MONDAY, JUNE 17
Scripture: Matthew 15:5-9

How do we keep people alive who should not live? These are really crucial, critical questions for our understanding. Because knowingly, as believers, we certainly are not willing at this point to go there. We generally do not choose standing against God. We want to choose to stand with God, not against Him. But the nature of deception is the ability to lure us into a position where we are qualifying for judgment because we are becoming an enemy of God and do not realize it. That is the nature of deception. Matthew 15:5-9 says, “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Tradition is the fastest way to entice one into becoming an enemy of God. When we follow tradition without an understanding or revelation of God’s Word in application, we can easily become an enemy of God. Some traditions make us an enemy of God. Do we have any tradition that is deceptively making us an enemy of God? That is a question for the Holy Spirit.