Fear the Lord and fear Him only. Listen to His Word, walk in His Spirit, and follow His leading in all your ways. Do not pay attention to all the talk and jabber of men, not of the Spirit of the Lord. How else will you know the right way to go?
Then He said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6
The religious rely on their understanding, the amount of knowledge, and the learning they can get from others. That is how they discern what is right and proper instead of seeking the Spirit of God. Their traditions, rules, and customs are more important to them than the truth of the words of God, as spoken by His Spirit. They rely on the opinions of great religious men who have come before them.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints. Proverbs 2:6-8
Many in the churches merely pretend to follow the Lord. But they deny Him by denying His servants and His Spirit within them. They go here and there, arguing about this and that. Making up rules and regulations and establishing doctrines God never intended, nor did they ever come into His mind. The Lord says they are apostates and are not called by His name.
Jesus said, You hypocrites! Well, did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9
They talk wickedly about others, gossiping and condemning others in secret. They make judgments even though they know nothing. They are like shifting sands that change with each lap of sea waves. They change their loyalties from one to another, whatever is profitable for their own benefit.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Psalm 9:15-16
They are fickle and untamed. Their ways are not in the right and straight path of the Lord, but they falter, showing the shakey foundation they stand upon. It is unstable, and there will come a day when they will fall headlong and not be found again. They are entangled and ensnared to their own whims and fleshly desires, so easily moved by what is happening in the world. The Lord has had enough of it and will bring judgment upon their heads in His time.
You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known;
and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. Jeremiah 19:3-6
It is the ways of the Lord, His commands and precepts, His calling, and the direction you need to listen to and follow. The devil is hard at work in these last days of wickedness. The devil desires only to lie, kill, steal, and destroy all mankind, working with all his might to ruin lives, infiltrating the church to hit God’s people where it hurts.
But the Lord will overcome. He is the Rock on which we have a solid footing. He is our firm foundation. He never changes, never moves, shifts, or fails. He is the one you must listen to and no one else. Remember always to test everything by His Spirit and not your understanding.
Honor and obey the Lord your God, follow Him continually and walk in His Spirit. He will lead, guide, protect, and direct your path. He will guide your path on the right way to go. He will cover you with His righteous right hand, bringing you into His green pastures, leading you by His still waters, and refreshing your soul.
For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand upon me and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in Him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. Isaiah 8:11-18
The Soul Sower 