“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Every person who has accepted the work that Jesus did for them is a believer. They are planted firmly in Jesus and His work. It is not something that they did themselves, but are as a result of the work of God.
Now Paul gives a warning for these believers to not be deceived by worldly philosophy.
Being deceived is being tricked into believing or doing something that you know is wrong. Deception is rarely very clear. It is usually something that can appear to be good. Often it is just a slight change of a word or two, or the meaning of those few words.
There are many non-believers who love to state that God loves every person right where they are and how they are. While it is true that God loves every person, He does not always love where they are. God never loves a sinful act being done by any person.
In churches, there are many traditions that are taught as though they are rules of God. During the 1970s, the church was often against a believer ever stepping into a movie theater. The theater was a place of the devil. This was even enforced when great Christian movies were being played at the theater. This was a vain philosophy in the church. To a point it sounded good, but was empty and done by human tradition.
Rules are made all the time. Often in the name of God. Yet, in the Bible there is no direct mention of any rule stating those things. God laid down many principles on how to live for Him.
As a believer in Jesus, you must be careful on what your philosophy in life is. You must be careful what rules you follow and enforce. The world will try to deceive you into thinking that sinful things are good. Their words and arguments will sound good and strong. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit and following Christ, you will know when things are off. You will not be led astray.
Stay focused on God’s Word and in prayer. Be led by the Holy Spirit. Do not be mislead by the world, either in or outside the church.
I pray today that you will know the truth of God; that God will open your eyes to deception around you; that you will depend upon Christ alone; and that you will not be deceived in any way.
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