Belt of Tradition

Traditions are customs or beliefs passed down from generation to generation. A doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures. I had a dream recently and in this particular dream, I saw many persons sitting inside of a church. A man came with a huge, thick, black and extremely long belt called the belt of tradition. Many were viciously beaten with this belt and while they were being beaten, I observed that they were neither running nor moving but would sit to be flogged repeatedly. The Holy Spirit was explaining that they were being beaten with the belt of tradition.

Their spirit man was uneasy, however, they didn’t utter any words, they just took the flogging. Today, many call themselves Christians but they don’t have a relationship with Jesus, yet, they are saturated with the traditions of men. They are too illiterate spiritual to see how tradition has held them captive. Most pastors have tradition but not the Word of God. In a church where the Word of God is not taught, the people are normally sleeping spiritually. They will talk about the works that were done in past but always wonder what is happening presently. This is because tradition is elevated more than God. Whenever a church is led by tradition, and an individual gets saved there, they will not remain there for too long. The Lord explained to me that whenever a soul accepts salvation that soul needs to be fed with the Word of the Lord.

Once a soul gets saved, it yearns for the Word of God and when that desire is not fulfilled that soul will become famished. It’s the word of the Lord that converts the soul and sustains one’s spirit, not tradition. This is why anyone that handles God’s sheep must teach the undiluted Word of God.  The word that is quick and powerful will do it’s work effectively, however, once a church dwells on tradition instead of the Word of God, one will find that it will not grow spiritually or physically and the ones that come won’t stay. Many individuals that call themselves Christians have a closer relationship with tradition than with God. Many are also subjected to tradition ignorantly.

Many will follow what men say rather than what God says. Are you therefore a Christian or a follower of tradition? Christianity is a thing of the heart and so if you are a Christian you should simply follow the Word of God. Going to church does not mean you are a Christian, confessing that you are a Christian still does not make you a Christian, and speaking in tongues does not say you are a Christian. True Christianity lies in the heart. Remember our heart is the contact point with God.

Many are beaten with the belt of tradition and are suffocating spiritually. Outside they look good but inside they are empty. Many are battered, bruised, wounded and their virtues are being wasted under tradition. Many walk away from the truth of God’s Word because they want to be in the spotlight of men. So many individuals can tell you all that the leaders have said in their church and will obey their rules and regulations just to ensure the guidelines and the concept is endorsed but this is only to please men. They don’t have a relationship with Jesus nor do they read his Word with the Holy Spirit. It’s imperative to know that God’s Word is spirit and must be read with the Holy Spirit. If one reads the word of God without Holy Spirit they will just be reading history.

Matthew 15:1-9- Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, these people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

As the Scribes and Pharisees were hooked on their traditions so are many individuals today. They are men-pleasers and they think they are doing the right thing.  Many honour the Lord with their mouths but their heart is black, bitter, and poisonous. They would never be able to see the beam in their own eyes but they wouldn’t cease a moment to pluck it out of the eyes of others. Many will sin against God by committing any kind of sin and will dress and spray themselves with sweet-smelling odours, but does God smell that same sweet odour? I can reassure you that he sees and smells stench as stench. While we can fool men remember God reads our hearts like an open book.

Christianity does not confine an individual to a building. Christianity is not a religion; it’s a thing of the heart. Many go to church only because they don’t want it to look bad in the eyes of others, while their souls are being tormented. Many today feel condemned if they miss church; I have heard many individuals express how bad they feel if they don’t make it to service. Then they continue to explain that they have always gone to church a particular time, therefore it feels like a sin to not be there at that time. This goes to show that their going is not from their heart but has become a tradition.

Many persons die physically and they never emerge spiritually. This happens because of the guidelines of leaders who never grow spiritually; therefore the flocks remain stagnant. Many have beautiful seeds planted inside by the Lord, however, because of tradition, they refuse to emerge believing that they will offend others. Today, ask yourself these questions; do I really have a relationship with the Lord? Am I in the bondage of tradition as the Pharisees and Sadducees were? Does the Holy Spirit speak to me? Tradition makes void the Word of God.

Many churches are dying because they are still using the same old tradition. There was a time when Samson used the jawbone of a donkey to slay a thousand Philistine because that was what he was anointed to use but he didn’t make it to become a weapon of war. The scripture clearly states that he used it and after he was finished he tossed it aside. David killed a bear and a lion with his bare hands as the spirit of the Lord overshadowed him. However, he never attacked Goliath with the same tactics. David did not even wear gears for war, if he had gone along with that tradition it would have been a different story today. He was clothed with the anointing of the Lord as he went along. David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, not a sword. What is God saying in this present time and season is, in each season he will use different tactics.  He told Moses once to strike the rock after which he told Moses to speak to the rock. Moses struck the rock and found himself in a predicament with the Lord. While Jesus Christ was on the earth, he healed the sick, delivered them that were possessed, and raised the dead. Jesus never used the same tactics for the same situation; he did not make a tradition out of his methods, he did as he was led.

Whatever you are doing today, stop and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Stop following the traditions of men and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. The Word of the Lord never loses its power, it is still quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

May the Lord bless your heart and free you from the tradition of men so you can live according to the Word of the Lord and emerge to whatever God wants you to be.