If I’m trying to call someone and I’m only one number off, I won’t get the person I’m trying to call, no matter how many times I try and how sincere I am. In my life it has been easy to think I’m going to connect with God just because I’m being spiritual.
There’s God’s spiritual reality. And then there’s the world’s. Paul calls counterfeit spirituality The weak and useless spiritual principles of this world.
Here are a few counterfeits I’ve believed:
- God is angry. I can appease his anger by keeping certain rituals or obeying his laws to the T.
- God is a tree, a fish, a rock, or a cloud. Maybe if I’m a good person in this life, in my next life I’ll come back reincarnated as God. If not, I could come back as a frog or a rat.
- If I walk on a certain side of the street, I’ll get from God what I made a wish for.
- God has a poor memory so I need to remind him what he promised in the Bible.
- God is my best friend and he’s living inside me. But he’s somewhere far away, so I need to yell at him.
- God is distracted and overstressed. When I pray, I need to make sure I explain all the details of my situation and finish with advice on how he should handle it.
- God doesn’t understand English. So I speak to him in King James language, an unknown tongue, or least Pennsylvania Dutch.
- Because I rolled through a stop sign last week, God is angry with me. Or maybe I did something wrong that I didn’t know was wrong. He was highly offended and removed himself from me. Maybe if I beg and plead, he’ll change his mind and come back.
Just like counterfeit money, counterfeit spirituality can’t spend. Learn what true spirituality is.
Run strong and finish well today,
Phillip
From my journals.
