{"id":1044,"date":"2010-07-07T00:46:26","date_gmt":"2010-07-07T00:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?page_id=1044"},"modified":"2014-01-25T02:39:54","modified_gmt":"2014-01-25T02:39:54","slug":"more-religion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/more-religion","title":{"rendered":"More Religion?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/candles-and-cross.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-4130\" title=\"candles and cross\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/candles-and-cross-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>If you are exploring\u00a0FFMP and thinking, &#8220;Here we go again, <em>more religion<\/em>&#8230; \u00a0It always <a class=\"wp-oembed\" title=\"Religion's Regret\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=153\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #5a3a01;\">comes back to religion<\/span><\/a>&#8230;&#8221;, I am asking you to consider what you need for your life to be better and how that&#8217;s going to happen. Even Jesus had his run-ins with religion and the leaders of his day. Religious leaders, called Pharisees, did more than anyone to interrupt what Jesus was working to do; and to distract those who were interested in something better for their life. Jesus was extremely critical of the institution of religion while he took up residence in and around Jerusalem, the\u00a0hub of\u00a0organized religion. I am asking that you continue to explore what we have provided for you here, and think<strong><em> relationship<\/em><\/strong>. The key to accessing the power that is central to the freedom experience is in relationship with God, not more religion. God is compassionate and merciful. <em>Ask<\/em> God to show Himself to you&#8212;to prove to you that He is real, according to the substance in the evidence, so that you can <em>experience<\/em> faith confidently,\u00a0trusting\u00a0in what and who you know. For many of you, your lives depend on it.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yE0nenGeW5A?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some of you will struggle with the truth in FREEdom from MEdom because it&#8217;s &#8220;too religious&#8221;. It will be difficult to realize what is truth versus the lies you may have come to believe about God and Jesus Christ based on past religious experiences. Religion is defined as \u201ca set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe&#8230; usually involving devotional and ritual observances,\u00a0and\u00a0often\u00a0containing\u00a0a moral code governing the\u00a0conduct of human affairs\u2026 the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices\u201d according to Dictionary.com. Outside of relationship with God, the ABC recovery steps of FREEdom from MEdom, the twelve steps, and any other structured routines for recovery are mere religion without real power. The more one secularizes steps to recovery the more he or she by definition\u00a0is being religious, rather than authentically spiritual. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">God is merciful and loves you. Jesus was born and lived for real. Jesus is not a fictional or mythical character. The Bible is not merely a story book. Historical evidence of the life and death of Jesus is not up for dispute. Even the empty tomb is historically accurate. The only thing in question is how the tomb got empty; stolen body or resurrection? The fact that Christ&#8217;s followers feared for their lives prior to the resurrection, then risked everything they held dear and important, including their livelihood, is documented history. The truth of Jesus Christ is revealed, not only in the Bible, but also in history. Most importantly, the truth of Jesus Christ is revealed in the empowered lives of people who have come to depend on Him as a matter of common sense since the veil of who He is and what He can do for them and in them has been removed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up&#8230; We don\u2019t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God&#8230; The Deceiver of this world has blinded the minds of those who don\u2019t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don\u2019t understand this message about the glory of Christ.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2 Corinthians 4:1-4<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away&#8230; For wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">2 Corinthians 3:16-17<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6u0P9kwfF4s?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h5>(When the Google Ad pops up in the &#8220;Revelation&#8221; video, click on the &#8216;x&#8217;\u00a0to close the\u00a0Ad)<\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Oh, one more thing. If you are reading this and you&#8217;re not sure how to identify with, or relate to God&#8212;after all, He is a big God&#8212;simply try to talking to God, out loud if you can, and let Him know what you are thinking and feeling. Tell Him what your issues are with Him. Tell Him why faith is difficult for you. <strong><span style=\"color: #80422d;\">Pray for revelation of truth<\/span><\/strong>; not just &#8220;truth&#8221; as you might want to receive it through a preconceived lens, but the <a class=\"wp-oembed\" title=\"The Fireman and the Fool\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=135\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #5a3a01;\">real truth<\/span><\/a> of who God is. Then trust Him to reveal His truth to you. Remember that truth is truth whether you are sure about it or not; whether you believe it or not. I believe with all of my heart that if you are open to receiving God&#8217;s truth as it is, that at the very least, you will come to\u00a0<em>see<\/em> God as beautiful; and at the most, this revelation will only be the beginning of the marvelous experience about to come your way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vgzxGfiz-Tk?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We hope and pray that you will find the resources and opportunities offered here both attractive and compelling as you\u00a0discover and\u00a0examine\u00a0powerful\u00a0truth that makes\u00a0perfect sense, and <span style=\"color: #641901;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #902f1d;\">experience by\u00a0faith\u00a0the\u00a0transforming work of\u00a0God in your life<\/span><\/strong><\/span>. We believe from the bottom of our hearts\u00a0that as you <a class=\"wp-oembed\" title=\"Sound Investment Strategy (Ridin' with the King)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=76\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #3f2f12;\">invest<\/span><\/a> in what God\u00a0can and <em>will<\/em> do in you, that you will <strong><span style=\"color: #902f1d;\">move from\u00a0that place of dissatisfaction into\u00a0the reality of a satisfied mind<\/span><\/strong>. We pray that you will\u00a0turn onto the avenue for recovery and continue on\u00a0until entering into the true <em><strong>experience<\/strong> <\/em>of FREEdom from MEdom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"twitter-share-button\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-via=\"StevieMG\">Tweet<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #594f2b;\">____________________________________________________________________ <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #644315;\"><em><span style=\"color: #3f2c07;\">NOTE: References made on this website to individuals are done so with their permission to publish their stories. Their names have been changed.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #644315;\"><span style=\"color: #6e2e16;\">* Beatles: Let It Be; **Argent: Hold Your Head Up; &#8220;Faith is an ocean you can walk on&#8221; by Dime Store Prophets, Love is Against the Grain<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are exploring\u00a0FFMP and thinking, &#8220;Here we go again, more religion&#8230; \u00a0It always comes back to religion&#8230;&#8221;, I am asking you to consider what you need for your life to be better and how that&#8217;s going to happen. Even &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/more-religion\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1044","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1044"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17405,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1044\/revisions\/17405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}