RELIGION is the practise of worshipping God according to your own set standards.

It is following Him the way you choose to do so, and deciding who you would like Him to be and who He is to you, (using terms such as – “MY God” does so and so… The God “I SERVE” will not …), and then proceeding to defend your position in whatever you are not prepared to change or choose to give up in your life, using religious arguments, doctrine and Scriptures to defend yourself and to define your arguments.

RELIGION demands acceptance from God and if confronted, uses God’s Word against Him to try and strong-arm it’s case.

SALVATION means that you no longer have a will, except for God’s will, and that you have willingly surrendered to His call to live a life yielded in the Holy Spirit to be led by His inner-Life guiding you from day to day to walk in the Light as He is in the Light.

You have nothing to defend because you have willingly surrendered your life in order for His Life to be expressed through you.

You have nothing that can be offended, because “you” are no longer the king of your castle – The Holy Spirit now occupies the throne of your life!

You do not resist change but welcome and embrace being formed into what He desires you to become, and you have counted the cost and decided that nothing is off limits or too expensive to give Him in order to change!

That’s the difference between religious folks fighting for their right to retain their sin, and spirit-filled people who have given themselves and their “Rights” to jesus, so he may fill them with the father’s heart.

~ Johann van der Hoven

Johann van der Hoven is in South Africa. He has been serving the Lord in ministry since 1991 and has hosted numerous apostolic revival meetings in South Africa and in South America. He also currently pioneers a organic church planting movement across South Africa. For more information about him and his ministry visit www.sonsofsovereignty.com or Revival.

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