Sometimes I wonder “as believers, should we live according to the traditions that have been handed down to us by past generations?”
Growing up as a child in a neighborhood where most people lean towards living according to traditions, we are told about things of old and how we should live according to principles and traditions. So we believed in these things so much that they became part of our daily lives.
We become so aware of it that every time we want to do something contrary to what we have been told, we immediately think of the consequences and refrain from it.
Let me share a few things my grandmother told me years ago. She said: “Don’t travel with a mortar inside your car, otherwise the car will have an accident. To avoid the accident, please put a coin inside the mortar.” Does this sound familiar? She also said “don’t drink the water from a coconut, it bores you”.
I’m sure you have something to say about it too. You may have also heard some things in the past. These are the few things I clung to in my early years.
You can imagine the lies the devil has fed many young minds today. Many people walk with wrong mentalities because of the lies that society has communicated to them.
Proverbs 23:7 says “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” You are a product of what you think and you think of what you have seen or heard. Right believing will lead to right living. It wasn’t until I came to an understanding of God’s word that I was freed from those wrong mindsets. Truly the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword!
People are bound today by the fear of what doesn’t even exist. They are surrounded by so many fears; fear of the unknown that has been passed down from generation to generation. How long will you continue like this? It is clearly written in the book of Hosea 4:6 “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
As believers, any tradition you are exposed to must be checked against the word of God and if it is not consistent with the word, throw it away.
Man has succeeded in bringing many do’s and don’ts to the extent that it now affects his relationship with God. They become tied to the point that it is now difficult for them to get out of it. The Apostle Paul correctly wrote to the saints in the book of Galatians 5:1 “for freedom Christ made us free; therefore stand firm, and do not submit again to the yoke of bondage.”
The traditions of men will always keep you in captivity, but Christ has set you free. He begins to reprogram your mind by continually feeding you the Word of God. (See Rom 12:1-2.) Let God’s Word dominate his mind and free him from every ungodly thought that has bound him.
Give no place to the devil’s lies. Do not base your life on things that are not spoken about you in the Word of God.
Matthew 7:13 “you nullify the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down…” Christians who still cling to the traditions of men have little or no faith in the word of God. Their minds have been filled with lies that they can barely perceive when presented with the truth.
People who still cling to these things deny the power of God at work in their lives. 1 Timothy 4:7 says “have nothing to do with the wicked myths that old women like to tell. Train yourself rather to live a godly life” (God’s Word Translation). This instruction is accurate.
Paying attention to godless stories or silly tales would not add to your spiritual growth but would take away from it. They create doubt and unbelief in your heart. He makes you have no faith in the word of God: he is a murderer of faith.
Exercise every day in the life of God that you have received, now you are a partaker of the divine nature of God (see 2 Peter 1:3). Pay no more attention to the devil’s lies.
If you were afraid to drink coconut water because of what you heard, exercise yourself for piety, remember the word of God. Psalm 24:1 says ‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it…’ including this coconut and while I drink this water I feed on my body.’ Put the word of God to work every day in your life, let the word of God be your rule of life.