If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances, "Don't handle, nor taste, nor touch" (all of which perish with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men? These things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imposed worship, humility, and severity to the body; but aren't of any value against the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2:20–23 WEB.

In the beginning, God told Adam, "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). One chapter later, Eve told the serpent, "you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die" (Genesis 3:3).

God hadn't said anything about touching the fruit. That was a personal preference that was added to the word of God to make it more difficult. It became part of the commandment as an "add-on" item, increasing the strictness of God's original commandment. Traditions like this get added to the word of God and then taught as if they were from God.

Churches split over the type of music they feel God prefers. When really, it has nothing to do with Him at all. An acoustic guitar isn't inherently "Holy," and an electric guitar isn't inherently "Evil." My wife doesn't care for loud, high-pitched guitar riffs because they make her teeth hurt. That's a personal preference. When one of the praise teams I played with practiced, she would wait in the parking lot until it was over. At the same time, others thought it sounded fine.

I know of one church that taught that wearing neckties was a sin, but that's not from the Bible either. Sure, we should dress modestly, but the rest is just personal preference (1 Timothy 2:9). Everyone thinks that God is in their political party as well, as Adolf Hitler did. But if you study Daniel chapter 2, you will see that God has His own party that will eventually replace all the others. It's the same routine with what people wear, eat, and drink. We tend to feel that they will be saved as long as they are like us.

Jesus quoted Isaiah and said, "They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men" (Mark 7:7–8).

The next time you feel yourself becoming angry over something religious, examine it and ask yourself if it's actually scriptural. Do you have a Scripture to back it up, or is it just a personal preference, a tradition that has been passed down to you?

For example, if the Holy Spirit convicts you about drinking coffee and wants you to abstain from it. Then do so, but don't try to push your new personal revelation on the rest of humanity. It might just be that coffee makes you annoying and hard to get along with, and He feels you would be better off without it.

Jesus wore a robe and sandals, but I wear jeans and boots today. If Scripture doesn't give us a clear, direct commandment about it, leave it out of your doctrine. If we all did this, the body of Christ would get along a lot better.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please get me back to the basics and keep my faith simple. Help me rightly divide Your word and discern the truth when I hear it. Guide me today and work Your perfect will in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: For those who would like to join us, today we will be hosting our RHM Live Online church service. This is a special time of interactive worship, prayer, fellowship and an inspiring message. All are welcome! The service starts at 10am EST. Here is the link to join: RHM Live. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.