Performance-based religion has as its foundation the belief that humans can earn their way into Gods acceptance and be worthy of His love.

There can be no end to performance-based religion. One can never feel he has done enough to deserve the blessings of God. It can be something as innocent as simple fence laws around denominational truths, but it can also take the diabolical form of those who sacrifice their children to the crocodiles in the river. It is a tormenting spirit that on the one hand says, If you can do enough, you can be worthy of God, yet on the other hand says, You will never be able to do enough, and you will never be worthy.

So we are torn by our guilt and fears. We are on the treadmill and our only hope is to run faster, work harder, and produce more.

Performance-based religion gives the impression that an angel is standing over the Book of Life erasing and rewriting our names a dozen times a day as we rise and fall in our performance.

Religion, any brand or flavor, can become the master of the spiritual. Religious organizations have to be careful not to allow the structure to overshadow the purpose. Churches and pastors must present the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a free gift, not one you must earn. We must constantly avoid creating performance-based churches and religious treadmills. Too many Christians are dying on the treadmills of religion. The place they came to for hope and help, becomes a place of frustration and hopelessness.

Getting off the treadmill of performance-based religion will release you to find a relationship with Christ that will never be possible while you are running and becoming wearier.

The truth is, we are running and we are weary too weary. Too many Christians have backslidden along the way. I am told there are over 100 million who have left the Church because they are weary and tired of trying to meet the expectations of religion. Where is the joy the Bible talks about? Where is the overcoming presence of God in our lives? Without the grace of God, there can be none.

Too many pastors and ministers have been ground up in the machinery of performance-based religion. If you think Im exaggerating, just look in the rear view mirror of performance-based religions and see the bits and pieces of ministers, marriages, families, and churches lying by the roadside of the religious landscape.

How many, both in the church and out, have been left disillusioned, discouraged, and half dead? How many angry backsliders are there that were taken advantage of by performance-based churches and the pressure exerted on the saints. I have both participated in and witnessed the problems caused by pastors who drove their members hard. Many of these members had unsaved companions at home who resented the churchs unnecessary demands. We were running, but we were weary. We were running them, and they were weary.

More men and women are leaving the pastorate and the ministry than ever before. The price of performance-based religion is taking its toll in the Kingdom. We are losing good people out of the Church because the treadmill continues to increase in speed.

During my years at Bible college I worked for Avis Rental Car. Their motto was We Try Harder! It was their way of saying to the customer, We are better than Hertz or Budget, our competitors. We work harder, we do better we are better. I wore my Avis uniform and my We Try Harder button with pride.

Performance-based religion has the same motto. If you arent succeeding, then try harder.

So we run, but we cant keep up. We are gasping on the treadmill. And when you think you can take no more, someone slips up and turns up the speed.

Trying harder may work well in the business world, but in the Kingdom of God that attitude continues to divide us and produce judgmental spirits. Why cant we just admit, we arent all the same we dont all have the same gifts or talents. Why cant we stop running and just abide in His presence?

When a member of the church comes to us with a problem, a failure, or a need, and we simply tell them to pray more, have more faith, and work harder, we have just turned up the speed of the treadmill. Certainly prayer and fasting are important disciplines in our lives and we need that discipline. But loading people down with more personal responsibility will only raise their level of frustration, and make them feel that they can never succeed at being a Christian.

When Christians feel that the responsibility of being saved is the result of their performance, we have created an impossible undertaking. After years and years of having it beat into their head, many give up, because they have run and became weary.

God never intended our Christian race to be a grueling marathon, so difficult that only the fittest reach the end. The Christian race is not Gods version of The Survivor. He wants us to enjoy the trip, not just the destination. Walking with God is not like trying to climb Mt. Everest, where with just one slip, youre history. He wants us to live the abundant life, blessed, and filled with joy unspeakable. He is loving and forgiving and His grace and mercy is fresh everyday.

God is for you! What a great thought that is! God is for you, not against you. He is not setting you up to see if He can trip you up. To the contrary, God has great plans for you. He is your biggest fan. He is on your side.