Religion’s most sinister lie is that we cannot converse with each other if your behaviour isn’t up to scratch.

God?

Mark how would you like to hear me?

What’s that supposed to mean God? I don’t know what you mean.

No you don’t. You Christians think you know how to hear me, but actually you’re not very good at it at all.

That’s a bit offensive God. Plenty of us try very hard to hear you.

You do.

So what’s stops us?

It’s not sin Mark. That’s Religion’s lie. Adam and Eve could hear me very clearly after they’d made a complete mess of things. Cain heard me crystal clear after he’d killed Abel. It was the same for Moses, David, Elijah and all the others – they could all hear me just as clearly AFTER they’d messed things up. Humans are designed to hear me, and they can if they want – no matter what their behaviour is like. That’s a biblical fact.

God I wish you wouldn’t talk like that. There are people who don’t think that’s very biblical.

They need to study their bibles a little more closely Mark.

Ok well what DOES stop us hearing you?

You don’t know how.

What do you mean?

I mean you don’t know how to hear me.

Why?

Not because of sin.

Then why?

Because you don’t try. You don’t focus on hearing me. I’m invisible Mark, inaudible, intangible. A conversation with me is going to be very difficult at first. It’s like everything else you were built for but have never done before. For example marriage, or owning a business; you were built and equipped to be good at both, and yet they’re difficult at first because you’ve had no practise. Listening to me is the same. You were built to be good at it, but you’ve had no practise.

So what’s the answer?

Practise.

God I never practised it in the past because I didn’t know how. No one really teaches it. Most of us have no idea how to teach it.

Exactly. You Christians have very little idea how to do it because you’re too busy trying to improve your behaviour. That devious spirit Religion has you so busy trying to impress me with your behaviour that you have little time to teach each other how to hear me. It’s just not the focus. He has you all fooled into thinking I wouldn’t want to talk with you anyway.

But you’re missing what the bible teaches – the whole central point of the scriptures is that good behaviour is NOT a pre-requisite to hearing me. You heard me before you even became a Christian. I appeared as a blinding light and spoke audibly to Paul when he was on a trip to kill Christians.  David killed Bethsheba’s husband so he could have sex with her. What? Is your behaviour suddenly worse even than their’s? All of you, all the bible heroes included are swimming in sin. It’s never stopped me talking to you.

Does that mean we should be happy with our sin?

Of course not. But neither should you be condemned. I don’t condemn you, Religion does.

So what should we do?

Ignore your sin, and the sins of others. It’s one of the best known principles of scripture Mark. You all quote it, but few of you live by it – ‘Before you consider the speck in your brother’s eye, take the log out of your own.’ The way to take the log out of your own is listen to me and let me change you as you hear my voice.

“…fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” ROM 12:1-2

But if we ignore our own wrong doings won’t we do them more?

Yes you’ll do them again, but you’re even MORE likely to do so if you focus on them.

I don’t know what to do then.

No you don’t. Neither did Paul, nor David, nor any other bible hero. ‘The very thing I do not want to do, that thing I do.’ If you keep reminding yourself of how bad you’ve been, you’ll think less and less of yourself and that sort of thinking makes you more likely to be do those things again. Sin and Religion have devised a very sophisticated plan to keep you condemned and repeating your actions.

How do they do it?

They teach you that I don’t like you. They’ve teamed up to make you think you’re unappealing to me. You end up feeling rejected and dismayed and you develop a ‘why bother’ sort of attitude because Religion and sin have taught you I can’t possibly like you until you’re free of sin. And the pity of it is that you believe them - you have in centuries past, and you will again kill each other because of it. You Christians are focused on sin. Your’s is a ‘sin-focused religion’. You use it to judge yourselves and each other and that’s your real sin – it’s that you don’t believe the simple truths about me.

What simple truths?

That I’m the judge, not you. That I’ve decided NOT to judge you. I’ve said this before – the courtroom is adjourned. The prisoners all set free.

 PRAISE FOR THE FREEDOM DIARIES

LOVE THIS BOOK!
Love this book. It’s changing my life for the better. Amanda Barber.

I CAN’T STOP SAYING WOW!
I can’t stop saying WOW as I read this book… it’s transformed Hubby’s life. Can’t wait to get to the end of the book to try it out too. So want more! Ang Low