Signs of a Religious Spirit

The Apostle John spoke of the Signs of the End Times. He spoke of
the Holy Remnant Bride and those who only bore 'a Religious/
Phariseitical Spirit'.. Here are some eye-opening signs of those with a
'religious spirit'. We will speak of the Signs of the Holy Remnant
Passionate Bride in the next message...
A person with a Pharisee or Religious Spirit...
l. will be easily offended (Matthew l5:l2). Offense is rooted in
'pride'.
2. will be quick to criticize, judge, and condemn.(Matt. l5:l)...will be
inclined to see more of what is wrong with other people than what is
wrong with themselves...not withstanding is the need to rebuke or
correct. A Pharisee's main mission is to only tear down and the person
and bring up all the wrongs he has done in his past.
3. will teach as doctrine the doctrines and traditions of men, not
God. They don't have that passionate love affair with Jesus. They use
His name but make up their own Christianity and change the scriptures
to suit themselves.
4. will lead others and themselves to hell by subscribing to false
doctrines instead of that faithful, obedient relationship with Jesus
Christ. (Matthew 23:l5).
5. will be spiritually blind..(Matthew l5:l4) They know all about ritual
and form, might even know the Bible well, but they know nothing about
the relationship with Jesus.
6. will be a hypocrite - what they present on the outside bears no
resemblance to what is going on inside. (Matthew 23: 23-28). They will
do things in order to be noticed by men.. It is all about the outside
instead of what is going on in the inside and the condition of their
hearts.
7. will seek to catch other people in their words..(Matthew l9:3)
and make judgments and judgmentalism in order to accuse.
8. will be unable to take a rebuke (pride and offense), especially from
those he may feel is less spiritual than himself.
9. will be subject to over-whelming guilt that he can never measure
up to the Lord's standards, saved by works and not by grace through
faith.

l0. will keep score on his own spirituali life, pride, vain-glory, and self-
sufficiency.

ll. feels that he has been appointed to fix everyone but himself. l2.
will have a bossy leadership style which is over-bearing and intolerant of
the weaknesses and failures of others.

l3. will take pride in his own spiritual maturity.
l4. will have a mechanical prayer life.
l5. will be overly repulsed by emotionalism.
l6. will love prestige, honor, and praises of men, and men's titles for
him.
l7. will be apt to glory in men's accomplishments and not give glory to
Jesus, the cross, and the Lord's finished work.