my worship charades and my next prayer-performance

isaiah 1:13-15

Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.

this goes right back to what i was looking at in matthew yesterday.  i am so busy trying to atone for what Jesus did on the cross with my religious activity.  i focus on what i should have done, or should be doing, or what i didn’t do, or what i did do that i shouldn’t have, and i ignore what HE did.  Jesus set everything straight on the cross.  HE atoned for everything that i will ever do that doesn’t align with HIM, and i can’t re-atone for the atonement.  that doesn’t even make sense.

beyond that, these works will never save me, but faith without works is dead.  i heard a pastor say that there is no such thing as backsliding.  if the HOLY SPIRIT tells you not to do something, and you do it, regardless of whether you are repeating some sin that you’ve already confessed, you are willfully sinning.  this passage in isaiah shows how that affects the way GOD sees us.  there have been times in my life where i would pray and it didn’t matter how long or loud or often i would pray, it seemed like HE wasn’t listening.  friends would tell me that HE will answer in HIS timing, when they should have said, “dude, stop sinning.  stop acting as if GOD can’t see what you do when no one is looking.  give up the act and maybe HE will listen.”