More than anything, I feel that a personal relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (the Holy Trinity) is the only true goal of Christianity. It is out of this belief and my experience of professing Christianity (but not truly grasping its true goal) that this devotional emerged.

One enters salvation with a happy overflowing heart. Then, as we begin to travel this life choice journey, we find ourselves confronted with the trappings of misdirected religion.

To understand religion, let's look at its definition at www.thefreedictionary.com:

a. The belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers, regarded as creating and governing the universe: respect for religion.

b. A particular variety of such belief, especially when organized into a system of doctrine and practice: the world's many religions.

c. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

It is "c" above where we can get off course and into those nonbiblical dos and don'ts, the rules and regulations, pomp and pageantry, the placing of the Christian leader on a pedestal, things that are constructed on human frailty. It is to these confining and restrictive attitudes that I say enough!

In this fifty-two-week devotional, I am sharing some of the truths God has revealed to me in his Word that helped free me and put me on the path to attaining my own more personal relationship with him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

I hope that you too will find sound doctrine in the Word of God that is presented in these weekly inspection and reflection writings. May the Scriptures and principles enable you to walk free in the liberty that we have in Jesus Christ (Gal. 5:1). It is my desire that they will help you recognize and overcome any aspects of "religious thinking" currently preventing you from attaining a more fulfilling and free relationship with the Holy Trinity.

Live out your salvation in victory, breaking the shackles that can bind!