If you ever see the pulpit abused in any church by false teachers as a believer, it will hurt not only heart but your mind. It hurts when you see leaders is wolves clothing, and even teaching their leaders to be wolves not of protection but people that devour the sheep in the church. How often the deeds of wickness from the pulpit is in great need of destruction. For example their are those that will claim to be jews but are from the synagogue of Satan. Nicolaitans were people that upheld eating of sacrfices given to idols. There were contestants on Survivor show one season faced with whether or not to eat a chicken offered to a god of the island they were on. Some said it just meat and others said no for religious reason perhaps, or the gruesome act they observed. One implied it just meat another said not for religious reasons as far as I can remember. It was perhaps one the seasons I will not forget where faith stood out for a moment. Only to be taken away with the voting of someone out of the tribe of people. Hypocrisy of love for one another destroyed with the vote.

There is a point in John day there was many idolaters that were converted and perhaps had a struggle of attending festivies with their families and love ones of that culture. Do you eat with people of idolaters or do you say no more participants in religious festivals. Today is Valentine's day Cupid/Eros is the god of ancient Roman and/Greek world. Do you celebrate or do you ignore it. Most girls love chocolate and think nothing about a day of love beyond who is their sweetheart this year. It just one of those traditions American and other countries have for no rhyme or reason. Yet Cupid is also a god of war not just love. Are these traditions of paganism still in the church world. What wrong with a tradition of love one might ask. God is said to be love. His God of scripture confused with Cupid, most would say no. It just a tradition of love right?

We must begin with origins of traditions. I even have valentine cards on this website, thinking nothing about it beyond the universalism of love. Yet my focus is that God is love. God is also more then love and more then the first love of a beleiver, but the eternal hope of his word that redeems us through his Son Jesus. Tradition of cupid seem to be not evil think for a moment does it remove your love of God by showing adoration to Cupid that little boy with a bow and arrow. That seems like I am talking about extreme verse a mild case of expressing love for someone other then God.

Nicolatians werefaced with satanic rituals to Baal. They tried ot bring the devil right into their church. God is stronger then Baal. God's power is stronger then any ritual, but the point is participation is it taking away from God. Was John just angry sacrifice that was meant for God was going to another. No sacrifices were no longer part of Jews that converted to Christianity, unless they kept the traditions of family members of Jewish faith. How is this line drawn. Any thing or anyone takes you away from the love God is wrong. Now if you love God you going to love others. Love is to be practiced daily not yearly. Girls love flowers and balloons but is these traditions gone to far. How much premartial sex goes on during this day. How many christians are guilty not even realizing it.

The early church fight against the reality of modern traditions not of the Jewish faith and ones not desire to part of the Christian church by the leaders. Do you not think people of that day had a hard time with giving up traditions of their people to obey the faith in God. We all struggle with simplicity of even a simple tradition easily taken to extreme of not the intent. Baal however is in total opposition of God. He is another cult of Satan himself. How does any tradition not of God get placed with the church world.

Then I ask myself is this struggle of the early church in our churches today. Traditions of God have value to remind us of faith, but most of us are not piety enough to cast out traditions of world from our lives. We put hearts up, and even give out cards for valentines day without even batting a eye of the real meaning of valentine's day. It is a fun loving holiday. But it is not one of scripture and it is not one the Bible world beyond the term idolatry. Yet no one bows to Cupid in our world correct. I sure somewhere some place there is people that worship and adore cupid and his day if nothing in the pockets of store keepers, candy makers and florist around the world.

So if you celebrating Valentines day don't forget your first true love that should be God and then your second love that significant other. Forget Cupid and his little bow, because God's sword is sharper then any arrow Cupid can shoot. God of the Bible is not Eros. Let God's sword be the dividing authority on cupid's day. It maybe done in fun, but let us face the fact God is not pleased when we misplace our first love for him. Remember traditions of idolatry destroy the early church and allows those people to lead the church that care only about tradition and not the things of God. Love God first and others coming second. It is a hard road to follow. Yet Christ warns us to beware of what will get us cast out of the palm of his hand. If you plan to be reminded of your second love, it is covered by action of love hopefully daily. Let God throught Christ be the one that joins people together as friends and marriage partners.

Dear Heavenly Father, weed out the tradition of man and the devil that can divide faith and love for you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:

Revelation 12:13-17 KJV
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.