Keeping God’s Word and Not Holding to Traditions

Returning to the living Word that frees the heart from tradition.

Devotional Credit: eManna (Witness Lee)
Photo Credit: Unsplash

The Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of transgressing the traditions of their elders, yet the Lord exposed something far deeper. They had exchanged God’s living Word for human systems that felt safe and respectable. Jesus reminded them that when tradition replaces obedience to God’s voice, the heart grows dull. It was not the washing of hands that concerned Him, but the washing of hearts. The Word of God always confronts what we use to replace Him, even when those replacements appear noble. Witness Lee’s reflection helps us remember that the life of faith is not about preserving customs but yielding to the living Christ who speaks within. The call is not to cling to the familiar but to return to the freshness of God’s Word, where His Spirit teaches, corrects, and gives life.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

My beloved, I have written My Word on your heart, not so that you would memorize rules, but so that you might know Me. When you listen for My voice in the Word, you find that I am not bound by tradition. I am the same yesterday, today, and forever, yet I speak freshly in every moment. The Pharisees clung to what they could control, but you are invited into what only I can reveal. Let go of the patterns that make you feel righteous and turn to Me, the living Word who abides within you. My truth is not found in human repetition but in relationship. As you yield, I make the Word alive in you, not as an external command but as an inward life. When you choose My Word over the comfort of man’s approval, you walk in freedom.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a garden path covered in autumn leaves. Beneath the layer of old color lies solid stone, the true walkway. Many believers tread only on the surface, walking on the weight of accumulated traditions. But the Spirit within patiently clears away what conceals the foundation. When He does, the solid path of truth appears again. In that moment, we see how easily man-made customs can obscure the simplicity of walking with Jesus. The next time someone pressures you to conform to what seems “proper” or “expected,” pause inwardly and trust the Lord who lives in you to speak through His Word. You might quietly say, “Lord, I rest in You as my truth, and I depend on You to express Your life through me right now.”

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, thank You that Your Word is alive within me. I rest in the assurance that You have freed me from the weight of human traditions. You are enough. Your Spirit guides me into all truth. I rejoice that I can walk in the simplicity of abiding in You, where Your Word lives, breathes, and bears fruit through my life.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Matthew 15:1–3, 6; John 14:26; Hebrews 4:12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:16