James 1.26-27

"26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

re⋅li⋅gion 

–noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Religion is so funny. People get so frustrated over it. Especially the "Christian Religion". And I always wondered to myself- Why is that? And it's actually pretty simple. People- Mankind- As fallen and faulty as they are, have turned it into something it was never meant to be. There are many "Christians" that don't agree with the way that I (or we, at Northwest) run our "Religion" and it's just funny to me. People have forgotten the basic principals of what Religion is. They have turned it into a powerhouse for profits, for ruling, for whatever. But God was very clear about this.

Jesus wasn't religious.

He simply loved the Lord and chose to follow his heart. That's all God asks of us Christians. That we love him and do what he says of us to do (or not do). And even THAT speaks of his character. He tells us to do (or not do) these things because it's a heart issue. It's ALWAYS a heart issue. It's like your mother telling you not to put your hand on the stove or run across the street as a child. You don't quite understand it, or why she told you to not do these things, but it's pretty obvious as an adult as to why you shouldn't. You could get burned pretty bad, you could get hit by a car. But a child doesn't understand these things yet. They just have to trust that it's what Mom said so it needs to be obeyed.

It's the same thing with God. People turn it into this whole "He doesn't want me to have any fun" "He's a controlling God, it's just too much to handle" when in all actuality, he's telling you not to do certain things because he knows it not just CAN but WILL hurt you in the long run. We, as mankind, have to get back to that original principal of it. It's so simple and we turn it into something ridiculously difficult to the point of thinking it's TOO difficult, and end up giving up on it. It.is.so.simple.

Love the Lord.

That's it! That's my entire religion handed to you on a piece of paper. Love.The.Lord. Think about that for a moment. If you loved the Lord (not just SAID you loved the Lord but ACTUALLY loved the Lord)... you wouldn't WANT to do the things that he's said not to do. Why? Well if your husband (or your boyfriend) asked you to stop seeing other guys because you were with HIM now, would you do it? Of course. Why? Out of love and respect for him. I mean, that just makes sense. It's the same principal with God.

If you LOVED him, you'd do what he says.

God,
Thank you for being so amazing and apparent in my life and those around me. I love that I am getting to know you all over again. I love that just when I think there's not enough revelation to have on you, you blow me out of the water yet again. You are ever changing, yet you are always the same. You are a conundrum and I love that about you. Thank you for loving me in return. Holy Spirit, be with me today and I ask that you are already preparing the way for the healings that are going to take place tonight at Salveo at the church tonight. You are so so so awesome and I can't wait to see the miracles that are going to happen. Bless your name. I love you. I trust you.

amen.