and want to seek out their own personal love relationship with Him that is real and personal.
Friends, the one scripture that has always resonated with me when working closely with other people of Faith is the scripture that says in Matthew 7:15-20 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit. But a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Love and Peace, Suzie