Give me some of that "feel good" religion!

Everybody wants to feel good. There is certainly nothing wrong with feeling good. Americans have created many electrical and mechanical gadgets to assist in the feel good arena. Even drugs play a role in the feel good game.

Many Americans spend 90% of their time trying to find ways to feel good. Perhaps that morning coffee, extra strength...or maybe a cigarette. While we're at it, a shot of whiskey would do in a pinch. Many also must find that pill that calms their nerves or helps them loose weight while still eating like a pig. And the list of feel good ideas could go on add infinitum.

What about discipline? When we find that we have areas in our lives that need to change what do we do? Many today are going to seminars and learning the skill of pretending that they are partially some kind of god or goddess. They are taught that they are in control, not God. In otherwards, those who have gone to these philosophical cults come back saying: "If you force yourself to feel confident, get the attitude that you can do anything, nobody can stop you! Then you will succeed."

Or they say: "Simply believe in your-self!" I have always wondered what this means. Does it mean that I must idolize a make believe image of myself and that I have some special power? Am I to stop believing in God and simply believe in my-self? Believe in my fallen and imperfect nature? My Bible does not tell me to believe in myself or in my own strength. Instead my Bible says:

"...put no confidence in the flesh." [Philipians 3:3]

And as far as trusting in yourself my Bible instead reads;

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him [God], and he shall direct thy paths." [Proverbs 3:5,6]

The hardest thing for a person to do is place their complete trust in another. Can I or should I give my complete life over to another? Wow! Yet this is exactly what God asks us to do. He asks us to die to self, not believe in self, but to die to fallen human nature and to place complete trust in Him!

This belief goes completely against human nature. We are greedy and needy!

Another trap that some Christians fall into; "Well, God wants you to feel good about yourself!" Really? So what does this involve? Can I make up my own standards and rules to live by? Can I take drugs, smoke, eat like a pig, cheat a little...etc. I mean, God does want me to feel good with myself, right?"

I mentioned earlier, what about discipline? Does discipline always "feel good"? Does growing up always "feel good"? Hhhhhmmmmm. It seems that many Christians want Jesus to be their Saviour but not their disciplinary because gues what...that can hurt! You mean a God that has moral boundries? A God that asks you to stay in His word to find all truth and not read Carl Jung or listen to Oprah Winfrey? Come on man...thats torture.

Here we see one of the main problems with Christianity. Many Christians stop reading God's word. They say; "Well, I already read the book and I go to church. End of story." So if God tells us that He speaks to us through His word and you stop reading it and going to the Bible for your answers...where are you turning to find answers? Self-help programs and books that tell you to simply believe in your-self. The New Age movement tells people to tap into their "Higher-Self". Some call it the "God-self". Why not? As god I can make up my own rules...no discipline needed!

Should our confidence be in ourselves or in the Christ that works within the true Christian? As true Christians our confidence is in our God! He is the Almighty, I am just His child! The Bible says that: "A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident." [Proverbs 14:16]

As a matter of fact, people fear "failure" today more than they fear God! This leads to many other errors. Some who look for answers in human behavior or the study of human behavior say things like: "My faith is no longer blind. I only trust in what I can see." Well, then it's not really faith. Biblical faith is not blind but it is also not "all knowing".

Christianity is not a religion of "self". It is a relationalship religion. First, we are put in right relationship with God. That means we go through Christ Jesus alone. That means we put God's commandments, ways, and thoughts before our own or anybody elses. True happiness is in falling in love with God and His word. True love is trusting in God's word even if somebody says something different. If you truly love God you will want to believe in Him and His ways..not in your selfish desires.

Those who go to church for singing and ritual believe that they have made up for their disregard to obedience to God's commands. These type of so called Christians live mostly for themselves instead of for God. These type often perform religious rites. It at least makes them feel better.

You see, basically psychology is in the buisness of rephrasing the gopsel into selfist terminology. If you talk to a so called "Christian Psychologist" one of the first things that he might ask you is; "What do you want? How can I make you feel better?" Their idea of the gospel is proclaimed as "self-esteem".

So todays religionists cry out; "Give me some of that feel-good religion!" Why? Because no discipline is involved, no hurt in the growing process, no pain for true gain! One Christian author has rightly stated: "Christian psychology is an attempted balancing act, with one foot upon the solid Rock, Christ Jesus, and the other on the sinking sand of humanism."

So many people that I have talked with that claim to be Christians have attacked God's word by their continual and popular excuse: "So many denominations say different things about prophecy and Biblical interpretation....so get on with your self-righteousness." What they are really saying is that God must be some how messed up. He must have not been clear to the children that He supposedly loves and died for in the person of Jesus Christ. This really is an excuse not to study God's word. As a result of this attitude many will spend thousands of dollars studying Carl Jung and or Sigmund Freud.

Yet Jesus says to "remain in His word" and promises us that "there we will find the truth". So is Jesus a liar? Sadly, He is, to many supposed Christians floating around the globe who have their head stuck into the intellectual pit of despair. These type will mouth off the most recent dirty joke. Or tell you how they figured out a way to cheat on their taxes. The next sunday they will sit in their church and say a prayer or two. Perhaps do a ritual or two and head on home to catch the next football game. Across the room on their shelf sits a dusty old Bible which they claim that they have already read and know what it says. On the coffee table sits their favorite book titled: "Human Psychology..understanding human conscious...the key to success!" And in Heaven Jesus looks down with a tear in His eye and says; "They don't get it..they just don't get it."

Today I would ask all true Christians to pray for those caught in the psychology game. Pray that they come back to their Father's word and to the Saviour Jesus Christ. There is where we find our true hope, stength, wisdom, knowledge, and rest.

By Eric W. King
Febreuary 23rd,2008

For more truth visit:
"The Adventist Way of Life"