Colossians
2:8
We are
tempted in many ways and forms to follow anything but the path that Jesus Christ
paved for us through His bloodshed on the cross… Paul reminds us of that fact
in today’s focus verses which sheds light on the many avenues in which we can
be deceived… Today we focus on a letter that Paul writes to the church of
Colosse about guarding yourself against the attacks of the devil and his evil
intentions… Paul has laid the foundation of the Church of Colosse and as the
people have begun to convert unto Christianity, there are some men who have
begun to try and infiltrate the church and deceive the congregation… Make no mistake about it, as soon as you
make the choice to follow Christ; that’s the same time in which the devil turns
his attack toward you… Often time we focus on the things of the world as
being evil, but today Paul reminds us that our biggest adversary can be found
within the church… I once heard a man say that the devil resides in the church,
not because He wants to be religious, but because he has no cares about whoever
is living according to the worldly standard… Paul teaches us today about the
importance of surrounding yourself with the right kind of people and also
establishing a sturdy foundation upon the word of God on your own… We live in a
world where we have more and more people receiving their doctorate in theology,
more and more people attending seminary and more and more people building
churches; however, we see more and more corruption in the church, more and more
thieves in the pulpit and more and more souls being lost… People have begun to
follow men instead of following God and Paul reminds us today through his
letter to the church of Colosse that we must beware and be vigilant… Understand
that there are a lot of people in the church that aren’t of the church and will
try to spoil the congregation… Jesus informed us of this when He said, “a
little yeast leavens the whole loaf…” It doesn’t take much to stray away,
it doesn’t take much to make a mistake, and it doesn’t take much to lose focus…
Not only must we understand that the devil is active in attendance in the
church, but Paul reveals to us exactly how it is that he conducts himself… “Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit…” If you don’t
study the word of God for yourself how will you know when you are being
deceived or feed a personal agenda… The devil isn’t sitting back plucking your
nerves during the church service, he is teaching the word of God through false
doctrine and satisfying the itchy ear… When Peter established the first
church in the book of Acts, Luke records that the disciples listened to the
teachings of the Apostles and then went home to read it for themselves… The
bible instructs us that we are not to put confidence in man; this applies
physically and spiritually… People have been lead astray because they have not
studied the word for themselves, people have fallen short because they have not
applied themselves to the teachings and preaching’s of Jesus Christ… The devil
in active in every phase of our lives and we must understand that his biggest
point of attack is deception… Paul was worried about the church becoming
distracted, Paul was worried about the disciples being sidetracked and
diverted… There are many men who are looking to prop themselves up, place
themselves on pedestals and receive recognition… It is of the utmost importance
that we not only actively study the word of God, but that we surround ourselves
with people who are focused on living a life that pleases the Lord… The bible
says that we can tell a tree by the fruit it bares… A man can be known simply by
watching their actions and examining their intent; instead of living and
abiding in the word of God they get caught up in traditions (just like the
Pharisee’s), instead of reading the word of God they are more worried about
what the latest trend is or fashion statements are… We often hear people say
that they are looking for the perfect church and I once heard someone say that
you will never find a perfect church because its perfection will be lost as
soon as you join… There is a lot of
truth in the fact that you will never find a perfect church; however, the key
is knowing and understanding where the flaws are so that you aren’t ensnared by
them…
BE BLESSED!!!