The Spirit of Religion

We thank God for yet another opportunity to be in the Lord's presence. Like David. I don't know about you, but me I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in God's house than to be at another worker in somewhere in the devil's house.

A day in God's court is better than a thousands. I don't know if this is your own testimony, but I know that for me, and it is by the grace of God that we are here. So I was searching my spirit to see, like God, what would you have for your church? Being that this is the last day of the month of March, God has been faithful and God is speaking, then God has a plan for his church.

There is something in the mind of God and we, when we say God, let your will be done. It means that we are going to allow ourselves to be used by God to enforce the will of God. God will not do anything on earth without a man. He will not do anything on earth.

He said, can I hide this thing for my friend Abraham? What stop God from doing it without Abraham? But he wants to partner with men to do his will. So there's the mind of God concerning this church for April.

As I enter April, there is something that is bothering God concerning us and which is all I received this morning. And the topic is the spirit of religiosity. The spirit of religiosity. So I was just praying this morning and I was just praying normally, not even looking for this thing.

I didn't really think about it. Then it just dropped. Then the scripture just came in. So.

And we want to look at that quickly. It's like a study. You know, the Bible says the entrance of the world gives light and understanding. Not to the complex, not to the pompous, not to the big, not to those who claim to have read Genesis revelation, not to the theologians.

But guess what? To the simple. To the simple. You see, the gospel is extremely simple.

It's so simple that even the wisest person cannot still comprehend it. That's the foolishness of the gospel. That's why many people still did, still can't believe that Jesus died and rose again. And that's why if you believe in him, you will not perish back eternal life.

Do you know that the wisest people on earth, scientists, people that have gone to school and studied, they still can't just believe that simple truth that believe in Jesus Christ and you make heaven, they feel that it doesn't make sense for someone to just believe in someone that just came and you go to heaven. They feel there must be a way. And guess what I reading in the news yesterday how that AI these AI scientists, they are trying to the old thing. They're trying to, they're trying to see there should be a way people can end enter heaven without God.

You can see how crazy people are. They're actually looking for. They believe that there must be a way aside Jesus for people to go into heaven. They are already accepted.

Okay, there's heaven and hell. When they die, something's going to happen. Many of them believe now they're not. Okay, okay.

How can we enter into heaven? How can we go there? That's what you think when they're building out of Babu. I mean I'm not saying that's what exactly it is, but could be that maybe they were trying to see God or something like that.

So they're trying to maneuver ways and that's why we have what so many religions today. I want to look at this thing. And so we are looking at it in these five dimensions. What is this spirit?

Why is it a burden in the heart of God? Why is God impressing it now? How can we identify the spirit? And are there examples in the scripture of this spirit at work in the children of men, even the children of Israel?

And what is the way out? So I'll start with what now? A religious spirit from the scripture and I'll show you. A religious spirit is a demonic spirit sent to attempt to deceive and hide the truth of God's kingdom under religion.

Yeah, it's a demonic spirit that is sent to attempt to deceive and hide the truth of God's kingdom under the word religion. And also the religious spirit is a type of demonic spirit that seeks to seize, is trying to seize a genuine relationship with God through pride, deception and control. Extreme cases. It looks like when people try to operate, when people try to operate in under a demonic religious spirit, they attempt to end salvation.

Example, the Muslims, they believe that the way to receive salvation by ending it. That's the religious spirit. They want to end salvation. Even the Jews, the Pharisees before that's what they thought.

The only way they can make is by ending their salvation. So they work hard, they do so much right. They are pushing, they are doing righteous things, giving arms. I heard someone saying it's almost.

They say, oh, the more we do good, the more you your chance of going to heaven. So they don't know whether they're going to heaven or not. That's how the Muslims believe. They say until that day, that's all we know.

For now we just keep doing Muslims we don't know yet. But as we continue doing good works, our chances of going see, they're not even sure. They are just they are attempting to end salvation. And you know the funny thing about the spirit is extremely, very subtle in the sense that you can't spot it with your naked eye.

You can't be seen with the naked eye. You know, that's why the Bible calls Satan, that he comes as an angel of light, a form of light, but it's extremely dark. That's why the Bible says you cannot discern spiritual things as a natural man with your naked eyes you can't. That's what the Pharisees were trying to do.

That's why no matter how much Jesus came to them, they still could not see. Even God himself prophesied, you will hear, but you will never come into it. You will see, but you will actually never see in sin. They will see.

They can't see. It's like you are looking but you can't still see it. You are hearing but you can't still hear it. Because God saw the state of their hearts and they have been in bondage by a spirit.

Now why is this important? You see that majority of Jesus ministry. If you look at Jesus ministry, what did Jesus miss? Matthew, Mark, Luke, just check the people was always attacking Jesus even told us that I did not come to for the Gentiles.

No, he said Jesus himself said I came for the lordship of Israel. Now who is the lordship Israel in 2026 lordship look like Jesus came to the church or the so called in quote the church. And inside the church he came to look for the lost sheep. I'm saying this because we have churches today.

Why do you think we in Nigeria? Nigeria has the highest population of churches. Nigeria is the most religious nation in the world. Go and check the most the biggest pastors and everything is inside Nigeria.

But yet the most corrupt country in the world is still Nigeria. Can you see the irony of this thing? Do you see why it is a very, very deep topic, this thing? I'm saying I approached the Holy Spirit because I was asking Holy Spirit, help me.

How do I articulate this thing properly so that it doesn't seem offensive? See, that's the truth. The truth is always bitter and offensive. Despite the fact that God's work on Lagos.

You see the number of churches in Lagos, just Lagos alone. Yet corruption is at its Peak that shows you how wise the enemy is. You're not trying to glorify Satan. But I'm saying that Satan has been from the Garden of Eden.

He has been studying mankind to understand how they operate. Satan. Now go to the observer. I've seen that these people, when they eat it.

If I come in my normal form, these people will run away from me. If I wear red clothes and enter church, everybody will scatter, running for me. So why don't I just dress like them? Why don't I talk like them?

Why don't I learn their language? You know all those, brother. This you know. Why don't I behave like them, act like them, do like them?

Why don't I come and preach like them? Why don't I pray like them? Why don't I just do like them? Nobody will know.

I think I'll be more effective. Say, okay, fine. You know what? Demons.

Come, come, come. Let's talk. I want you to go and possess this. All of them.

Send them. Send like 50 agents inside one church. Put them. Put them on the choir.

Put them. Elders, put them. Children, put them there. Just make sure they are normal.

Don't allow them to do too much grab, grab. Don't allow them to do. Don't allow them to do like this. Don't allow them.

Don't allow their horn to show. Don't allow their tail or whatever. Don't allow it to be exposed. Just make sure they are quietly doing their job.

I don't mind them having their service. See, I'm. See, the Bible even said that. Don't be ignorant of the devices of the wicked.

We're getting somewhere. I try to help us. See, you know, you can stay in Church for 50, 16 years and this spirit can be so dormant. He doesn't mind you coming to church, praying, fasting, doing all those things.

So long as you don't see Jesus, I'm okay. So long as you don't manifest or do what God has called you to do, it's okay. He knows that if this one rise up, he knows that if this person rises up, thousands of souls will go to heaven. So therefore, let's make sure he stays in the system and continue to function that way.

I'm okay. Let's manage the situation. No, manage it. Manage it.

Let you know. Let you know that you will grow beyond this. Let them stay there. Imagine me as a father.

I see my child for 30 years my child has not grown higher than this table. And he already gets on to get married. She. I will not Fear.

You see, God wants us to grow. Satan wants us to be like, oh, okay, fine, okay, let's give life to Christ, okay? Just make sure he doesn't grow beyond it. You know, Satan is not sometimes Satan, sometimes, you know, he also does.

I'm not trying to reverse it, but I'm trying to expose the works of the enemy. Because Satan doesn't mind it that, oh, we are in Christ. Sometimes he weighs the course. If this one make heaven and 1000 people will go to hell, I'm okay, I tell you what I said let this end.

Okay, fine, let him make heaven, but make sure this one don't go. Because see that 1000 souls are tied to this guy. So if I allow this one to just give life to Christ and listen, but make sure he doesn't grow beyond this so that he's not going to be able to come and witness to these people. I'm fine.

Those ones will go to hell. One person going. And that's how the ratio does it. Like this.

Now let's look at what Jesus came to do. I said this because I observed today that majority of Jesus ministry was focused on exposing the work of darkness. Did you know that throughout the Old Testament, rarely did you see the devil in the picture the way it was in the New Testament? Did you see, did you even see a single demon in the Old Testament?

If you check, there was not even like a single case. Oh, it was not round pants. It was not like very common. The way you see that nobody even casted out a demon.

All the attempts was when David was playing musical instruments. God allowed the spirit to possess an evil spirit to possess Saul. And so only when David played the instruments, that's when the spirit left. Not that he left, but he temporarily just stopped tormenting him.

And Saul was calm. That was the only like obvious one like that. I'm saying this because throughout, from the Old Testament, before Jesus Christ came, the devil has been walking in the background so much that nobody noticed. Every if you read all the scriptures, they were always blaming God, anything that happened to them.

You see Hannah, when Hannah's womb was shot, Hannah said, God shot my womb. When things were happening, everybody was just accusing God. Ruth, Naomi, Naomi, all her family, her husband died, her two children died. Guess what she did?

She said, God has done this to me. Why am I saying this? And yet the Bible says that God does not do wicked. God does not give children evil things.

All good and perfectly comes from God. God does not give people evil things. Because you loving father, I mean, I'M your child, I'm your father. Will I ever want to come and hurt you intentionally?

Will I ever want to hurt you? No. So why then? Because they could not see that the devil was at work.

Okay, they now attempted the Bible now try to attempt to show us that actually the devil is at work. Look at Jacob and Job. The Bible had to start. Imagine nothing will have stopped the Bible from hiding.

That part where Satan went to meet God and said, see your son. Look at this guy. Look at what he's doing, succeeding, everything. Allow me to go and draw this into him.

Those are the kind of conversations concerning some of us. Allow me to do this thing. So it was Satan that it was not God that tormented Job. I'm saying it because the devil's work has been hidden for so long until Jesus Christ came.

And look at see the proof of that. Jesus Christ said it himself. Let's look at the book of Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 11 to 13. Ephesians 5, 11, 13.

You see, unless you understand this thing, many people will remain in bondage. I'm trusting the holy spiritual spirit. Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 11. See what Jesus Christ came to.

5, 11. Let me rather remove them. Okay, okay. Let me.

First John 3 verse. First John 3, verse 8. I'll read down after. First John 3, verse 8.

First John 3, verse 8. See what Jesus came to do. He that committed sins of the devil for the devil sinner from the beginning. For this purpose the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Another one talks about Jesus exposing the works of the devil. The devil has been in the background for far too long. It is time for the works of the devil to be exposed even in the church. That's what Jesus Christ came to do.

If you think that everybody here is okay, there's something wrong. The devil is very cunning. Now let's look at it now. Now I will explain what it is.

I said this spirit tries to seek to seize a. No, See, now the thing is that you actually, genuinely want to serve God. You actually want to do the right things. You actually want to pray and everything.

But now that spirit now comes because of your lack of understanding. Because you are ignorant of the device of the wicked. The spirit now comes to seize your genuine. Remember you are sick.

See, let me tell you. True Muslims actually want a generation relationship with God. But that spirit now comes and seize that generation with God blinds them to the truth that Jesus is the way the truth of the life is powerful by him. They make them Feel the spirit made them feel that they're actually still serving God.

Ah, I don't know if you get what I'm saying. See, the manifestation of the spirit can be extremely subtle. Like nobody can notice it though. But yet it's extremely dangerous.

That's why you just keep on pressing on it. And he attacked one particular set of people. Trout if you look. In fact, it was as if God did Jesus, but he not hated them.

But he was telling the truth. You to use scribes and Pharisees. Let's look at now Matthew 23, verse 27, 28. I'm saying that do you know that majority of Jesus ministry was attacking the Spirit.

He was so much in anger with this. Because this spirit has destroyed Israel. Right from Egypt. Right from Egypt.

Because Israel thought that because oh, they are with God. They are with God. God is there. Guess what?

That spirit was working in them trial to the point that you know that Israel they did far more worse. They did so terrible than the people of the world. You got to a point that Israel was so terrible. The Bible said they did what was right in their eyes.

Despite that God was with them. They were still doing things that were extremely terrible. Even like Jesus. There's some time they.

They commit. They did. They did a lot of terrible things. I'm saying that if you are not careful, this spirit can make you do a lot of terrible.

I know the worst thing. It makes you blind. You'll be doing that. You'll be doing this and you will never know that you are doing wrong.

Let's look at Matthew. Let's look at Matthew, chapter 23, verse 27. This is a. This.

This topic is something is not to condemn but is to ask is to enable to ask God check my heart, Lord. You know, is it the false. Look at the Pharisees. I said these people were bad people.

Very bad. Bad, bad, bad. Check yourself. No, I know myself.

I have built like the Pharisees many times until I got saw the light. Matthew 23, verse 27. Matthew 23, verse 27. Look at what Jesus is saying.

See now I want you to understand this is Jesus talking. He's not Paul, he's not me. He's not a pastor. He's Jesus himself.

You want to die for us? He said, who wants. I don't. Who want to use scribes.

Who want to use scribes and Pharisees. You know why describes scribes are people that their life is in Bible. In fact morning and night what they are doing their three Bible. They are little fact.

Everything about them is Bible. That's their job. Their job is Bible. I don't know if you understand.

You know how ironical it is that all your life, you know, the way you read your Bible, pray every day, you want to grow. Imagine somebody all his life is reading Bible and praying every day. Do you see how deceptive the spirit can be? The job is just in the church.

Yeah, we're telling people to come to church. This one, they are born and brought up in the church. They are, in fact, their house is inside church. I want you to understand, understand how deep this thing is.

I'm saying that it is possible that I can be proximate. I can be close to church. My life can be revolving around church so much. And yet, and yet God can just as you tell me who wants you, brother?

You want to you sister. The Pharisees were not sinners, like in quotes. The sinners that you see today, they are drinking. They were not drinking.

They were not drunk. They were not fornication. They were doing everything right in quotes in the eyes of men. The question is, am I doing everything right in the eyes of men?

But in sight of God, God is like, brother, I don't know. You see, God can still allow us to do things for him. He can still allow us to operate the church. He can still allow us to make sure everything's organized in church.

Ask yourself, are you still connected with God? I can work for God, but am I working with him? You see, these are deeper matters. And we have to trust God to help our heart.

You see? Sit down, relax. Do everything do, do, do, organize crusade. I know the funny thing is the worst thing, he can allow you to perform all the signs and wonders.

In fact, let me tell you now, the next coming years, that's what they are trying to do. AI, many of the miracles that has been done, they are trying to replicate it. And so that you see that many pastors, many people are now people are doing those things. You will not be wondering, okay, if this guy can actually do this kind of miracle.

Ah, you cannot be thinking that that is it. Let's look at that chapter finish what to use Christ and Christ is hypocrites. Hypocrites. For ye are like a whitish sepulcher.

Now let us know what that means. A tomb. Very white sepulcher is like a tomb clean, which indeed appears beautiful outward. But inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanliness.

Jesus was church exposed water to that end. Because back then, sin was mostly outward. Nobody was really concerned. What's going on your mind?

No one was concerned. What's going on your heart? All you look at all the ten Commandments was only about outward things. Thou shalt not communication, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not lie.

All those physical things. So the Pharisees found a way of obeying. Do you know that I read it. And do you know the total number of commandments that was given?

613. 613 Laws of Moses. That was what that was how serious it was. And guess what?

Some people on the Pharisees were able to actually obey 613 laws. Don't touch on clean sin. Don't eat this, don't do this, don't do this. They want to keep those things.

So they now told that because of I've done these things, I'm right with God, he made them. I can pray. And they can pray for hours. No, they could pray if you should pray.

That's why Jesus said woe to you. Because you think by praying long, by using all these eloquence, because he knew Bible says they know how to use Scripture. How many people thank God, Heavenly Father, they use all this. And they can pray for one hour, two hours.

We say warn to you because you think by all this blah, blah, blah, you can win God or something like that. You can manipulate God to work for you. Say one to you see, you see that? This thing, if I said, if I explain, if you preach this thing to a normal person, the person cannot understand, will be confused.

Why? Because spiritual things can only be descended by the Spirit of God. You cannot switch your logic, understand. That's why they could not still understand when Jesus was saying this.

They were angry. They were filled with the Spirit. They will feel repentance. They will feel pain in their hearts.

They will feel like crying. I'm like, master, I have sinned. But none of those Pharisees, only Nicodemus was one that God touches out. Nicodemus was hearing from my father, who is this man?

He came in the night and asked him, sir, please, because Nicodemus has done everything, be born again. Someone has been doing his whole life. Naturally, something else. He has been living on his life in church.

He said, verse 28. Even so, ye actually appear righteous unto men, but within are ye full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Verse 29 won't use Christ. Now see, look at this whole chapter.

Look at these whole things. 7. Look at the whole of chapter 23. He's just wooing unto them.

So just Jesus did not even attack the sinners that were those ones that were killing people. God surely wants me to register, say you murderer, do you know the people you call murderers? It's not the people that actually kill people that were hating people murderers. Jesus was more focused on the inward because people could not see the inward.

And that's why the devil operates, because devil is a spirit, he's not a human being. So your faith in the Spirit. And he said, verse 29, Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, because you built tomb, you built the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sculpture of the tomb of the righteous and say, if you have been in the days of our Father, we will not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. All I'm saying here is that Jesus gave so many Ws to the people or so called people that were claiming to know God, but they had no connection with him.

So I've explained the why of this, the why of this teaching. Because we see that most of just ministry was focused on exposing the spirit that has been hiding among the children of men. This spirit that they hiding among you, among the children of what men? Children of Israel.

That's it. And Jesus said, I have not come to this thing. I have come towards the lordship of Israel. Jesus did not come to save the righteous, he came to save the unrighteous, not the gentiles.

It was after he died, he told them that you go into the world and made disciple of all nations. He told disciples now, okay, I finished with the lordship. You now go to the what Gentiles, go and preach gospel outside. Jesus did not come for us.

I came for the inside because the inside one were the ones that were in terrible danger. You know, if somebody is sick, is it for you to know the person is sick? And you can know, okay, this person need a doctor or need help, you need this thing, right? But if somebody doesn't know that is sick because it can't be seen, you know, some sickness that is inside, you cannot know.

You don't know that is the worst one. Because if somebody is looking physically sick, you know, okay, especially need help, imagine you are doing strong, start doing strong. And God forbid somebody has cancer, I know cancer, I cannot see it. And you have been, it has been eating you inside, inside, inside, you know that nobody will attend to that person.

And that's what happened to many Christians today because their outward appearance looks good. So hey, the person going to church every Sunday, everything's okay. The person is always here. The person is even praying.

But deep inside person has gone. And that's the worst state. And that's what Jesus came to do. Came to expose the works of darkness.

Jesus came to set the captive spirit. So that was the scripture when I typed Isaiah 60, verse one just came to me that the spirit of the Lord was upon me. He has anointed me. He has anointed me to set the captive free.

To proclaim the good news to the poor. That was Jesus ministry. Jesus came to set the captives free. Now why am I saying it?

Because a number of people have been bound by those spirits. You know this spirit is still the spirit of the devil, but it's in another dimension, the religious spirit. I'm saying that we should not be ignorant of devising of the wicked. Now that is the why of this thing.

Now let's look at some of the characteristics of this spirit. Then we'll now also look at some characters in the scripture that were. Remember I said this spirit tried to cease that your genuine relationship with God. He sees it by breaking pride, deception, making you think that the more I walk, the more the higher my chance of going to heaven.

You don't get it. You don't. I always say I always, I wish remind myself. Because no way you are praying every time I read Bible time.

There's a way you can change that because of your praying and you're reading Bible. That's why I called you. You still don't get it. If your child is doing bad things because your child.

You still listen to your child. If your child is in pain and he's doing bad things and he's crying, ah, you injured your child injured on his leg and he's bleeding. We don't stand and look at chapter A. Loving father, you still can help that child with love. Same thing with God.

It's the same thing with God. But there's a way religious spirit make you feel that I've not prayed enough. I have to pray enough so that God can hear me. I have to fast enough so that I can move God to work me.

Praying and doing all those things is just for me to come closer to God. God is already here. God is already with you. The Bible says lo, I am with you always.

That's the word of God. He said I'm with you always. So even when he doesn't see God is near you, God is still literally just standing here. But the problem is you have gone too far.

That's why we fast. We fast so that we can come closer to God. It's not so that God will move is you that moving as you move, move, move. You're not currently align with God, cuz God is.

He has always been there. But you see that he prodigal son. Come back now. We want to look at these spirits and the prayer that Lord, search my heart.

Check me. Check my heart. Check me. Check me.

Search me, search me. You can't see this thing. You can't. It's not something that someone say I see that.

Unless the person is seeing the eye of the spirit, they can be to sense it discernment he can descend. Brother, something is off with you. The person can be seeing you. I've seen people doing this thing now they can.

They can see you preach a one up. I've seen people doing this. Well done sir. You did really great.

You sound really well. I remember my. In my choir, some people they know how to sense that this one has gone far. You can be singing very well.

Wonderful initiation. Let's not call you and sir, I talk to you for a moment. Come on, stand here. Sir, I sense that something is wrong with you.

Like you're off. What? It's not like showing your body. They can sense it.

I think you are very close. That's what happened to Samuel. Samuel could sense when you can stand. Even n the prophet.

Nobody knew that. I'm not sure much people knew that David has gone astray. Imagine David slept Bathsheba in Alkyria. Nobody really knew.

But Nathan by the spirit was able to know. And he came to tell David a story. David was saying kill the person and that person must die. How did he know?

You see, when you are full of the spirit, you can sense when somebody is actually genuine or not. You sense it. Ah, you can't. There's some gardens you go to.

You can't pretend. If you like. If you committed congregation yesterday night, you come and stand there and preach. After you preach, you know, for anything your stomach can be very powerful.

But some eyes of the spirit will know. Ah, this one is polluting the air. You will know that this was polluting and come and meet you. Ah, you did really well.

The book. Sorry sir, I sent my spirit that you are. You have gone astray. But I'm dressing well.

Now I'm looking well. Now I'm praying. Now I pray very well and everything I'm saying that you have to apply my stage. Be good.

I can see everything. But you might have disconnected from God. That's why David said, Lord, search my heart. Because he could not see it.

Search my heart. Try me. There's any evil with me. Point it out.

This is of these, of the spirits. Number one, Mark, Chapter seven, Verse six to nine Mark seven, Verse six. Nine Mark seven, Verse six to nine Mark seven. Six, nine, seven, Verse six to nine.

He said, he answered unto them and said, we well. So he said, he answered them and said, well. Hath Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrite that is written. These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Verse 7. How be it in vain? God forbid I will be worshipping God in vain. In Jesus name.

In vain do they worship me. Teaching for doctrine the commandment of men. Let me break that down a little bit. You see?

You see, when you get to the point of you accepting the Scripture as it is and not just speaking in parts and picking the one that suits you or suits your mood for that day, if you are always the kind of Christian that always wants. Are eating too much sugar. Some of us are eating too much sugar. You only focus on the blessings of God.

Amen. Amen. You want the blessings and you shall. Shall bear.

You shall bear froth. Fruits in your listening. You will live long. Amen.

Then when the part of this you don't want to talk. Do you know that when the Bible. When Jesus when they were reading the blessings and courses in Detroit 28 I read it that this is what God told us to do. He said, two mountains.

He said, some people stand on this mountain. Some people stand on this mountain. The priest read the blessings and the priest also read the courses. He said, for every of them they say Amen.

So when they're reading all the blessings, they said, your foot, the fruit of your lion will be blessed. Amen. This one shall be blessed. Amen.

They read all the blessings. Now they start reading. He said, you have to say amen to those ones too. That if I don't obey any of these things, this will happen to me.

Amen. If I don't do this, this will happen to me. Amen. Now you see that if your.

If your Christianity is not pure, you see that you don't say amen to those causes because you only want the blessings. You don't want to accept the consequences of you not following that way. You see, God's blessing is conditional. I want us to understand this thing.

Don't be this kind of Christian that you only want sweet things. The bitter things you don't want. When the word of God is now hitting you, he wants to stop he says, okay, something is wrong with you. That's how children behave.

They want sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar. You notice children now when they are talking, they'll be yelling. When it now comes to maybe they're talking about movie. And they'll be talking, talking, talking, talking.

When it now comes, things of God, you see them use their voice is because that is the truth. And the truth is what bitter. See, I want to. If the truth has not, I don't know, the truth has enter your heart.

People that are crying, they're like, Jesus, help my heart, help my heart. Because God is tired of performance. Seriously speaking God is, you know, you know how it is when you seen a child pretending when you know, imagine you saw your child taking me from the port. I asked the child, you take me from the port?

He said, no, no, no, you saw it on camera. Do you know how do you feel when you're asking the child the question? The child is now lying. He's now doing, doing.

Why, why, why are you doing this? In your heart you'll be like, you be pinned. Because I literally showed the video of you taking me to the point I said, telling you that, you know, that's how it is without worshiping. But when we come here and be pretending that we are right with God, this thing, we're praying everything.

But God sees the heart. So he's like, ah, what have you been doing? And he was not doing for hours, wasting your time. Meanwhile, God wanted to what, connect back to him.

So I just want to read. So Matthew 7:6, verse 9 is talking about we honoring God with our lips and being far from him. So one of the signs of this religious spirit is that he allows you to worship God with your lips, but your heart is far from him. I can say all the right words.

I can pray. I can pray in the way that nobody will be. So very clean eloquent prayer. I can fast eloquently.

I can do those things. I can sing song so well and with power. I can sing with energy. And in fact, you know what?

I can't even be crying and I'm singing the song. But my heart is far, far. Because why it was emotion led. They said things are led by the spirit of God, not by your emotion.

Some people, when they're singing to him, you'll be feeling emotional. And sometimes you can be singing like that only sang it as well. You know, some people can be singing that song. And guess what?

Some might even be crying. Ask yourself, is that God is sorrow. It's just a sorrow because of the piano and the way the song is slow. Do you know musicians have a way of making you.

They can play some song that can make you cry. But guess what? That cry will not lead to repentance. If it doesn't lead to repentance, then there's nothing there.

That is just a waste of time. I'm saying that people worship God with their lips when their heart is far. Ask, ask yourself, God, am I worshiping you with thy lips? And is my heart far from you?

Please check me. Am I praying with my lips? Am I shouting? Am I begging?

But my heart is far? These are deep matters. No, it's only you and God that can know this one. Only you and God that only characteristics.

And I can see that the George orders by their appearance. Now I know, I know 100% that oh, your appearance, describe how you are. Whatever is in your heart will show out. But there's also an extreme that people are judging people that their appearance.

Only if you judge. Only if Jesus used that criteria. Ah, Jesus will know me. The Samaritan woman.

Jesus will know. Jesus will know me. Peter, Jesus will know me. Judas, Jesus will know me.

Matthew, Matthew. Jesus will not meet all those people. Do you think those people were perfect? Jesus will not meet any of these people.

Now let's think about it, let's be real. If Jesus judged only by appearance the way we judge by appearance, ah, I'm not sure many of us went into the kingdom today. I'm telling you, some of the greatest fathers of faith today, if you check their lifestyle when God called them, they were the worst. But yet God's children use the foolishness of this world to confirm the wise.

Confirm the wise. I'm saying this, that if it is only by appearance I judge people, something is wrong. I may be led by the spirit of religion and I have to check myself. Because the Pharisees thought that by dressing in a certain way only they can prove to people that they are right.

So when they saw people dressing that way, they were like, no, this one is wrong. And just trying to correct them, just to try to blow up to you people because they tell you because, because you are doing like this, you are in church, you are written like this. Oh, you think it's da? Yes, I'm more spiritual.

This one right now, moving up and down, it's not spiritual. Ah, if that is your criteria for judging, you are wrong. If it's in scripture, it's not me. Jesus said you judge by a child, but you check the heart.

You don't check the heart. That's what God is saying. That's one. See this thing cut across everybody.

They have a zeal for God, but disconnected from God. Romans 10, verse 23. We'll see right now. Romans 10, verse 2 to 3.

Romans 10, verse 2 to three. He said for I bear them record that they have his view for God. Jesus. Listen to this part.

I bear them record because they have a zeal for God. Good, good, good brother. This one is active. He's always come to church.

He's always praying, he's always doing. He's everywhere. But not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness.

Some people can donate 1 million, 10 million every time they are donating. But they don't want to be part of God's righteousness. They don't want to obey the part of God. And guess what?

You now think because of donation that person is right to God. The person of God is a lie. It is a dirty lie. Is it sacrifices that I require?

God said, is it sacrifice of life but to obey? Samuel told do you know what made Saul fall? Because Saul thought it was by sacrifice. He didn't know it was just obedience.

God did it. What God heard from the beginning was just obedience. The garden of Eden. All he wanted us to do just obey.

He. He doesn't want all this bull. What do you think bull is doing to God? He what stop God from killing 1000 cattles on his own and carrying the this thing?

What is he gaining from your blood? All these things he said sacrifice for bull. And this don't require. He just.

He just wants me to. He wants your heart. He wants you to. Yes, but there is something that said prone to wonder Lord.

I feel it prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord. Take. Seal it.

Seal it for your quarter. Bo. God just wants your heart. Lord, take my heart.

100%, 199%, 100% He said take my life and let it be consecrated Lord, to thee. We sing all these songs for three minutes. That's how you know whether your lips are sing worship but heart is far. Take my heart and let it be consecrated or God consecrated to what is he concentrated to God.

He said they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish. You see now you see this part we don't hear. They are creating their own righteousness. This is what the Muslims are doing.

This is what many Christians are doing. That's why we have different kind of denominations that are outside God. Witness 7 All these kind of churches, they are creating their own righteousness. God forbid, may not be that we are creating now see he said they are going about to establish their own definition of righteousness.

The Bible said you that righteousness is of the Lord. It is not by your works, by faith are you saved. The Bible says that Abraham was made righteous with God because of his faith in God. It's not because Abraham was good that made him righteous.

It was because he believed in Jesus Christ and the finished work. That's what made him righteous. Today people are creating that religion that no, until you do this is what he said. Until you do certain things you cannot heaven.

Many people are falling for this thing. So because of that they feel under pressure. They not like oh, I've not fasted checks one day, I know they now put their bondage and their mind. They think they serving God and God is I don't send you.

The people pressure you to a point that they will make you to be doing certain things. And I think it's because of that thing that's what make you enter heaven. So they now start using their work energy. They say if you have not donated 10 million your life before you go to heaven.

They because you see they are zeal. They want to save God. I told you now this religious spirit try to seize your generation relationship with God. You want to save God because you lack knowledge.

That's the Tasman to deceive you and make you start doing things. They go about to create their own righteousness. Having not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. You must submit to the who is the righteous of God.

Righteousness of God is Jesus Christ. Jesus said I'm the righteousness of God. Submit to Jesus Christ. Submit to the Holy Ghost.

Now again, some people believe in Jesus, they don't believe in the Holy Ghost. They tell that the Holy Ghost is different. It's the same Jesus. That's why no wonder, no wonder, no wonder the scripture said quench of the Spirit.

No wonder he said don't quench the Holy Ghost. You are quenching Holy Spirit. You are quenching Jesus. It's the same thing.

Don't bring deceive yourself you say. I said Jesus Christ, go and send the Holy Spirit. Hey, they try to end God's love and salvation. I have said that already.

The Muslims, they are trying to end salvation. Check yourself. I'm telling you to be honest, there's a time that I was actually trying to earn God. I felt that ah no, I'm not receiving salvation yet.

I'm not a child of God because I did this yesterday. I'm not a child of God. You see that the spirit of religion was trying to put me in captivity and help me bound. That's why you now start.

You start being afraid. You cannot come to God and ask God for something boldly. You'll be scared. They try to end God's love and salvation.

They try to conform to godly, to outward goodness. Yes, that's another one you are trying to perform. You want people to see that you are good outwardly. So yeah, I have to permit this.

I also explain the three some people that in the Bible so you see them and how they were living their life. Now another one, they are critical to other people's work with God. They are more interested in how you are working with God than how you're working good. They find it, in fact, they love it when they are talking about other people's work with God and their own.

They can easily sit down. It doesn't matter. This is how they look like. They'll sit down pointing.

This one is not doing well. This one is not doing well. Look at this one. They are very critical.

That's what the prices we're doing. See, please. And this is for us to ask God to check our hearts. There's a way that looks right to destruction.

Who made you judge over them? See, I'm sitting down. They are very critical. They can remove, they can look.

They can see a speck in somebody's eye. They can look the love of their own eyes. That's why you know, oh, I am possessed by religious spirit. God deliver me.

That's what David was doing. David was saying, where is the person killing him? He did not know that that love of wood was in his own eye. He could.

You know the funny thing when he was saying the story not I'm sure when we're reading it, we're already seeing, ah, this is David that they're talking about. But David, he said that they were talking to could not see that they were talking about it because he had a lot of wood in his eye. So he was at that point possessed by religious spirit. That made him feel that he was still right with God.

How is that? He walked in God of his life. He said, man, after all that he killed somebody wife. He did not see that he's wrong.

He still killed Raya. Sorry, he stepped on wife and killed Raya. Yet in spite of all those things, he still could not see that he was wrong. I don't know.

Ask Yourself what exactly was inside David? I'm confused you know why did he not see that he'd seen against boss tell him because the spirit can make you blind to your own sin or you can see the sin of other people set your heart are you always very critical about other people and you are not you are neglecting your own you you can easily condemn somebody this person you are not but you yourself. Yeah you are filthy but it's easy for you to down for your own self May we not be that leading people to Christ and we ourselves become a small or we ourselves miss it Go for it. That's not the goal.

I'm happy. Awesome. Now the last one no casual again is that last one. Our closest Christian relationship are based only on ministry activities.

Your closest Christian relationship are based on only on ministry activities. I'm saying it because a lot of people are very close to the church surrounding they know church activity they know how church is run BS they don't know God. They don't know God. I'm close to church.

Yeah now let me give now let's just look at the three people want to look at case study that we close the three people we look at is okay let us see the way out and look at case study way out number one now what's the way out of this spirit? How do I if you know me, I know myself. I know I see sense from fraction of these spirits at work and God has to help us The Bible says that God Jesus Christ came to expose the works of the devil. So one of the way out of this religious spirit is what?

Ask the Lord to set your heart regularly. Don't see you know don't ever assume don't ever assume that you are. You are. You are.

You are righteous because of you are righteous because of what you are doing. It's not your works lest anyone should boast. It is by your faith in Jesus Ask God to search your heart regularly. Lord, search my heart.

Pray that prayer every day, every minute and second Check me, ask God, God, what am I doing wrong? Check me right now. Oh, am I doing wrong? Can spend one hour just sit down quiet.

What do you mean to pray tomorrow? What am I doing wrong? Check me right now. Check me right now.

Number two, it's not in order anyways. Quench the Holy Spirit. Quench not the Holy Spirit. If you hear the voice of God today.

Do you know why God said that? Jesus said that? Because he saw that whenever he was speaking sometimes in fact there's a time Jesus preach do you know people Jesus do you know people were just disciple. First time Jesus had many disciples.

Not 12. It was thousands of people. That was no, not many disciples that were following Jesus. Thousands of people following Jesus.

There was a day he now preached one Simon K. Thousands of people let him. That's when saw the heart. When he talked about eating his blood, eating his body. Even disciples said, omo, this one is the hard thing who can do it.

That's when you know that when the world becomes very hard. See, there's a time you eat nobody. Your teeth will now be to start. You start chewing slowly.

That's why you know, okay, you are getting somewhere. The world will start breaking you. You start feeling broken. Many people left Jesus that day.

Only the sword. They said, sir, to whom shall we go? That's the word of eternal life. That was one of the trap.

That was read the sword of spirit. That was read of the b listening. They already there. He said, I. I can't forget that.

To whom shall we go? You have to worry of eternal life. Where do you want to go to again? But many of them left.

He's saying here, quench not the spirit. If you hear the voice of God today, harden not your heart. Do you know this thing is what made Saul go astray? Saul heard the voice of God.

God told Saul that I've left you instead of Saul to say, God, I'm sorry. Cry for mercy. This guy deal with funny thing. This guy was more concerned about what people think about him than what God was thinking about him.

That's because they want to look at question of the Holy Spirit. Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. That's the way out. Worship God.

Don't see. Don't, don't worship. Don't, don't, don't perform. Stop performance.

God is. I don't know. There's an emphasis on performance. Some people are performing before God.

You want to perform and make people feel that this one you are righteous. Leave that performance. This is how you know what you're performing. If what you are doing in the open in your worship to God, you cannot do it in your private space.

When nobody's watching you, you are performing. If you can only pray long outside, then when you go home, your prayer like two minutes while performing. If you cannot sing songs to God in your room when nobody's watching, you can only sing in church. You are performing.

Anything you are doing inside you that you can't do in your own home, on your own, privately to your God. Only you and God. You are Performing. Check it.

Just check your heart. No, no, no. Check your heart. Check your heart.

Check. We have to really honestly sit down and check our heart sometimes. Keep an open mind. I do not emphasize this thing much, but keep an open mind.

This is what the Pharisees they could not. They not give. See, See, that's. See, the anointing of religious spirit is very stubborn.

Devil is very stubborn. No matter how much you float, the devil you cast him out. You said when you cast them out for one person, if you are not careful, if that person. The Bible says now if that person does not occupy himself something you come, you check.

Ah, okay. Space today. Oh God brings six more men. Go mount pressure.

Do six of them plus our first one seven. Enter the person. The person becomes more stubborn. See?

Keep an open mind. See, See? The Bible says what Renew your mind. Don't confront, but be transformed.

By what? Renewing of your mind. You must. The word of God must renew your mind.

You have. You are learning something before. You were doing something before. You must learn the new way.

You must learn how to be a new creation in Christ Jesus. You must learn it. And it's by you. Don't do it by just reading the Bible.

The Holy Ghost must help you. The Holy Spirit must help you. That's why I say the letter killeth. You can read the Bible and to kill you.

But the spirit of God is one that lives. The secret is the Holy Spirit. The secret is Jesus. That's why they read the ready Bible.

They're waiting for the Messiah to come. The Messiah finally came. I was standing for them. They've not seen.

But people that have not read the Bible before, they just saw it and said, a Samaritan woman that is not even related to that hated Jews that hated the main people of God. Samaritan woman showed up and said, ah, this is the Messiah. She ran to d. Everybody in the village. Messiah is here.

Pharisees have been studying about Jesus. Jesus and I came. They could not see him. They say, is this him?

No, this morning. Why? Because their heart, their minds were not open. Church was having conversation with Jesus.

Look at the conversation Pharisees were having with Jesus Christ. They were arguing. They were arguing. The Pharisees.

The family was listening carefully. They said, I know when the Messiah comes, He gave to us and said, I am the Messiah. She believed it instantly. Why her mind was open.

I'm saying that you can be in church every day. If your mind is blocked, the world will come every day. Every day. Every day.

You will never change this One is not for just else here. It's for everyone. It's for me. I know myself.

It's for me. There's some things God has to deal working our heart for Ch. Say, are you performing? Is this performance?

Do you think it's just play? We doing acting like drama. This drama. You come here on Sunday so I'm doing praising God.

Then you now go back and give like you did not receive anything. The last one. Don't be familiar God presence. Permit me to God give you two case study the Bible.

Two people that were exhibiting the spirit and they did not know. Don't be too familiar God presence. I'm saying again I can be very familiar with how churches run and I still don't know God. Let me show you what shocked me.

First Samuel, Samuel Jesus. Sorry, don't permit me First Samuel. Look at what Bible said about Samuel. I was shocked.

See 1st Samuel chapter 3. Remember please let me give you the context. Samuel was dedicated consecrated to God at the age of 3 years old. Samuel has been in the church, let me say in the tabernacle.

In fact he was anywhere the effort and everything. He was just like the priest, you know. And he grew up in God's presence. The Bible says some will grow up in the presence of God.

Guess what? See what happened now. First Samuel, chapter three, verse six. When God was calling someone, he called him three times.

Three times. And the fourth time that's when he responded. Guess what? Do you know that the fact that someone has been in the temple of God since he was three years old.

Even when he grew up, God finally called him. Guess what? This guy could not recognize the voice of God. This is what I said.

This guy had been with Temple from 3 years old. So maybe let's say this was when he was like 40. God called him. He could not recognize the voice of God.

He had to go and meet Eli to tell him. Sir, do you call me? No sir. Do you call me?

No sir. You can say oh Eli that has now Eli already knows God. He has seen God. He has related with God.

He told him when he called you again say yeah my Lord. See what the Bible says about Eli. Chapter Sorry, first Samuel, chapter three, verse six. Then the Lord called to no.

Verse seven. Now verse seven. Now Samuel did not yet know he was the Lord nor was the word of God yet revealed to him. Did you hear?

That is the most powerful and deepest secret that many people don't understand yet. Ask yourself, do you know the Lord? Do you know the Lord has the word of God Been revealed to you? No.

The Bible says the word of God is Lord Jesus Christ. Gary first John and the word was God. Now he said the word of the Lord is God and is Jesus. The word of God was not yet revealed to him.

Two questions. Do you know God? Has his word been revealed to you? Because this was, this is why Samuel did not recognize the gospel.

I'm saying that because don't ever think because you were born and brought up, you have been in church all your life, you think you know, you know God. Ask yourself genuinely, do I know God? Can I know this is God when God is moving? Or will I be saying no, no, no, this is not God.

It's not God. This is something. This is a demon. That's what they were doing for Jesus.

Imagine they called Jesus. They said Jesus is possessed by the spirit of Beelzebub. Imagine the son of God. You say someone is healing this thing.

You say this one is a demon possessed. He's using demonic power to. You see, because they don't know God. No, the word of God revealed to him.

That was Samuel's case. But afterwards God revealed himself to him. That was the one case for the now the case of Saul. Saul thought he knew God.

Saul thought he knew God. Saul thought he knew God. He did not know that all his whole life he was just performing. Saul's case was that he wanted to please the people.

Time is up already. So Saul was always wanted to please the people. He was not interested. In fact, see how Saul described God when he was talking to Samuel.

Please go and tell your God to have mercy on me. He did not have a one on one relationship. In fact, since they gave Saul crown, the Bible did not say Saul did not. Saul was.

Now the Bible said that Saul was only worshipping God. He was offer sacrifice. But guess what? Saul did not still know God.

He was doing all the things for God. He was killing the Philistines fighting for in quote God. But he was not fighting for God. He was trying to please the people.

All his life Saul was a people pleaser. That's the difference between David and Saul. He said, shall I please men of please God? Who you please today?

Why you pleasing today men of God? That when God says something that is going to make people uncomfortable, I still going to do it? Am I still going to do it? I struggle with this for so many years.

Then God said do something. But people are saying this. So because I want to please men, I rather leave what God says. So I don't offend people.

And this Is what's happening today. If you hear the voice of God to the heart, in your heart, May we not end up like soul. He end up. In fact, if you read the whole story of soul.

I was weeping, I was like God, please help not end up like soul. Because if you look at soul, he did not so many very bad things. Sword do not come with adultery. Saul did not sleep with people with this thing.

Saul did not kill somebody like that. This David. I did more was this guy. But David had.

David knew God. In fact, I read, you know, go and read throughout the book so deep. Every time he wanted to do something, he said, God, should I go? If I go without my take God, should I go again?

If I go, will I win? God was always consulting God. God said, go, go. Saul never for once.

In fact, the day Saul wanted to ask because he saw he was worshiping because he was not connected with God. He waited archive. He started hearing sound of people shouting. But he was already sick.

He was waiting on the Lord. He was waiting on God. Maybe he waited like five minutes. He was panicking.

House was beating. People were coming. Oh, he told the priest, leave this thing. Leave this thing.

Let's go. He now went to the people. That is how many of us are building today. Pressure from the world is coming.

People are pressuring you. Oh, God, we are waiting. We're waiting. You are trying to pray, but pressure.

Pressure for people. You not leave God down for plan B. Many people are baring now. That's why we are praying for them.

That God help them to stay with you. Because pressure from people will come in. He has not delivered you. Now this one, this one, this one, this one.

Pressure you now start looking for plan B. Let's see this God, let me go for plan B. That's why you start. Young people doing different things go to hospital, do this one, do this.

They are looking for solutions. Wait on God. So I think that is just where we stop today. It's a heart cry.

It's a prayer for us to ask the Lord. Check my heart. Am I being led by the spirit of religion? Or am I being led by the Holy Ghost?

Is everything I'm doing you? Or is it something else? We'll go to God in prayer. Because many are in bondage.

And I said again, Isaiah 60:1, the spirit of God is upon me. You can put your name there. Had anointed me to set the captives free. They had anointed me to proclaim the good tidings to the poor.

So we pray that God will bless his word in our hands. In Jesus name.