A Marian devotion in Christianity is a gift (total or partial) of oneself, or one's activities to the Virgin Mary, i.e. a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to, or venerate her, either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts. Such prayers or acts may be accompanied by specific requests for Mary's intercession toGod.[1][2][3][4]
Paganism, pagan customs and idol worship drifted into the Church and we were held in bondage "darkness" from 200 AD until about the 15th Century when light began to break forth in 1517 with Martin Luther. Just as Israel was still in bondage to Babylon when some work began to rebuild the Temple of God the bulk remained in Babylon. Just as work began to restore righteousness to the Church of God, most remained behind in Spiritual Babylon. Still true today. Let me contrast:
| Babylon | Zion |
| Self | Jesus |
| Flesh | Spirit |
| Earth | Heaven |
| Law | Grace |
| Death | Life |
| Doing | Being |
| Bondage to flesh | Liberty in spirit |
| Kingdom of Men | Kingdom of God |
| Elected appointment | Jesus as Head |
| Rules and regulations of men’s own making | Spirit led |
| Man pleasing | Spirit sensitive |
| Busy and church work | Obedient to Holy Spirit |
| Accomplish in self strength | Accomplish things in Holy spirit power |
| Authority in manmade doctrines | Authority in Word of God |
| Sectarian and divisive with many divisions of people | One body in spirit |
| Programs, mind controls and preys | Worships in spirit and truth |
| Denominations, doctrines, heresies, creeds, traditions, personal views and opinions | Preaches Christ and Him crucified |
| Clergy system – want to make a difference between themselves and others | Priesthood of all believers |
| Answers to man and their institutions as the authorities | Answers to God as highest authority |
| Imagination | Revelation |
| Conforms people to its own image | Transforms people into the image of Jesus |
| Increases itself in power, position, riches & domination | Decreases that Christ may increase |
| Counts the money | Counts the cost |
| Preserves and protects itself | Lays down its life |
| Schemes, organizes and promotes to execute its own plan in its own way and time | Waits upon God to raise up what He wants in His timing |
| Goes after things and people to possess them | Seeks the Lord with his whole heart to be possessed by Him |
| Seeks to build a city, a power and a name for itself | Seeks the city of God |
| Seeks to gather people to itself | Longs to be gathered to Jesus, to be a disciple, willing to deny self, take up cross and follow Jesus, self denial is the cross we bear. |
| The old man will rise up and attempt to control and dominate | The old man of flesh and sin has to be rendered dead, to lay down life defines the NT concept of agape love |
Unfortunately we are all blind to ourselves unless God opens our eyes to give us understanding. We are still captive to Spiritual Babylon even today! We have refused to come out of Her and to go to Him outside of Jerusalem (the camp of organized religion). We still worship men, buildings, denominations, religions. We still elevate men as clergy, we still build men's kingdoms and call them God's. We still refuse to help the orphan, widows and poor, while all the time planting money into systems (broken cisterns that hold no water). We are rich and increased with goods, we are the 7th Church of the Lukewarms and know not that we are still blind, miserable and naked to God! We are still in bondage to this day to the Spirit of Babylon, yet we boast as did the Jew (we have never been in bondage to any man!)
Even when it is told us in our ears we still refuse to hear. Our ears have become dull of hearing, our minds dumbed down to a form of worship with our hearts far from God. We ever learn but never learn. We have turned from truths to fables. We have itching ears but hire our own men to tickle them.
Judgment is coming to Babylon. We are admonished to leave Her. In one hour she will be destroyed and her children with her. Come out of her and be not partakers of her sins.
Be blessed, Billy and Jan
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