One of the most frustrating and self-defeating forms of behavior is to live in your head. Typically used as a coping mechanism, but for a Christian, we are to live in the world, and not cope but conquer! Jesus did tell us that he has overcome the world.
A relationship with God enables you to live inside out, whereas religion enables you to live outside in! A relationship resides in your heart whereas religion resides in your head. A relationship brings about behavior transformation, religion brings about behavior modification. A relationship is based on what you do believe, whereas religion is based on what you think you should believe!
Belief does not start with external action, but with internal conviction. Authentic faith, external action is always the result of internal conviction. Many are putting behavior before belief-it's called going through the motions(inauthentic faith). One must ask does my behavior line up with my belief?
It is amazing how what I call the Greater Good Disorder(GGD) has been allowed to prevail throughout history. Throughout history, people have turned their eyes and minds away from evil with the mental justification that a greater good will come out of this evil. Genocide has even been given sanitized names such as “ethnic cleansing” which almost makes the evil done seem like a service to humanity rather than a disservice.