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on themselves and he did notrebuke them.And therefore I have sworn tothe house of Eli that the iniquityof Eli’s house shall not be atonedfor by sacrifice or offering forever(I Samuel 3:13-14).Eli’s zeal for the Lord was based onsacrifices and offerings intended to compensate for his irresponsibility as a father. Guiltcan spur us on to great zeal for the Lord,and our sacrifices and offerings will becomean attempt to atone for our failures. This isan affront to the cross, which alone canatone for our guilt. Such zeal will never beacceptable to the Lord, even if we couldmake sacrifices forever.We should note here that the Lord neversaid that Eli’s sin could not be forgiven. Hejust said that Eli’s attempts to atone for sin bysacrifice and offering would never succeed.There are multitudes of men and womenwhose zeal for the Lord is likewise basedon an attempt to atone for sin, failure, orirresponsibility in other areas of their lives.But all the sacrifices in the world will notatone for even our smallest failure. To evenmake such an attempt is an insult to thecross of Jesus, which is the only acceptablesacrifice to the Father for sin.15

Attempting to gain God’s approval byour own sacrifices opens the door widefor a religious spirit, because such serviceis not based on the blood of Jesus, but onan attempt to make our own atonementfor sin. This does not mean we should notdo things to please the Lord. However, ourmotivation to please the Lord must alwaysbe for His joy, not for our acceptance. One isGod-centered; the other is self-centered. Thisis self-centeredness of the most destructivekind—an attempt to circumvent the cross.It is also noteworthy that one of the sinsof Eli’s sons was that they “despised theoffering of the Lord” (see I Samuel 2:17).They appropriated for their own selfish usethe sacrifices and offerings brought to theLord. Those who are gripped by this form ofa religious spirit will often be the most zealous to preach the cross, but herein lies theperversion: It emphasizes their cross morethan the cross of Jesus. Their delight is reallymore in self-abasement than in the cross ofChrist, which alone makes us righteous andacceptable to God.The Foundation of PrideIdealism is one of the most deceptive anddestructive disguises of the religious spirit.Idealism is of human origin and is a form ofhumanism. Although it has the appearance16

of seeking only the highest standards andthe preservation of God’s glory, idealismis possibly the most deadly enemy of truerevelation and true grace. It is deadly becauseit does not allow for growing up into graceand wisdom, but attacks and destroys thefoundation of those who are in pursuit ofGod’s glory, but are not yet there.Idealism makes us try to impose on others standards that are beyond what God hasrequired or given the grace for at that time.For example, men controlled by this kindof religious spirit may condemn those whoare not praying two hours a day as they are.The truth is, it may be God’s will for us tobe praying that much, but how we get thereis crucial. The grace of God may first call usto pray just ten minutes a day. Then, as webecome so blessed by His presence, we willwant to spend more and more time withHim until we will not want to quit after tenminutes, then an hour, then two. When weeventually are praying two hours a day, itwill be because of our love for prayer andthe presence of the Lord, not out of fearor pride.A person with a religious spirit based onidealism will usually seek the perfect church,and will refuse to be a part of anything less.Those led by the Holy Spirit may also havehigh hopes for a church. They will still be17

able to give themselves in service to evensome of the most lowly works in order to helpthose works grow in vision and maturity. TheHoly Spirit is called “the Helper” (see John14:26), and those who are truly led by theSpirit will always be looking for ways to help,not just to stand aloof and criticize.When a religious spirit is founded uponpride, it is evidenced by perfectionism. Theperfectionist sees everything as black or white.This develops into extremes, requiring thatevery person and every teaching be judgedas either 100 percent right or 100 percentwrong. This is a standard which only Jesuscould comply with. It will lead to a seriousdelusion when we impose it on ourselvesor others. True grace imparts a truth thatsets people free, showing them the way outof their sin, and beckoning them to higherlevels of spiritual maturity.One with a religious spirit can usuallypoint to problems with great accuracy, butseldom has solutions, except to tear downwhat has already been built. This is thestrategy of the enemy to nullify progress thatis being made and to sow discouragementthat will limit future progress. This producesthe mentality that if we cannot go straightto the top of the mountain, we should notclimb at all, but just “die to self.” This is adeath that God has not required, and it is a18

perversion of the exhortation for us to takeup our crosses daily.The perfectionist both imposes and triesto live by standards that stifle true maturityand growth. The grace of God will lead usup the mountain step-by-step. The Lord doesnot condemn us because we may trip a fewtimes while trying to climb. He graciouslypicks us up with the encouragement thatwe can make it. We must have a visionof making it to the top and should nevercondemn ourselves for not being there yet,as long as we are still climbing.James said, “For all stumble in manyways” (see James 3:2). If we had to wait untilwe were perfect before we could minister,no one would ever qualify for the ministry. Even though perfect obedience andunderstanding should always be our goal,such will never be found within ourselves,but only as we come to perfectly abide inthe Perfect One.Because we now see “through a glassdarkly” (see I Corinthians 13:12 KJV), orin part, we must always be open to greateraccuracy in our beliefs and teachings. Oneof the greatest delusions of all is that weare already complete in our understanding,or 100 percent accurate in our perceptionsor actions. Those with a religious spirit willusually claim to be open to more understanding, but most of the time this is done to19

get everyone else to be open to what theyteach, while they remain steadfastly closedto others.Jesus blessed Peter and turned the keysof the kingdom over to him just before Hehad to rebuke him by calling him “Satan”(see Matthew 16:23). Right after this greatestof blessings, the enemy deceived him, yetthe Lord did not take the keys away fromPeter! In fact, Jesus knew when He gavethe keys to Peter that he was soon to denyeven knowing Him.Many years after Peter used the keys toopen the door of faith for both the Jews andGentiles, “the least of the apostles” (seeI Corinthians 15:9), Paul, had to rebukehim publicly because of his hypocrisy (seeGalatians 2:11-14). Even so, Peter was promised that he would sit on one of the twelvethrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel(see Matthew 19:28). The Lord has proventhat He will commission and use men longbefore most of us would, and when He callsus, He already knows all the mistakes thatwe will make.It seems that the Lord’s leadership stylewas to provide a place where His followerscould make mistakes and learn from them.If we required our children to be perfectlymature while they were still children, it wouldstifle their growth and maturity. The same istrue in the church. We must correct mistakes,20

because that is how we learn, but it must bea correction that encourages and frees, notone that condemns and crushes initiative.The Deadly CombinationOne of the most powerful and deceptiveforms of the religious spirit is built upon thefoundations of both fear and pride. Thosewho are bound in this way go through periodsof deep anguish and remorse at their failures.However, this false repentance results onlyin more self-abasement and further attemptsto make sacrifices that will appease the Lord.Those bound by a religious spirit often flipto the other side, where they become soconvinced that they are superior to otherChristians or other groups that they becomeunteachable and unable to receive reproof.The foundation that they stand on at anygiven time will be dictated more by externalpressure than by true conviction.Such a religious spirit is so slippery thatit will wiggle out of almost any attempt toconfront it. If you address the pride, the fearsand insecurities will rise up to attract sympathy.If you confront the fear, it will then changeinto religious pride masquerading as faith.This type of spirit will drive individuals orcongregations to such extremes that they willinevitably disintegrate.21

The Counterfeit Gift of DiscernmentA religious spirit will usually give acounterfeit gift of discernment of spirits.This counterfeit gift thrives on seeing whatis wrong with others rather than seeing whatGod is doing so we can help them along. Thisis how a religious spirit does some of itsgreatest damage to the church. Its ministrywill almost always leave more damage anddivision than healing and reconciliation.Its wisdom is rooted in the Tree of theKnowledge of Good and Evil and thoughthe truth may be accurate, it is ministeredin a spirit that kills.This counterfeit gift of discernment ismotivated by suspicion and fear. The suspicion is rooted in such things as rejection,territorial preservation or general insecurity. The true gift of discernment can onlyfunction through love. Any motive otherthan love will distort spiritual perception.Whenever someone submits a judgment orcriticism about another person or group,we should disregard it unless we know thatthe one bringing it truly loves that personor group and has an “investment” of serviceto them.Angels of LightWhen Paul warned the Corinthians aboutthose who ministered in a religious spirit,22

which sought to bring a yoke of legalismupon the young church, he explained thefollowing:Such men are false apostles,deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.And no wonder, for even Satandisguises himself as an angel of light.Therefore it is not surprisingif his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness(II Corinthians 11:13-15).This phrase “angel of light” could beinterpreted as a “messenger of truth.”Satan’s most deceptive and deadly disguiseis to come as a servant of righteousness,using truths for the purpose of destruction.He is quite skillful at quoting Scripture andusing wisdom, but it is the wisdom of theTree of Knowledge—wisdom that kills. Hecan accurately point out what is wrong withsomeone else, but he always does it in sucha way that tears down, not offering solutionsthat lead to deliverance and life.“Angels of light,” who are empoweredby a religious spirit, will first look for what iswrong with someone rather than for whatis right. Although this spirit usually comes inthe guise of protecting the sheep, the truth,or the Lord’s glory, it is an evil, critical23

spirit that will always end up causing divisionand destruction.Criticism gives an appearance ofwisdom, but it is pride in one of its mostbase forms. When we criticize others, weare in effect declaring ourselves to be betterthan them. We may be better than others insome areas, but if we are, it is only by grace.Believers who recognize the true grace ofGod never look for ways to put others down,but rather find ways to build them up. As anold proverb declares, “Any jackass can kick abarn down, but it requires a skillful carpenterto build one.”The Religious Spirit and MurderWhen Adam and Eve chose to live bythe Knowledge of Good and Evil, they werepartaking of the religious spirit. The firstresult of this was self-centeredness—theystarted looking at themselves. The first childborn to them after partaking of this fruit wasCain, who is the first biblical model of a mancontrolled by the religious spirit.Cain was “a tiller of the ground” (seeGenesis 4:2), or earthly-minded. The religious spirit will always seek to keep usfocused on the earthly realm rather than theheavenly realm. This “seed of Cain” judgesby what is seen, and cannot understand24

those who “endured, as seeing Him whois unseen” (see Hebrews 11:27).In Revelation 13:11, we see the secondbeast “coming up out of the earth.” This isbecause the spiritual seed of Cain are tillersof the ground. This earthly-mindedness hasproduced one of the most evil beasts theworld will ever know.Cain also tried to make an offering tothe Lord from his own labors. God rejectedthat sacrifice but accepted Abel’s sacrifice ofblood. The fruit of our labors will never bean acceptable offering to the Lord. This wasa statement from the beginning that Godwould only accept the blood of the Lamb.Instead of receiving this correction andthen repenting, Cain became jealous of hisbrother and killed him. Those who attemptto live by their own works will often becomeenraged at those who take their stand onthe righteousness of the Lamb.That is why Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee ofPharisees, was so enraged against Christians.They represented the greatest threat to thaton which the Pharisees had built their wholelives. Because of this, the Pharisees could notendure the very existence of the Christians.Religions that are based on works will easilybecome violent. This includes “Christian” sects25

where a doctrine of works has supplantedthe cross of Christ.The Lord said that if a man hates hisbrother, he is guilty of murder (see Matthew5:2122). Those who are driven by a religiousspirit may well try to destroy people bymeans other than the physical taking oftheir lives. Many of the onslaughts of slanderinstigated against churches and ministries arethe ragings of this same religious spirit thatcaused Cain to slay his brother.The Test of a True MessengerIn Ezekiel 37, the prophet was taken toa valley full of dry bones and asked if theycould live. The Lord then commanded him to“prophesy to the bones.” As he prophesied,they came together, came to life, and thenbecame a great army.This is an important test which every trueministry must pass. The true prophet can seea great army in even the driest of bones. Hewill prophesy life to those bones until theycome to life and then become an army. A falseprophet with a religious spirit will do littlemore than just tell the bones how dry theyare, heaping discouragement and condemnation on them, but imparting no life or powerto overcome their circumstances.Apostles and prophets are given authorityto build up and tear down, but we have no26

right to tear down if we have not first builtup. We should give no one the authority tobring correction to the people under ourcare unless they first have a historyof providing spiritual nourishment andbuilding people up. Some may say thatsuch a policy would eliminate the ministryof the prophets altogether, but I saythat the so-called “prophets” who do nothave a heart to build people up should beeliminated from ministry. As Jude said ofthem, “These are grumblers, finding fault”who are “hidden reefs in your love feasts”(see Jude 16, 12).Even so, as we can see from Eli’s tragicexample, woe to the shepherds who feed andcare for the sheep, but fail to correct them.The true grace of God is found between theextremes of unrighteous faultfinding andunsanctified mercy (approving of things thatGod condemns). Either extreme can be theresult of a religious spirit.27

Part IIMasks of theReligious Spirit

The Spirit of JezebelThe spirit of Jezebel is a form of thereligious spirit. Just as Jezebel was theambitious and manipulative wife of KingAhab—a weak leader who allowed her todictate policy in his kingdom—the Jezebelspirit will usually be found supplantingweak leadership. The Jezebel spirit usuallygains its dominion by making politicalalliances, and it often uses a deceptivelyhumble and submissive demeanor in orderto manipulate. However, once this spiritgains authority, it will usually manifest astrong control spirit and shameless presumption. Despite its name, this spiritualproblem is not limited to women.Jezebel “calls herself a prophetess”(see Revelation 2:20). This is often one ofthe telltale signs of false prophets who areoperating in a religious spirit—they arepreoccupied with their own recognition.To the degree that self-seeking and theneed for recognition abides within us, ourministry will be corrupted. Those who areeasily offended because they are not givenan important title or position should neverbe accepted by that title or given thatposition. The difference between thosemotivated by a desire for recognition andthose motivated by love for the Lord is the31

difference between the false prophet andthe true. The Lord Himself declared:He who speaks from himselfseeks his own glory [literally: “recognition”]; but He who is seekingthe glory of the one who sentHim, He is true, and there isno unrighteousness in Him (John7:18).Demanding recognition for herself,Jezebel serves as the enemy of the trueprophetic ministry. Jezebel was the greatestenemy of one of the Old Covenant’s mostpowerful prophets, Elijah, whose ministryespecially typified preparing the way for theLord. The Jezebel spirit is one of the mostpotent forms of the religious spirit, whichseeks to keep the church and the world frombeing prepared for the return of the Lord.The Jezebel spirit especially attacks theprophetic ministry because that ministry hasan important place in preparing the way forthe Lord. That is why John the Baptist waspersecuted by a personification of Jezebel inthe wife of Herod. The prophetic ministryis the primary vehicle through which theLord gives timely, strategic direction to Hispeople. Jezebel knows that removing thetrue prophets will make the people vulnerable to her false prophets, always resultingin idolatry and spiritual adultery.32

When there is a void of hearing the truevoice of the Lord, the people will be muchmore susceptible to the deceptions of theenemy. This is why Jesus called the religiousleaders of His own day “blind guides” (seeMatthew 23:16). These men, who knew themessianic prophecies better than anyone elsein the world, looked into the face of the Onewho perfectly fulfilled those prophecies andthought that He was sent from Beelzebub.Jezebel’s prophets of Baal were also givento sacrifice, even to the point of cuttingand flailing themselves while seeking themanifestation of their god. A primary strategyof the religious spirit is to get the chur

spirit, an evil spirit that is the counterfeit to the true love of God and true worship. It has probably done far more damage to the church than the New Age movement and all other cults combined. The Nature of a Religious Spirit A religious spirit is a demon which seeks to substitute religious activity for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.