Preferring The Precepts of Men

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to Me with their mouth; and their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Isaiah 29:13, 14

Several years ago I had an unusual dream. In this dream I was shown two men sitting at a table. Then one of the men pulled a large pizza out of his mouth and handed it to the other man to eat. When I share this with other people I ask them, “Would you eat that pizza knowing where it came from?”
    The answer I get is always a resounding and disgusted, “No!”
    Yet, when we continually get our doctrines from the mouths of men and neglect the word of God, then we are eating that “pizza” whether we realize it or not. What would happen to our bodies if all we ate was pizza?
    God tells us very clearly in His word, that if we prefer the precepts (teaching, doctrine, pizza) of men above His word, then God will remove our wisdom and without wisdom we can have no understanding because the two are linked and we will not be able to comprehend God’s word. This is why there have been so many conflicting doctrines and divisions in the church. The body of Christ suffers when people prefer to indulge themselves with a steady diet of fast food from other sources and are led away from the pure healthy word of God. Slowly, respect for the authority of the Scriptures begins to erode, our minds become pre-programmed by man’s doctrines and the simple purity of God’s word is corrupted and distorted.
    God allows this to happen because He is testing us. Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me” – John 10:27. God tells us in the Book of Revelation that there is only one spiritual condition out of the seven churches that He will keep from “The Hour” or the great tribulation that will come upon the entire world. That church portrayed for us in Revelation 3:8 is seen clinging to the word of God and because of this foundation, the Philadelphians will not deny Jesus, and the fact that He is the only way to the Father.
    Don’t lose your wisdom. Seek the Lord and return to the abundant banqueting table of the pure word of God.

copyright 2009 by H.D. Shively

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