Consecration Vows Have Harmful
Effects on Spirit-filled Catholics

Religious devotees usually find themselves in a state of complacency because somewhere in their past they have been separated from fellowship with God's Spirit. Many of them are unwilling to walk the hard and narrow road that leads to everlasting life. They do not want to let go of reoccurring sins, and do not want to serve Jesus in the mission field. In an attempt to take a spiritual shortcut to God, many have become ensnared with the sin of idolatry, thinking that if they say enough Rosaries, Mary will somehow connect them to Jesus.

Spirit-filled Catholics are prepared to walk the hard and narrow road that leads to everlasting life. They realize that there are no shortcuts to holiness and no shortcuts to an authentic relationship with God. Spirit-filled Catholics realize that an authentic relationship with God will cost them everything, and they are prepared to pay the price. They know the only way to develop an authentic relationship with Jesus is directly. There's no need for Spirit-filled Catholics to pray to something that's not God, in hopes that it will connect them to the real God.

Religious devotees may own a Bible, but it usually sits on a shelf gathering dust. They have little or no interest in reading Sacred Scripture. Religious devotees may know a few favorite Bible passages like the wedding feast at Cana, "where Jesus did everything his mother told him to do," but other than that, the Holy Spirit does not speak to them through Scripture.

Spirit-filled Catholics strive to apply God's Word to their lives on a daily basis. They not only study Sacred Scripture, they also live a life that actively reflects the morals, values, and precepts defined in Sacred Scripture. The Holy Spirit is able to bring God's Word to life for Spirit-filled Catholics and speak to them through God's divine inspiration.

Many Religious devotees spend a lifetime practicing religion, but they are unable to communicate with the Lord. God usually seems distant and far away, too busy to interact with humans; and it is for this reason that they have recourse to the Blessed Mother. Many Religious Devotees spend the majority of their time praying to the saints, in hopes that the saints will somehow connect them to Jesus.

Spirit-filled Catholics are able to connect directly with God in their prayer time. Because Spirit-filled Catholics have surrendered their lives into the Lord's service, it is necessary for them to commune with the Lord on a regular basis to receive their ministry assignments.

Many Religious Devotees appear holy when attending church on Sunday, but because of the empty hole deep within their souls, many try to fill the void with worldly vices. Their lives are usually filled with overeating, prescriptions for psychological medications, smoking, gambling, drinking, pornography, romance novels, television, and many other noisy distractions.

Spirit-filled Catholics like spending time in quiet, sitting in silence, practicing contemplative prayer, communing with Jesus the lover of their souls. Spirit-filled Catholics fast on a regular basis because they are hungry for more of God's presence. They would rather convert food hunger into a hunger for God, because the presence of God is more important than any worldly or fleshly desire.

Many Religious Devotees spend twenty minutes a day reciting rote prayers over and over again to the Blessed Mother, hoping that Mary will somehow connect them to her son Jesus. Then afterwards, they will watch two or three hours of television thinking that God is distant and far away.

Many Spirit-filled Catholics have completely removed the television from their homes because they would rather spend two hours in prayer every evening communing with Jesus the lover of their souls than watching several hours of sex, violence, sports, and comedy.

Because Religious Devotees' spiritual connection comes from religious behaviors, the only form of fruit they can produce is more religious devotions, like making Rosaries, praying to statues, disseminating copies of the Saint Jude Novena, buying Saint Joseph statues to bury underground, defending the Immaculata, promoting consecration vows, and visiting apparition sites.

Spirit-filled Catholics produce fruit for the kingdom of God, because like a branch that is connected to the vine, they maintain a deep, authentic, and life-giving connection to Jesus. Through this connection, they receive spiritual power from God to accomplish God's will in their lives. Spirit-filled Catholics can be found working in nursing homes, hospice centers, homeless shelters, and proclaiming the Gospel message in every country of the world.

Religious Devotees can only impart what they own. When they try to minister to others, their efforts are centered on promoting more of the same devotions that they themselves practice. Religious Devotees are not able to impart the Holy Spirit, or connect people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of placing their assurance of salvation in a lifetime of obedience to the Lord Jesus, they trust that their frequent prayers to the saints will somehow buy them favor with God.

Spirit-filled Catholics also impart what they own, which is their connection to the Blessed Trinity. When Spirit-filled Catholics minister to others, they have the ability to discern what separates men from God, a desire to address those issues with others, and the power of the Holy Spirit to connect people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Spirit-filled Catholics are able to proclaim the Gospel message and fulfill the Great Commission.

When Religious Devotees worship Mary, they have a tendency to magnify Mary's greatness, making her into something that conflicts with the truth found in Sacred Scripture. Marian worship causes a subconscious desire to make the mother of Jesus equal to or greater than God himself: Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Co-Redemptrix, Co-Mediatrix, Queen of Heaven and earth...

When Spirit-filled Catholics worship God, they also have a desire to magnify God's greatness. The more God's loving nature and divine attributes are magnified, the more profoundly God's greatness is revealed. Spirit-filled Catholics can worship and magnify the Lord's greatness for all eternity, and everything that's revealed will be the truth.

When Religious Devotees make an agreement with the devil through the sin of idolatry, a New Age practice, or a consecration vow, they usually feel empowered. Because Religious Devotees have never maintained an authentic relationship with the Blessed Trinity, they have nothing to compare this experience with. When Religious Devotees pray to God, nothing seems to happen, but when they sell their souls to the Immaculata, they usually feel enlightened, just as if they participated in any other type of New Age practice in which deceptive spirits were allowed access to their lives.

When Spirit-filled Catholics make an agreement with the devil through idolatry, it will cut them off from the Holy Spirit. Spirit-filled Catholics will be able to discern that something is not right with their prayer time. They will eventually miss the authentic presence of God, go back into their past, examine their conscience, identify the source of the problem, and once it is discovered, they will repent, denounce the devil's lies, and return to Jesus.

If your parish priest is a Religious Devotee, he will be content with a congregation of Catholics who do nothing more than attend Mass on Sunday and pray the Rosary. Because consecration vows keep Catholics in a state of spiritual stagnation, he may even be willing to promote consecration vows within his parish. A parish priest can only impart to others what he himself owns.

If your parish priest is a Spirit-filled Catholic, he will do everything in his power to proclaim God's truth about a Spirit-filled life in the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the Catechism in section 1676, he is required to keep a careful watch over popular forms of piety "to purify and correct the religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the faithful may advance in knowledge of the mystery of Christ."