Freedom in Christ: Breaking the Chains of Legalism

on the East Coast. Okay, hello, welcome everybody on YouTube and on Facebook. Uh, so today is a pop-up live, pop-up teaching. I did not expect to have to teach today, but God, okay, so here I am, Lord, here I am. Um, and so before I start, I do want to say a quick prayer, and then I'm going to go ahead and get into, um, what the Lord had me to share. Okay, so Father, I just thank you for your word today. I thank you for, um, sharing your heart with me Um, Father, I pray, God, that as I share what you have given me, that your people will hear your word. It will penetrate their hearts. It will transform their thinking. Um, it will help them to understand and see that, God, they have freedom in Christ Jesus. And so, Lord, as I say your words, I speak it, as I teach it, uh, God, I just surrender everything I have to you— my eyes, my heart, my mind, my spirit, everything, Lord. Christ's name I pray. Amen. Amen. So as you can see by today's, um, title, uh, today's teaching is called Freedom in Christ: Breaking the Chains of Legalism. Breaking the Chains of Legalism. And so if you're coming back to watch this later, be sure to put hashtag replay in the comment section, um, and let me know where you are from. Um, but my name is Shakeeta Torres. I am a therapist, I'm a life coach, uh, many different things, but I always will say this: I'm a daughter of God, I am God's mouthpiece, I say and do what God uh, has required me to do the best that I can. Okay, I'm not perfect, but the best that I can, I put my best foot forward. And so, um, I'll go ahead and share, um, how this word, you know, came about for me to share today. So for me, like, all week, the past couple of weeks, I shared this on Tuesday when I went live, um, of how I've been seeing a lot of comments, whether it's on Instagram, whether it's on Reddit. I mean, I'm on Reddit sometimes, not often, sometimes too. Um, different groups amongst therapists, amongst, you know, other, um, faith and mental wellness providers, Christian providers. The common theme I'm seeing is that people are struggling and really truly embracing freedom in Christ Jesus. People are really struggling to understand that they don't have to earn salvation, but salvation is a free gift from God if we just embrace it, if we embrace that gift from the Lord. Okay, and so I'm going to share my dream with you that I had last night. And then when I woke up, I woke up immediately after the dream ended, and I began to take notes, and the Lord just began to speak to me, and he was like, my people need to be taught this. I'm like, oh wow, okay God, all right, I'll do it. So with that being said, um, I had this dream last night. Um, I can't remember where I was at. I had like actually like 2 or 3 dreams, um, last night leading up to this one, but this one in particular, I remember everything, detail for detail. And I remember that it was this woman of God, she was so sweet. And somehow I end up spending the night at her house. And, um, I can't remember, it was someone that was a friend of hers that had sent me a gift or something like that. I can't remember all the, all the details of that. But long story short, she was nice. She had a heart for, for the Lord, a heart for God's people. And, um, I remember we were talking, and some more things happened before that, but I'm not going to get into all that. And she and I were talking, and she was saying how, um, her friend he was stressed out and he was panicking because he was listening to, I guess, maybe some R&B or some kind of music through his, um, his Beats earbuds. And he said his power went out his house, and he was like, the Lord— he was upset because he said, I feel like the Lord is punishing me for listening to, you know, this music through my Beats, okay, through my AirPods. And I'm like, And she was like, so she feel like God's punishing him. And I was like— and I asked her, I said, well, do you believe that God punished him for that too, in that way? And she was like, um, yeah. And then all of a sudden, I just begin to start ministering to her. I was like, you— I said, that's legalism. I said, God is looking at your heart. He's not looking at— he's not looking to find something to punish you for, okay? And I don't remember— I remember what I said, but right now they all coming to me. But the point of the, of the message was this: The Lord was showing me that he has so many— his people are dealing with legalism and also religion, you know, religious trauma, whatever you want to call it, syndrome as well. We'll get into that another teaching, okay? Trying to stay focused. It's— y'all, this is so much. It's a lot. It's a lot, okay? Um, so I'm trying my best to stay on task and to what God gave me. And so in my dream, um, I was just ministering to her and she was just crying and she was just weeping because I was letting her know. I'm like, hey, I'm like, God loves you, you know, you have a good heart. God cares more about your heart posture than anything else, okay? And so she, um, was crying, then my dream ended. And so when I woke up, that's when God began to minister to me, um, about this particular thing today, which is legalism. So what is legalism, okay? It refers to a strict adherence to laws or rules, often rigidly and without considering the spirit of it or intent behind it. Okay, um, also it can mean this: dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith. That's what the dictionary gave me when I looked up the word legalism. Okay, and so as I was all morning before I went live, I just been like really just pressing in and listening to the Lord and he— what he had to say. And he began to remind me of my own experiences, and he began to give me examples of people and what they are dealing with even today when it comes to this. Because oftentimes, whenever you're operating in legalism, you're not always aware that you're doing it because it has become a part of your behavior, a part of your pattern, a part of your, of your thinking. And it really does take, you know, Holy Spirit pointing things out to you and teachings like this today to help you to reevaluate where you are when it comes to this particular area. So you can see, okay, am I operating in legalism? Am I Am I trying to earn salvation? Am I trying to earn God's love? Y'all, God's love cannot be earned, period. Okay, he love us because he just love us. All right, and so let me give you some examples here of what legalism could look like. So one thing that God showed me, he was like, some of my people— like, for example, um, let's say you feel short and you made a mistake. Right, and you feel bad for it, you went to God for it, you repented, you apologize, you did all these different things, right? But then you turn around and try to do 10 good things to cancel out that one wrong thing that you done. That's legalism, okay? That's legalism. God has already forgiven you. God has already given, you know, you have, you know, given you grace and mercy in that particular area when you came to him the first time. You don't have to do all these things to prove to him that you're worthy of his love. Period. Okay, um, and I remember he reminded me of like, like early on in my early years of, you know, being a Christian as a part of a ministry. And you know, every church has, you know, the pros and cons. Um, if you look at, you know, uh, the New Testament, you can see how Paul is writing letters to every church, and every church he wrote to had good things they did and things they, you know, wanted, you know, that need to improve on. Okay, so I've definitely spent a lot of time reading the New Testament. It's, it's so good. Okay, and so I remember, um, during this time, uh, my husband and I had just got married. Um, he's in the military. He had to get, you know, he was, um, he had orders to go to a different state, which is about 2 hours away. It wasn't long at all, but I was in graduate school, and so if I would have left for just that year that he was gone, I would have lost all my college credits. And so he and I both decided that for me, that, you know, for me to stay behind, I'm gonna stay, stay where I was until I got finished with school. And I had already been in grad school for 2 years, okay? So if I would have left this particular state and went to that state, I would have lost 2 years of college credits, okay? And I was almost done. With school. And so I remember our, our plan was, um, for me to go up there every other weekend, and then he would come here the other weekend. We kind of take turns because he was working like 60+ hours a week, okay? That's a lot of hours. And he was by himself. He had, you know, no family there, no friends there. It was just him, all right? He was newly married. He was pretty much newly, newly at being, you know, babies in Christ too, as well. And so I remember on the weekends, you know, I would go there. And I remember the mother of the church at that time was like, um, I don't understand why you are leaving and you're not at church, you know, every, you know, on weekend, because you need to be here. And I was like, I felt a little guilt. I felt guilty when she said that. I'm like, whoa, this is my husband. Like, this is a decision that he and I, you know, made together. And so, um, I remember telling at the time my hairdresser who's also a mentor who would minister to me about marriage. I thank God for her. I thank God for my aunt. Um, those two, oh my God, they really helped me to understand how to build a healthy foundation when it came to marriage, okay, and being on one accord. And so she said, Shakeeta, no ma'am. She said, if you don't get in your car and you don't go and be with your husband and y'all do what y'all gotta do. She said play the sermons in your car. She said pray in your car, worship in your car, do whatever you got to do, but your husband needs you. You need to be there. Because it wasn't fair, you know, for him that had to always drive here where I was at after working 60 hours a week. He was exhausted, okay? And I was working, I think, part-time, and I was in grad school going to class at, you know, at nighttime. So I had way more time than he did. I had way less stress on me. So why wouldn't I go be be with my husband. It was only a 2-hour drive. And so I did that every other weekend. I would go there and he would come here. And you guys, like, it was amazing because that's— during that time, I spent a whole bunch of time in prayer. I was in my word a lot. So I would be at work, I would go to class. When I came home, talk to my husband on the phone, and I would be in my word, be in my word and prayer. Okay. And so, uh, I remember, um, coming back to church on the, on the, on the, you know, on the weekends that he, you know, didn't come um, he would come here and we would go together. It's like, you know, I can't believe that, like, you are still growing. Oh my God, this is so sad. You are still growing spiritually and you only here at church like 2 or 3 times a month. And I'm like, what? Like, that just baffled me because their perception of spiritual growth and spiritual maturity and growing in Christ and growing, you know, spending time with God was equivalent to being at church every Sunday, every Wednesday, and 2 or 3 times a week. And then not only that, I was in grad school. I had a class I had to take on Wednesday nights, which was typically Bible study. And he told me, Shakeeta Torres, well, why aren't you here? Because you need to be here for Bible study. I'm like, I got class, I'm in grad school. Like, the Lord had led me to start grad school. If I didn't go to grad school, I wouldn't be a therapist today, more likely. So it was a season where I had to do that because after I finished school, I had to move with my husband to a whole different state, okay? So it would have been so much delay, y'all. That's a whole topic all by itself. And so, you know, I just found that very interesting because she— because like what it was, she would hear me, you know, in prayer or hear me praising and worshiping God, you know, during service. And she thought like, wow, like Shakeeta Torres is growing, but like she's not here. And I'm just like— and then I didn't know it was called legalism. I didn't know it was called, you know, religion per se, you know. I was like, wow. I was like, wow. So anyway, God reminded me of that this morning to share with you all, that if that is you, right, that is legalism. Oh my gosh, like, I could say so much for that, but I'mma, I'mma stop there. I digress. That's right. It's sadly the spirit of religion, um, at its finest. Absolutely. And I mean, I didn't know it then, but looking back now, like, when I left there, God really had to do a work on my mind and a work on my perception of him and, you know, how I saw myself because of the spirit of religion and legalism. And sadly, many people are dealing with that today, and I see it everywhere. I see it everywhere. Okay, and so here's some other signs that you could be, um, dealing with legalism. Also, yeah, I had a client— this was many, many years ago in therapy— and you know, God will always send me these prophetic people to counsel in mental health, okay, as far as mental health. And, um, outside of that, you know, I will also have like these, uh, prophetic, um, group mentorship groups from women. This was like years ago.. And some of them will come that I also counsel in, in therapy. And, um, I will always come with the teaching that God would give me, not really knowing that some of them were dealing with some of the same things that I was teaching that day. I was just being obedient to what God gave me to teach, okay? So I would go, you know, I would show them, teach them what God gave me, and it was about, you know, religion, okay? And one of the girls confessed, she said, oh my God, she said, in order for me to read a Bible, I fast and I pray. So she was saying she don't read God's word unless she prays and fast. That is, that is like, that's legalism. Like, she was bound. Like, really, they ain't even in scripture that you had to fast and pray, even in the Old Testament, in order to read the Bible. And so that completely changed her mindset and her perception of you have to do all these things to hear God's voice, you got to do all these things to be in relationship with him, you gotta do all these things to like be forgiven for your sins, and so much more. Oh my gosh, y'all. Oh, this is— this topic is very robust, y'all, so I'm gonna try my best to get through it. So just, just, just pray for me, okay? It's good, but it's a lot. Um, and so, okay, so here's one more thing, okay? The first other signs here is this: excessive focus on rules over relationships. All right, so prioritizing strict adherence to rules over fostering genuine relationships within the church community. For example, enforcing specific dress codes for church attendance instead of welcoming all seeking spiritual guidance and community. Pretty much like you're so focused on trying to make sure that everyone is obeying the rules and the traditions of the church, right, to the point where people can't come to church and be free to be themselves, to come as they are. And for me, I know, you know, growing up in church when I was younger, we had to dress up for one thing every single— we couldn't come and pants, you couldn't come in jeans, you couldn't come— you had to wear a skirt, you had to wear a dress, whatever it was, okay? And what if somebody can't afford that? What if somebody doesn't have the money to go and buy these nice, nice clothes to come to church, y'all? And so that's legalism. That's legalism, okay? Um, and so if you feel like you have to do that in order to go to church, that's not good. Now, if you want to go to church and wear a 5-piece suit or a 10-piece suit, you go ahead and do that, okay? I've definitely visited missions before in the past where, you know, you're able to, you know, wear what you want to wear. So with that being said, I think people come and they have on 10-piece suit, some come and they have on just a tank top and jeans, right? So, so they really had this culture of like coming as you are, right, when it came to the dress code. Of course, don't come to church naked. Don't come to church naked, you know. But they did not focus on, um, that. They really focused on teaching the word of God, okay? And I've seen this so many times, even myself. I had did a, a teaching last year called Relationship Versus Religion with God, and I shared, you know, my experiences there too as well. And I also shared, um, examples of, um, what that could look like. It's so good. That also too, the dream I had in that particular teaching. So you want to look at that, it's on YouTube. Okay, so good. All right, uh, number 2, judging others based on religious, uh, performance. Okay, criticizing or looking down on fellow believers who don't adhere to specific religious practices or standards. Um, for example, harshly judging someone who misses church services due to personal reasons instead of offering support or understanding. Absolutely. Once again, I shared earlier my testimony, my experience with, you know, being in ministry where I was told I need to be there every Sunday, every Wednesday, every day, that, that, you know, you know, the doors open, without looking at the fact that I'm I'm a newlywed, I just got married, I'm in grad school, trying to finish school. Why not offer me, you know, me some support, saying, hey, like, how can we support you guys? Are y'all okay? We didn't receive any support when it came to that, and it was not— so I thank God for my, um, hairdresser during that time. Oh my God, because my marriage probably would have like really had a really, really rocky start because of, because of that. Okay, number 3, uh, lack of forgiveness and grace. Refusing to forgive someone who has made mistakes or fallen short of religious standards. For instance, excluding or ostracizing a member of the congregation who has confessed a past mistake rather than extending grace and helping them move forward. My God. So when I read this just now, what comes to my mind, um, was the story about— I can't— forgot the name of the church, y'all. It's— it was a docu-series on, um, Netflix, and I think I forgot the pastor name. My God. But anyway, you probably, um, know what I'm talking about. But the pastor, it was a lot going on there. He had been cheating on his wife. It was so much going on, and he ended up confessing to the leaders what he had done, and he was very sorry. He was very remorseful. He was very shamed. He was— he felt ashamed, and he was seeking help. And so instead of them helping him to get help and to help him to be restored, they ended up pushing him away. They fired him. Um, cut his family off. It was just horrible, and I was just so disgusted because I'm like, yes, he has fallen short. His wife, you know, stayed with them. They was able to work their marriage out, but he confessed it, y'all, and he repented for it, and he needed help. Now, definitely he shouldn't be continuing to preach in the pulpit. I definitely agree with that, as he got himself together, but it was horrible. That's a prime example of what I just did— lack of forgiveness and grace. And so he was like, you know, ostracized from the ministry. He couldn't do anything else with them, and that really broke him as well, even the more. So that's horrible. All right, number 4, um, external piety over internal transformation. Emphasizing outward displays of religious behavior without genuine internal growth or transformation. This could involve someone who prays loudly in public to be seen devout but lacks humility or compassion in personal interactions. That is so true. That's so true. Um, I have definitely experienced that, you know, myself. I— for me, y'all, y'all don't know me on personal level, right? Y'all see me on social media, but for me, I feel like I display who I am in, in public and in private the same way. And so I am primarily a teacher of God's word. Can I preach? Yes. Can I pray the house down? Absolutely, right? But I'm not doing those things to say, look at me, look at what I can do, right? That is operating in legalism as well. So that can make other people, you know, feel uncomfortable or feel bad if you're not operating from the right spirit, right? And I even had a dream just the other week, like, I was amongst a whole bunch of, you know, minister— women ministers who were hooping and hollering and yelling. And I was like, I'm not doing all that. I'm about to come up here, I'm about to teach this word feed God's people and go get, you know, get somewhere and sit down, you know. And so like, you can't determine someone's, um, walk with God based off of the outward appearance, how they pray, what they look like, or any of that. Oh my God, prime example, my youngest daughter, she's 8 years old, she loves to pray with me, she loves to spend time in the word with me as well. And but her prayers are simple. Her prayers is, God, I pray for my mommy, I pray for my daddy, I pray for people who are home. It's very simple because she's 8 years old, but it's so powerful. Her words are powerful. I can feel the weight of her words because of her heart, y'all, because of her heart, okay? And she has faith, okay? Same thing with my husband, you know, he's very— he's chill, relaxed, right? But when he speak a word from the Lord, like I'm speaking to you right now, it hit— it hit me like a ton of bricks because he's speaking from a pure place. He's speaking the word of God. Loud doesn't mean you're more anointed. Loud doesn't mean that God favors you more. Loud does not mean that, you know, you're getting your point across. I can't stand somebody yelling and screaming at me now. I can't stand it. I was in it when I was, you know, a baby in Christ, but now it like— it hurts my ears. I'm like, teach me, I want substance, give me the meat of the word of God. I don't care about all that. That, okay? So if you experience that, you know, take it before the Lord, you know, allow God to— if you are doing this, ask God to transform your heart and your mind. If you have experienced, you know, being shunned or put down because you don't operate this way, you know, forgive them, you know, ask God to heal your heart, okay? Number 5: fear-based motivation in religious practices. Engaging in religious practices out of fear fear of divine punishment rather than out of genuine love and devotion to God. For example, attending church solely because of the fear of being judged by others rather than out of desire to grow spiritually. But I just said pretty much, right, if you are afraid to miss church because you don't want to be punished or, you know, look down on or ask 1,001 questions that is a clear sign that you are in a place where they're operating in legalism. Their first question should be, is, are you okay? How are you doing? We missed you this past Sunday. Now, where you been, girl? We ain't seen you in a long time. I can't stand that. Like, y'all, I can't stand that. Oh my God. Or they don't talk to you unless you at church, but in between, you know, they never call to see how you were doing. Like, hey, how are you doing? Are you okay? Not from a place of they want to be nosy or draw you back into the church because just to keep up, I guess, appearances, or keep the tithes and offering coming in, whatever. Okay, um, number 6: selective application of religious rules. Applying religious rules or principles selectively based on personal, uh, uh, or biases. Okay, for instance, holding certain individuals to stricter moral standards while turning a blind eye to similar behavior in others based on their social status or personal relationships. So pretty much like, let's say, you know, okay, my husband's the pastor, right? And you know, it's me, I'm there, and someone else may be there, but because I'm his wife, he can't correct me, or he's not going to, you know, confront me about certain things because I'm his wife, but the other person is doing the same thing I'm doing, they get, you know, beat over the head with the Bible. No, accountability is accountability. It doesn't matter your status. It doesn't matter, you know. You should not be above correction. None of us should be, whether you're on social media, I don't care where you are. Accountability needs to be in place for all believers. Okay, um, number 7, resistance to change and new insight. Rejecting new interpretations of scripture or resisting changes within the church community due to an insistence on adhering strictly to traditional doctrines or practices. This can hinder potential growth opportunities. So pretty much right here what it's saying is, okay, of course, like, when you're a baby in Christ, you're taught different things. I can look back now once again and look at so many things that I was taught that was not accurate, that was not right, and it took the word of God to transform my mind. Mind. So with that being said, if I wasn't willing to allow myself to be transformed by the word of God— I'm still being transformed, we all should be, right? Going from faith to faith and from glory to glory, right? Then I'm going to be stuck, right? I'm not opening up my mind to the Holy Spirit. Like, I can definitely say there's time— like, I remember one time, prime example, y'all, it's so religious, okay? I remember I was in a bookstore. This was like, oh, I was just being— many, many, many years ago., and I was trying to find a new Bible, but I was looking for KJV because I was taught that you had to have a KJV Bible in order to really understand and read God's word, even though I was having a hard time understanding KJV. All right, so I'm checking out, and the guy at the counter— this was so God, this was so Holy Spirit— he said, um, do you only buy these kind of Bibles, KJV? I said, yeah. He was like, but why? And I was like, oh well, that's what I was taught, that I had to, you know, read only KJV Bibles. And he was like, he just, he kind of shook his head. He didn't say anything wrong or anything mean, but I was like, God, that is true, right? Now I know that every Bible is not the same. Some Bibles are leaving stuff out, but I do go back and forth. I read KJV. If I don't understand it, I'm gonna go to NIV. I'm gonna look at different versions of that scripture to get understanding. And there's nothing wrong with that. And, and it's sad because I even look back in the ministry I was at, and they're telling me to look at KJV, but at the same time, they were not a teaching ministry. They did not disciple us, okay? If anything, they operated more heavily on the gifts of the Spirit than the word of God. And so I had to be transformed and really dig in my word for myself. I've shared it with you guys who follow me for a while, time and time again. How you have to be in your word to anchor your gifts. You cannot just be dependent on your gifts in order for you to really understand what God is saying. You have got to get in the word of God. And once I got in the word of God, like, I grew even the more. I grew even the more. So you can— and then you can have all these gifts, but then you thinking you hearing, you know, hearing God, or you're seeing something, and really it's not God, it's your own imagination. Well, how can you judge what you're seeing and judge what you're hearing if you're not in your word, right? Like, for example, my dream I had last night, I was able to interpret that dream with no problem because I've been in my word, because I've been before God, because I had this same experiences too, okay? But the word of God— and that God began to speak to me in scripture. God speaks to us in scripture as well too, you guys, okay? So remember that. That. Remember that. All right, number 8. Okay, persistent feelings of guilt and condemnation. You're constantly feeling guilty for not meeting religious expectations, leading to a lack of confidence and joy in one's faith journey. You guys, our walk with God is supposed to have joy as well. Of course you're going to have hard seasons, you're going to have, you know, storms and valleys and all this good— all these different things in your life period, whether you're a believer or not. But when you are in walking with the Lord, y'all, and you're constantly feeling guilty for something, that's definitely legalism, and that's not good, and that's not God. God wants us to experience freedom, and he wants us to experience joy in walking with him, y'all. God is so full of personality, it don't make no sense. Like, how he speaks to us in different ways, to me, is just so amazing, okay? God is funny. Have that sense of humor, okay? Like, the things that my husband tells me when God's laughing, I'm like, you heard God laugh before? He was like, yeah, I heard him laugh. I've never heard God laugh before, but he has, you know? And so I just think it's so beautiful in the different ways that God speaks to us. And if you're not experiencing that joy like that, then that's a problem. That's a clear sign that you could be operating in legalism. Number 9, lack of empathy and compassion. Um, being unsympathetic or judgmental toward individuals struggling with personal issues or crisis, prioritizing religious rules over extending compassion and support. So pretty much, um, you know, this is pretty much saying you lacking empathy for other people and compassion. Like, you feel like, okay, well, that person's struggling because, uh, because of sin. That's not true at all whatsoever, right? That's not true. People suffer for different reasons. It could be— it could be generational, it could be because of sin, but that's not always always the case. It's called life. Life, y'all. Life happens. Life, life. Me and my husband, um, had a talk the other day talking about healing and deliverance, and the Lord actually put it on my heart maybe about 3 weeks ago, at some point I'm gonna do a teaching about understanding healing and deliverance. It's not the same. And so I asked him, like, his brother had died, hmm, like 3 years ago. He was actually murdered. And so he's been grieving. He's been grieving. And I'm like, okay, so for example, I'm like, you're grieving your brother and you, you have periods of sadness, right? And you miss him so much. So are you saying that you need deliverance because you're grieving? And he was like, no, I'm not— I don't need deliverance. I said, exactly. I said, you need healing. God's going to heal your heart as you continue to walk this, this grieving journey out. So you don't have to— so everything is not deliverance, y'all. It's not. Everything is not. So he's not sitting here depressed and in the corner. He, he grieving. He cries. He's emotional. But he's not always that way 24/7. That is normal. That's normal, okay? But some people will say otherwise, that it is demonic, and it's not. All right, um, and number 10 here, uh, focusing on outward religious acts, um, emphasizing outward displays of religious observance while neglecting to show love, kindness, and generosity to those in need. Yes. Okay, so I got through that, you guys. So, um, earlier I mentioned that, um, religion and legalism is different. Religion in itself isn't necessarily bad, okay? And I'm going to that in just a moment, very briefly. But as I said before, um, I did a whole teaching on that, um, last year. It's about 40 minutes long. It's really, really good. I'll put that in the description, um, on Facebook and YouTube whenever I get done, okay? And so I do want to go over really quickly what the difference is, and then I'mma go into scripture, okay? So legalism refers to an excessive adherence to rules and regulations, emphasizing strict observance of laws or traditions without necessarily understanding the underlying principles or the spirit behind them. So why are you doing this thing? Why are you doing it? I have, I have reached a point when I'm doing something and I'm saying I'm doing it for God or whatever, or whatever it may be, Okay, why am I doing this? Am I doing it because, you know, the Lord led me to do it? Am I doing it because I feel like I have to do it in order to earn God's love? Like, you need to question your own— question your motives. Ask God, okay, God, show me my heart, show me me, and he will. Okay, um, it's in Christianity, legalism manifests as an overemphasis on following religious laws and rules, once again to earn salvation or favor with God. It focuses on the external behaviors rather than internal transformation, promoting judgmental attitudes towards yourself and towards others. Okay, religion refers to a system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and doctrines that guide one's faith and relationship with God. Religion— religion has different denominations, different traditions, and understanding of God's word, right? While religion can be a positive force providing structure, community, and moral guidance, it can also, um, start to have these legalistic tendencies if it is overly emphasized, right? If it's overly emphasized, okay? And that's where the problem lies. And I realize that this is what— this is what I told my husband the other day. When it comes to these different denominations and doctrines and theologies and whatnot, This is what the Holy Spirit told me the other day. He was like, it's so many of these these days because people want to be— to, to be the ones to create something new, or they want to feel like they're doing something so great and so grand. And so people like create these different doctrines and theologies and different things instead of just following the Holy Spirit, following God, reading his word. And then not only that, this is not a bad thing per se. On the flip side of that is, you know, we all have different types of ministries, okay? I know people who are very well-versed when it comes to understanding the end times. There are people who are very well-versed in teaching healing and deliverance. There are some that are very well-versed in teaching and understanding Christ's walk and so much more, y'all. So like, God is not requiring for us to know the Bible in its entirety, but he is requiring us to come together and fellowship to teach each other. To learn from one another and to lay down our pride and really hear what the other person is saying. And you guys, like, that's— and so whenever you are not open to hearing nothing that, you know, uh, a brother is saying in Christ, you know, you know, you know, you know, saying about the word, then you're like operating in pride. I definitely watch YouTube videos more than anything, and he brought— I'm like, Lord, I don't agree with that. I said, but let me look in your word for myself and let me look and see what he's saying. I try my best not to close stuff off immediately, um, without getting understanding and context, right? And so we have to like— it's just, y'all, y'all already know, if you go on social media right now, if you go on Instagram, YouTube, wherever you are, everybody has something they got to say about something. And like, it's just, it's exhausting, to be honest. Like, this person is wrong, that person is right, this person got did, this person— I know it's still it's just too much. It's just too much. We all just focus on our relationship with God, reading our word, and really laying down our pride. I think there would be a lot more unity in the body of Christ. And this Bible, y'all, is so robust. This Bible is so full of different traditions too, um, different things that, you know, different, um, countries and cultures and things did. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but is it religious? Is it legalism? Is it pulling them away from Christ Jesus? Okay, that needs to be the question. Is it drawing you closer to God or away from God? Okay, all righty. Look at you guys' comments. She said, good word. Thank you so much. Amen. Thank you for joining again. Okay, thank you. Yes. Okay, the next part here, um, I'm not gonna go over this part again. I'll probably put this in the description box on YouTube and Facebook. Book. All right, all right. So with that being said, um, as I was reading, um, talking, you know, writing everything out this morning and, you know, spending time with the Lord with his word, um, he pretty much was like, this is what the Pharisees did. The Pharisees, they had, you know, traditions that were not necessarily bad, but they became bad and they became legalistic whenever they put those, um, traditions above God. They put those traditions and they enforced them so much and so heavily, so much so that people that was, um, serving under them, once they supposed to be— supposed to have been serving, they ended up, you know, making it harder for them, like making it almost impossible for these people to feel like they, you know, that, you know, that God loves them. So I'm gonna go real quick to Matthew chapter 23. So I'm not going to read the whole chapter, but the whole chapter, it literally Jesus himself chastising the Pharisees about what they do. Okay, so I'm gonna read the first few scriptures here and then I'm gonna get into, um, breaking the word down some more. Okay, it says Matthew chapter 23. Okay, this is Christ now. He went off, he went in. Okay, he said, the scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. Therefore, do whatever they tell you and observe it, but don't do what they do because they don't practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them. They do everything to be seen by others. They enlarge their, um, their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. That's a little— I had to look that up, you guys. So the Jews, you know, then they had, um, and still today have these small boxes, um, where they had, uh, scriptures in and they wore around their, around their, um, their arm. Okay. They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called Rabbi by people. And so in other words, you— if you read this whole chapter, you can see, you know, what Christ is telling them. Like, you guys, like, y'all want all this honor, all this glory, and you tell everyone to do this and to do that when you yourself can't even uphold these laws and traditions. And Christ came here, you guys, to fulfill the law. He came to fulfill the law. What does that mean? He knows that we cannot in our own strength, in our own capacity, live like this perfect lifestyle. It's just not gonna happen. It's not. But through Christ, through what he did for us, we have freedom. That's why I call this live today Freedom in Christ: Breaking the Chains of Legalism. And whenever you feel like you can't live up to something and you keep trying it, all you're doing is like making yourself more anxious and operating, you know, in legalism and feeling depressed and weighed down and heavy. This is what the Pharisees did to the people, made them feel like they was, um, you know, they couldn't do it. They couldn't do it, okay? And so then the Lord had me fast forward, um, to this scripture though in Matthew 23. Let me pull this up on my tablet, my notes. This was so good, y'all. 23:25 says, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of it may also become clean. And so in my dream Um, I was telling this woman, I'm like, God looks at your heart. He is looking at your heart. He is not looking at what you're doing on the outside. We can look good, we can dress, we can do all these different things, our works, man. Like, oh God, you guys, it's just a lot. Every time I, I mention something, I, I keep getting these different memories that come up for me. Not just for me, but even in different job that I've had. I'll share that in just a moment, but let me share this part break really quickly. And so if you look at 1 Samuel, um, chapter 16 and 7, this is where, um, God has sent Samuel to go anoint, um, David as the next king. But you know, David was young, you know, he was little, he was small, he wasn't built and big in stature. And so, um, whenever the Lord told Samuel to do, he's like, God, are you sure? Are you sure? And the Lord said to him, for the Lord does not see a man, see as man sees. For man— for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Okay, he looks at the heart of that person. He's not looking at all your actions, but which— which he is, but not the way he is with your heart. Your heart is way more important. Okay, and don't— for some of you who's saying, God know my heart, God know my heart, but you still doing things you shouldn't be doing now. That's not what I'm saying either. That's not what I'm saying either, okay? Because God's word says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works. Ephesians chapter 2 and 8-9. Grace alone, faith alone. Grace alone means that God loves, forgives, and saves us not because of who we are or what we do, but because of the work of Christ and what he did for us, you guys. My God, my God. Um, and so I remember real quickly, um, I used to work at hospice and I used to have to go to nursing home sometime to see some of the patients we had. And some of them had dementia, Alzheimer's. And I never forget, it was this one lady I wanted to go see, and now she had Alzheimer's. And you guys, she was mean. I'm talking about mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean. And I looked at her, um, you know, like where I was working at, they had like a big old plaque of their lives telling them about their name, where they from, what they've done. And you guys, she was a believer, okay? And it was just saying about all the things that she had done, all her works, how she, you know, uh, was the secretary of the church. She did for 30 years. I mean, she would— works was amazing, but But y'all, she was evil. Like, when I came into the room, she was trying to scratch me. She was calling me the N-word, all kind of stuff, okay? And in that moment, I'm like, wow, God. Like, and God was like, her heart wasn't pure before me. Her work say one thing, but her heart said another. And I know people will say, well, Alzheimer's and dementia, you really don't know. You can't really say that, you know, that person was evil because they can change them. I beg to differ. I think— I believe this is what my— what I've seen. That it pulls out the worst or the best in you. Because I also have seen patients before who were believers who had Alzheimer's or dementia, and they were sweet as pie. Sweet as pie. Saying, yes ma'am, no ma'am, thank you. Oh my God, I seen it across the spectrum. I used to work in it for a few years, okay? And I was like, wow. I was like, this is a huge, like, different— like, what's the hard heart. They're hard, you guys. They hard. They're hard. Okay, all righty, so the next part— I'm almost done. So this is what God, um, told me to tell you guys too as well. He said, um, everyone's conviction is different depending on the posture of their heart and their relationship with God. And so I see people oftentimes will compare their walk with God with other people. Let me give you an example. So I have met, you know, over the years, you know, women who have told me like, hey, like, you know, I went through a season where, you know, God told me that, you know, I couldn't wear makeup for a year, I had to wear a skirt, I couldn't do different things. But that's because it had became their idol. It had became their idol. And it's because God didn't tell me to do that, which it won't tell me that, say anything about me, about, about me per se. But I would just— I'm using that as an example. So I'm not addicted to makeup, I'm not addicted to clothes, I'm not addicted to those things. So God has never really had to tell me to don't wear makeup for a year or don't dress up for a year, whatever the case may be, because my heart— that's not my heart posture. I'm not addicted to these things. And so what I'm saying is everyone's conviction is different. So if you see a sister or brother in Christ saying God told them to do this, right, in order to, you know, transform them, transform their heart, their mind, don't judge them. And vice versa, if God told you to— told you to do XYZ and someone else isn't doing it, you don't do that, right? Everyone's walk with God is so different, and it's so beautiful. And I love hearing people's stories about their experiences with God, what God has shown them. Like, you got— I'm so beyond, like, oh, you know what, he showed me— no, it's not about me, right? It's about God. It's about the Holy Holy Spirit and how much he shows us that he loves us and that he's with us. Okay, so, okay, anyway, so the last part I'm going to go over real quickly is how to heal from legalism and religion. And when I say religion, I'm meaning that you're operating in religion and not in a relationship with God. Okay, so it definitely is— it's a mindset thing. It is definitely a mindset thing. Number one is you have to recognize that you may have legalistic patterns, okay? And I definitely had a legalistic pattern. I remember I shared this a while back, and I'll share real quick, real quickly. I came from a ministry when I first was, you know, a baby in Christ, where we had prayer a lot, we had shut-ins a lot. That's the great thing. I'm not against that. I'm sure God not against that. But what I'm saying, it made it feel like we couldn't really like pray unless we were at an altar or at church, or we was just like, you know, somewhere secluded. And the Lord had to really deal with me about that, to the point where I had friends— Shakeeta Torres, the Lord told me to tell you this. I'm like, oh wow. I'm like, I ain't think about it like that, right? I didn't know any better, okay? And so I had to go through a period where God was saying, pray now, talk to me now. You don't have to wait till you get home or go to your prayer closet. You can talk to me anytime, any day, any place, anywhere. You can do that. You don't have to be at the church, on the pulpit, at the church, at the altar, in order to hear me speak to you. So I definitely had to go through that, you know, as well. Um, so recognize that you might have legalistic patterns. So for me, from there, I had to pursue God. Okay, God, show me areas in my mind where I need to be stretched, because this, this is not healthy, okay? Um, number 2, study grace and gospel-centered teachings. Engage in studying the teachings of Christ Jesus in the New Testament, focusing on messages of grace, love, forgiveness, and freedom found in Christ. So the four gospels, the four gospels, you guys, like, if you read it, like, there's the blueprint for our life. It really is. If you follow the life of Christ, you will see how he interact with people, how he responded, how he showed love to sinners. How he showed love to believers. You will see all those things, you guys. Go and read the four gospels. Number 3: Seek an understanding of relationship over rules. Shift the focus from following rules to nurturing a personal relationship with God. Understand that faith is not solely about adhering to a set of regulations, but about knowing and experiencing God's love and grace. So once again, I have a memory that's triggered now. So I remember I was working at a company, uh, in mental health, and, uh, my colleague was also my, you know, my— the leader over our team. Um, she used to irk my nerves, and I irked her nerves too. It was, it was mutual. I got on her nerves, she got on my nerves. Um, for, for— I didn't realize at the time that God was using us to sharpen each other. Like, looking back now, I know that. She knows that too. But during that time period, like, we didn't know that God was trying to break things in both of us, okay? So for me, it was communication. Like, I come from a household where, you know, you don't share how you feel. You're not sharing, you know, nothing, pretty much, right? Keep to yourself. And so she would trigger me so much to the point where I was kind of avoid her. I wouldn't talk to her. And but she challenged me. She was like, Shakeeta, I noticed that you like feel some kind of way. I can feel your energy. I can feel the, the room shit. Like, what is it? I'm gonna talk about Nothing. And like one day I said, you get on my nerves. And she said, why though? And I was like so shocked at how patient she was and how she was just like, tell me, Shakeeta, like how do you feel about me? I said, you get on my nerves because of XYZ. She said, okay, just tell me that, I can take it. And I'm just like, this girl is crazy. Okay, that was like, oh my God, I've been way well over 10 years ago. Okay. But she got on my nerves because she had a self-righteous attitude. She's the kind of person that was trying to operate in perfectionism. Um, things had to be done a certain way. Oh my, oh my God, I told her that. I said, you are trying to impose your perfectionism on me when it comes to this job. And I know that I'm flowing and I'm doing what I'm supposed to do because my work speaks for itself. My clients are making progress. But you keep trying to like tell me what to do. You, you know. And she's like, I'm sorry, you're right. She apologized. And from there, she and I both was able to grow in certain areas, and we became friends. Because she used to get on my nerves, okay, get on my nerves. And she said, my family, you know, we would meet every single week to have meetings with each other, to share how we feel, to share, you know, um, things that bothered us within our family dynamic. I'm like, shut up. I'm like, who did that? So I didn't grow up doing that, you guys. And so be open to allowing God to stretch you and sharpen you. He'll, he'll do that by using other people too. Okay, uh, number 4, um, practice self-compassion and grace. Um, extend grace and compassion to yourself and to others. Um, community and fellowship. Um, being around people who truly, um, operate and walk in love towards you. Um, you know you in that kind of environment because if you come from an environment where it's legalistic and then you in an environment where it's like so much love and it's like so much grace there, but they still sharpening you, it's going to feel a little awkward at first. You're going to be like, man, like, this is, this is different, but it's different in a good way, okay? So trust the process. Um, number 6, you know, really try to understand scripture. Um, you know, the best thing for you to do once again is to— I say it's until the day that I leave this earth getting your word, getting your Bible, okay? We have no excuse these days to not be able to, um, find, you know, different types of Bibles to help us to understand God's word. Over the years, I've used different types of Bibles as I've grown. Um, the one I'm using now, I have been for— I— the Bible is amazing. I love this Bible. Yes, this Bible is by Dr. Tony Evans. My gosh, the Purple Bible. I love this Bible, okay? Um, it has like, uh, where you can scan the barcode to look at some of his teachings. Um, let me see, pause through the— there we go. Hopefully it's still going on Instagram. Um, and so I like this Bible. I've had the Joyce Meyer Bible, I've had like a couple's Bibles for marriages, like I've had so many Bibles, y'all. But we really don't have an excuse, right, to really not understand God's word. Many people are teaching God's word. And I know, I know sometimes it can be confusing, overwhelming, but you know, just pray and ask Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you to connect with people who are really truly, um, sharing the word of God, who are teaching and discipling others. Okay, that's right, says trust the process. That's what, uh, Dawala, thanks for getting on. How you doing? And thanks, Shan. Sham, Sham. Shandy Williams, thanks for getting on too. Okay, all righty. Um, and then we have— let me see, instead of scripture— all right, number 7, um, practice spiritual discipline with grace. I'm engaged in spiritual disciplines with, with, um, such as prayer, meditation, and studying the word of God. So what that means is like being still, being consistent God is not requiring you to, um, be so rigid with your schedule to the point where you're not flexible. Um, and I can talk a little bit more about that. For me, seasons change. In one season, I might be, you know, up reading my word, you know, extra early in the morning. And one season, it might be late at night, or it might be in the midday, right? So just be flexible, but be consistent. Pretty much be consistent. That's how your mind continues to be renewed and be challenged. Okay, um, take journal. I would say journal, like, as you continue to learn about areas in your mind where you may, um, have be operating in legalism, um, write it down, write it down, you know. Ask the Lord to give you scriptures to study, um, to really fight and replace those thoughts. It takes time to change your thoughts, you guys. It doesn't happen overnight. When I went through my journey of breaking away from legalism and, um, extreme religion, um, it really took time. It took time, and it took me having grace for myself because I would feel so bad. My God, what in the world happened? Like, I love you, I honor you, so like, I don't understand how I became this way. It wasn't— wasn't my fault. I didn't know anything about the baby in Christ, right? Okay, um, embrace vulnerability and imperfection. That's a good one. I know a lot of us may struggle with imper— you know, struggling with perfectionism. So acknowledging vulnerability and imperfection is part of the human experience. Embrace personal growth through vulnerability and recognize that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. So true. I'm a number 10. I'm continuing to pray for guidance and transformation. Um, I said this before so many times, I'm always asking God, God, stretch my thinking, stretch my capacity, help me to see, you know, this word or whatever, um, you know, I'm studying, um, from your lens. And once again, every person, um, every single person is different. God may give you a revelation about a scripture that he didn't give somebody else. And I think that's too— that's why so many people are also creating these different doctrines and different theologies and different things, because because we are getting different revelations from the same exact scripture, and that does happen. I heard people say no it doesn't. Yes it does. Yes it does, because I can read something today and I can read it and understand it, and I can read it again next year, next month, and I can see it and understand it from a different level. Okay, the word of God is like a river, it never runs dry. You always learning something about the same exact thing that you can read 5,000 times. Okay, all right, so that's all I have today, um, in reference to what the Lord had me to share with you all. I try my best to take my time and get through because it was a lot, it was a lot of information. If you want me to, um, I'll go ahead and put some of the, some of the notes in the description, um, on YouTube and Facebook. Uh, but I do want to mention this as well, so there is a such thing as religious OCD. That is, um, a person who struggles with obsessive thoughts, behaviors. Um, they have different, you know, triggers, different things that cause them to repeat the same behavior or same thought over and over and over and over and over again. Um, I've definitely treated OCD in a variety of different ways when it comes to therapy, so I'm not going to get into that today. That's a whole separate teaching, um, all by itself, but it's very very real, okay? And so hopefully, um, on, uh, the Faith and Mental Wellness podcast, I can have a guest to come on to talk about that, um, and— or it'll be me. It'll be a guest, it'll be me, or it might be both. We'll see. Um, and so for those of you who are on, you know, I just launched a Faith and Mental Wellness podcast. Either it is an extension of the vision God gave me for the Faith and Mental Wellness Summit and the Faith and Mental Wellness Directory. And so the goal is to interview people who are therapists, who are life coaches, who are psychologists, psychiatrists, health coaches, life coaches who are operating in Christ-centered services, okay, who understand, you know, how— understand the struggles that Christians could be having in a variety of different, different areas, okay. So I've been a therapist since 2013, uh, I've been in this field and arena of social work since '06, so I've learned a lot. I've faced with a lot. I've treated a lot of different things, right? And so I, I see, I see what God is doing. It's so amazing. And so I know that Miss, um, D, Dyla, she will be one of my guests for, um, in probably March. I'm interviewing her next month, but she'll probably be aired on her about self, self-sabotage, okay, as a believer, coming up real soon. So be sure you guys go to any major podcast, um, platform. There's Spotify, um, it's on Apple Podcasts. So It's everywhere. It's called Faith and Mental Wellness Podcast with Shakeeta Torres. Um, so Mr. Wallace said, will you be doing another summit in 2024? I don't know, sis. I don't know. Um, the Lord hasn't given me any other, um, insight about that quite yet. Um, and so I'm definitely going to have it again, but I would love to have the summit in person. But having it in person requires resources. Um, it requires a budget. It even the more. The one I had, um, this year on the summit was virtual, and, um, it was a great success but a lot of work, and it was virtual. Um, and so I know I'll have it again, um, but I just don't know when. Um, I don't know when. God hasn't given me instructions yet. And once he do, I would definitely let you guys know. But I would love to have it in person and have guests come who operate in this vein as well. To be able to, um, to just listen, have— listen, I see it. All right, it's gonna happen, I just don't know when. Say no problem, don't feel pressure. Thank you so much, thank you. Um, so you got— I have been busy, I have been busy, busy, busy, um, just doing and planning and doing what God, um, is calling me to do. And so, um, that's all I have for today. Uh, thank you guys so much for, um, coming in and joining in. I'm gonna say a quick prayer and then we will be done. I'm gonna go enjoy my family the rest of the day, okay? So Father, I just thank you, Lord, for your word today. God, I thank you, Holy Spirit, for, um, just sharing your heart with your people on today. I pray, God, that this word has brought them clarity, has brought them, um, insight, has caused them to take a second look at themselves, Lord God, at their own hearts and their own patterns and behaviors. Father, help us to see, God, that, that, um, that, God, your love for us is is free, that we don't have to do anything to earn salvation or anything to earn, um, your, your love that you have for us. Father, help us to flow in that vein. Help us to operate in that vein. Also to treat others, um, equally, to treat people, God, with love and respect and not from a place of legalism. And so, Father, I pray, God, for those who are, you know, preparing for the holidays, for those who are grieving, for those who have lost. Holy Spirit, be with them. Holy Spirit, comfort them. Holy Spirit, have your way. Uh, I even pray, God, as we enter into 2024, Holy Spirit, continue to give us strategy, prepare our hearts and our minds for what's to come. My God, I pray, Lord God, for, um, those who are dealing with anxieties and worry and stress about what to expect, that Holy Spirit, you would just, um, minister to them. Um, send your angels to minister to them, to comfort them, um, but to give them strategy. I mean, to help them to prepare, uh, mentally and spiritually, God, and also in the natural. And so, God, we love you, we give you the glory, the honor, and praise. In Christ's name I pray, amen, amen, amen. That's all I have, you guys. So thank you all again for getting on. Thank you to, um, Instagram. Look at you guys' comments really quickly. I was trying to maneuver back and forth. Amen. Thank you so much for watching. The Thomas, Thomas Cruz, yay! Awesome. So I will see you guys next time, and again, thank you so much for being here. Talk to you soon. All right, YouTube, Facebook, thank you all so much for coming on. Thank you to Wala, thank you to, um, to Shan Williams for getting on, and I will see you guys next time. All right, bye-bye.