Ever wonder why it was the conservative, zealous, religious community that immediately became Jesus’ greatest enemy when He walked the earth? No one on earth prayed more, fasted more, read the Bible more, had a greater hope in the coming of the Messiah, or had more zeal for the things of God than the Pharisees; Yet they were the greatest opposers of God and His Messiah when He came. Those who were the most zealous for the Word of God crucified the Word Himself when He became flesh to walk among them. Why did this happen? Because “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” [James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 3:34]. Satan knows that God will not inhabit any work that is inflated with pride and that God Himself will even resist such a work. Satan’s strategy is to make us proud—even proud of good things, such as how much we read our Bibles, witness, or feed the poor. He knows that if we do the will of God in pride, our work will be counterproductive and could ultimately even work toward our fall. Check out this message if you would like to learn about why it is so crucial to know about the religious spirit, how it operates, and how we can overcome it.
