OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO WORSHIP PT. 1.

MAR. 28TH

TEXT: Mark 7:5-13 King James Version (KJV)
5.    Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6.   He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7.   Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8.    For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9.    And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10.   For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11.    But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12.   And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13.   Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

As you begin this time of fellowship with God, please take out some time to thank Him for granting you the wisdom and grace to overcome every crafty and subtle agenda of the enemy.
Acknowledge and celebrate every ally God has positioned to help you accomplish divine agenda.

CONTEMPLATION
Be aware of this truth; spiritual hunger is common to people of every race, tongue, and tribe. Nobody has a spiritual advantage over another because of their geographical location.
The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is not limited to churches in America. God is no respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34-35) God is not a racist, neither is He partial. A mighty cathedral with a well-planned order of worship is not a guarantee of the manifest presence of God.  Be careful when the obsession and motivation of a place is more about proving the superiority of their liturgical position than in creating the right atmosphere for worship, dead tradition is not far away. Those who become overzealous about their denominational position and pride, subtly drift away from a true passion for the Lord. Those who allow their denominational bias dominate their minds often prevent themselves from being blessed by God’s servants from other denominations. They have become insensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

PRACTICAL ISSUES
Acknowledge that you have the same access to God like any other person anywhere in the world.
Refuse to die in a beautiful edifice where your spirit man is gradually starving to death. God is not limited to certain places.  Acts 10:34-35.
It is better to lose your favour with a particular congregation than to lose favour with God.