Beware the devil is roaming around looking to twist the minds of believers to cause division within God's church. If the devil can turn people against one another he can destroy any witness or bonding that should happen between believers.
This is not an admonition to remain silent about everything so everyone is peaceful in their own ways. This is an admonition for everyone to test all beliefs by the Word of God.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant, because of your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
"Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him-a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
The solution: Seek Christ, remove anything that distracts us from the Word of God. Distractions from the Word are what divide the people of God. When we diligently search the scripture for truth we will agree on everything.
Colossians 2:8
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."
Corinthians 1:10-11
"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers."
How is it possible for everyone to agree? Only through scripture study together and prayer can we see the truth from God's Word. God never tells one person something different from another. If there is disagreement then we must go back to the Word to discover the truth. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will only be thinking with our human minds.
Eliminate any traditions of man that are also a distraction. I have seen people fight bitterly over the traditions of men that are not Biblical to maintain what makes them feel comfortable.
Mark 7:13-14 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.” 14 Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand:…"
Our culture is full of man's traditions that believers will dare to fight over. So many things man has attempted to incorporate into their understanding of the Bible in order to hang onto their favored traditions.
The final question, do we love God more than anything else? Do we love Him more than our man-made traditions?
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