By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  10/07/20

Have you ever tried to witness to someone who responded, “I don’t need church or religion—I’m a very spiritual person.” Maybe they try to fill their spiritual void with tarot cards, astrology, meditation, philosophy, or yoga. But without Christ as their Savior, their efforts to feed their spiritual hunger are in vain.

We all were born in a spiritual vacuum, craving wholeness and peace. We may try to satisfy our hearts and souls with temporary fixes, but only God can permanently and completely fill that longing inside of us. God is the only source of true spiritual fulfillment. Anything else is temporary and false. It is a shadow of the real spirituality of God.

Shadow spirituality is any form of spirituality that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only Lord of life. Shadow spirituality refuses to acknowledge the sovereign power and authority of God. Shadow spirituality dismisses the Bible as the Word of God.

Even churches are not immune from shadow spirituality. Many churches are wrongly preaching that Christ is merely one of many ways to God. They preach in direct opposition to God’s Word and plan of salvation. Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

Shadow spirituality is deceptive and based on personal happiness. True spirituality leads to wholeness as we reflect the likeness of Jesus Christ. Shadow spirituality offers temporary fixes. True spirituality provides permanent transformation.

Shadow spirituality promotes the falsehood that we can achieve our own wholeness, while true spirituality acknowledges that only the Holy Spirit can declare us whole.

Prayer: God, thank You for fulfilling me and for permanently transforming me into Your child—a citizen of Your heavenly Kingdom. Thank You for making me whole. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1).