CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ON YOUTUBE
Matthew 16:5-12
Just as in Matthew 13:33, the leaven spreads throughout all the meal/dough, as does the leaven/teachings that the Pharisees and Sadducees are spreading throughout the beliefs of the people. In Matthew 16:5-12 Jesus teaches His disciples to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees; they have manipulated the teachings of the Bible to reflect their own ways.
This is a command to beware of false teachings.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders of the day, and they twisted the teachings of the Bible (Old Testament) to reflect their self-centered ways of greed and pride. These are reflective of the ways of the devil and are not reflective of God and putting Him first in our lives and loving our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). We too need to beware of the false teachings that are being spread throughout the world today. As we study God’s Word, we are able to compare what we are hearing in the pulpit today with what we are learning through our personal Bible study and relationship with God through Christ Jesus. If it is reflective of Jesus and joins together in the same path of learning that God has us on through our obedient, sincere, humble faith in Him, then we know that we are on the right path. If it does not match up, then we need to dig deeper into our Bible study and prayers to seek God’s guidance for clarification. He will lead us through His Holy Spirit and will never forsake us – He has promised to be with us always and to teach us – as we put and keep our faith in Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world.
Dear LORD,
There are so many false teachings in the world today that we need Your daily guidance to discern between what is from You and what is from Satan. Please open our eyes to see and our ears to hear the way, the truth, and the life that is found only in Christ Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.