INTRODUCTION
so what’s this hex?
Everything I thought I knew about
how to live the Christian life
turned out to be wrong.
(Everything. Wrong.)
I was clear about my eternal destiny.
Heaven is my home.
I understood I was forgiven
through faith in Jesus.
And I knew the Bible is inspired by God.
I got that down.
But I misunderstood “the Christian life,”
what it is and how to live it.
I thought I was saved by GRACE
but had to grow by EFFORT.
I thought I was supposed to MAKE it happen.
You know,
to be a follower of Jesus.
Disciple.
Mature Christian.
After receiving God’s free gift of salvation
through Jesus, I thought
I was now obligated to do all the stuff
it seemed God expected of me.
And the list of stuff I thought I was
required to do kept growing.
Soon, my obligations as a Christian became a problem.
They crowded out everything
the Bible said I should be experiencing.
God’s grace
Freedom
Love of God
Joy
Peace
Relationship with Jesus
Something was missing.
Something was wrong.
Really wrong.
The pressure of trying hard to live the Christian life began to suck
the life out of me. What was once joyful and energizing turned
into an obligation.
A big obligation.
An unsustainable obligation.
I focused on my own spiritual development.
I looked at diagrams that others said would help.
I followed principles I read in books.
After all, isn’t that what I was
supposed to do?
Aren’t we supposed to try hard to be like Jesus?
Aren’t we supposed to follow Him?
Aren’t we supposed to be a disciple?
Aren’t we supposed to…?
Pray a lot
Read our Bible every day
Share our faith
Tithe regularly
Show up at some/most/all church services
Join a life group
Serve my local church
Listen to Christian music
Support world missions
Is this it? Is this why Jesus came?
Did Jesus leave Heaven,
come to this earth,
live a perfect life,
endure a horrible crucifixion
and rise from the dead
so that we could live a life of
never-ending Christian obligations?
(Really?)
Did I misunderstand how this works? (YES.)
THAT is what this book is about.
It turns out I was under a HEX
and didn’t know it.
And there is no freedom under the hex.
(HEAVENS TO BETSY!)
what Paul tells the Galatians…
How foolish can you be?
After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now
trying to become perfect by
YOUR OWN HUMAN EFFORT?
Galatians 3:3 (NLT)
THE GALATIAN COUNTY LINE
Welcome to Galatia County.
Galatia County is a nice place to visit but
you would NOT want to live there.
Galatia is a big county with numerous cities and towns.
It’s doing well financially. Lots of hustle bustle.
There are lots of Christians here.
Several notable congregations.
(But there is a BIG PROBLEM here.)
You will find that the people here are religious.
They believe in Jesus. They know He is the Son of God. They understand that Jesus was crucified for their sins. They know He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven.
The Christians in this county are under…well…a spell.
Some would call it a “curse.” Others would call it a “hex.”
No matter what you call it, it’s not good.
It is odd, because the people here are not practicing the occult.
There are no psychics. No witchcraft. No fortune-telling. No crystal balls.
And yet…the Bible says they are under a hex.
How is that possible?
It turns out that the Christians in Galatia County are not doing anything weird. In fact, they are doing something almost every Christian does on a regular basis.
They are trying to add to the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
They don’t know Jesus killed the way of religion on the cross.
They never saw the obituary.
They think if they
try a little harder,
do a little more,
then God will notice and bless
their extra commitment/dedication.
We call it the TRY-A-LITTLE-HARDER-DO-A-LITLLE-MORE SYNDROME.
Or as the book of Galatians calls it: “the hex.”
They just think they can use their religious efforts to complete
what Jesus started. They want to do stuff to get closer to God.
No big deal.
(Scratch that!)
It’s a VERY BIG DEAL!!!
Actually, they lived in the first century Roman empire so we don’t know exactly how they were trying to do this. But we can easily speculate about how they would do it if they lived in our day.
They would have discipleship programs.
Christian life principles.
Bible reading plans.
Charts and diagrams to learn.
Services and schools to attend.
Ministry strategies to master.
And anything else to…
make them more like Jesus,
help them be better Christians,
grow them into spiritual maturity.
You see how this works?
Add-ons.
Do more stuff.
Press in.
Try harder.
Do NOT make your home in Galatia County.
This place will beat the joy out of you.
Suck the life out of you.
Drain your enthusiasm for living.
Don’t get dragged into the whole
the-cross-is-not-enough-for-me-
so-I-have -to-add-more-to-it HEX.
This book is about
hightailin’ it out of Galatia County
to enjoy life with
God your FATHER.
Breaking The Hex: Life with God After the Cross Killed Religion
about Breaking The Hex…
The Fields Brothers have crafted a unique tool to remind you not to fall for the lies of religious performance but to continue to rest in God’s provision of grace and relationship. You’ll enjoy the simplicity, the humor, and the wisdom in these pages. —WAYNE JACOBSEN, author of He Loves Me, Finding Church. Co-author of The Shack
Gee whiz, I really liked this book. It covers a lot of ground in a friendly, accessible way and unpacked a lot of baggage for me as a Christian with a serious “dead works” problem. Funny in places, like being given the straight dope by your smarter, cooler brother in others, it’s a genuinely solid read. Typography and layout keep it light and fun while still delivering the intended message.–TROY DEVOLLD, TV Producer
My growth as a Christian began when I received an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This book affirms that. Acting and being religious left me empty, obligated and unfulfilled. Thanks, Jeff and Roger, for helping me get back on track.–DOUG FLYNN, 2-time World Series Champion (1975,76 Cincinnati Reds) 1980 Gold Glove Award winner
Fabulous book! Almost every Christian believes that we are saved by grace but everything else is hard work…and this book exposes the danger of that theology. The book will be offensive to some who have spent their life and energy in the religious world. But the beauty is that every word is backed up by the Bible. As someone has accurately said, if you want to mess up your theology, read the Bible. The Fields brothers have a message to ear. “Let him who has ears hear.”–HON. TIM PHILPOT, Family Court Judge
This book will free your mind, heart and spirit.–MINDI THORE
CHAPTER TITLES
obituary
so what’s this hex?
I. How The Cross Disrupted Everything
1. I was tryin’ hard
2. so what day is it?
3. spray painting your new ferrari
4. the day that killed religion
5. the big oops!
6. it’s a wonderful death
7. our nike swoosh
8. snake on a stick
9. timing is everything
10. gimme a k.i.s.s.
11. bait & switch
12. ripped by God
II. How Religion Tricks Us
13. doing the splits (ouch!)
14. christian big foot
15. religion freak, control freak
16. stop squirming
17. all inclusive guilt trip
18. how rules backfire
19. hamster wheelin’ it
20. all ‘bout me
21. spitting on the sabbath
22. this is your crummy, miserable life
23. whack-a-mole religion
24. hot grace, cold self
25. moses and the dead cat bounce
26. talkin’ bout dead stuff
27. with friends like these…
28. chutes & ladders
29. navel gazer
30. the lost commandment
31. martha gone wild
32. you don’t owe God nuttin’
III. How God Made You New
33. kickball
34. don’t let this go to your head, but…
35. the doctor will see you now
36. the idol of spiritual growth
37. you are here*
38. i quit trying to live the christian life
39. captivated by Jesus
40. who stole your identity?
41. fish ‘n chips
42. good news: you died
43. why i’m not a follower of Jesus
44. swingin’ emotions
IV. How Grace Sets You Free
45. Jesus plays the game through us
46. a rather personal question
47. and agony on me
48. “@#$!% delmar’s been saved!”
49. …and no additives
50. license to sin
51. that is sooooo 1st century b.c.
52. dripping faucet
53. zombie zone
54. which tree you pickin’ from?
55. going under
56. shame junkie
57. big windshield
58. good works are not bad
59. mystifying command
V. How Our Father Adores You
60. a world of orphans
61. nascar christianity
62. you do not matter to God
63. this time…it’s personal
64. reversing the flow
65. at home in your world
66. the gospel of gomer pyle
67. religious blackjack
68. God is not a book
69. meeting rick
70. God’s happy place
71. Father’s love
72. taco prayers
73. the crazy dad
74. search & rescue
waking up tomorrow morning
author bios
once upon a time
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