“They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.”
With a new podcast showing up every day, it is hard to filter out the crazy from the realistic. You cannot tell what the podcast will be like just by reading the title, you have to listen to it. After some time is spent listening, you often get the OK to keep listening or just switch to something else. The news is the same way. You have to make time to listen to the pundits before you make the decision to change the channel. Either way, your time has been spent, and oftentimes, you come away with someone else’s mental spewing, with nothing to show for it but lost time.
Paul is writing to Titus. He was left on the island of Crete to train up future church leaders. This letter outlines some major qualities the Lord is looking for in leadership positions in the church. Qualities like being faithful to your wife, leading a blameless life, and having children who are believers. He must not be a heavy drinker, or violent, or dishonest with money (verses 5–8). He must also enjoy having guests in his home and love what is good. He must live a devout and disciplined life. Also, he must be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose godly teaching when they are wrong (verses 8–9).
Paul also warns Titus of the useless and deceitful speech of others that is only meant to divide and cause division. The false teachings and actions of these people often tear the church apart. Strangely enough, Paul says that some qualities of these people include lying, being cruel to animals, and being lazy gluttons. On Crete, they were spreading false teachings concerning circumcision that did not line up with the teachings of Jesus. They were teaching that a person, specifically a man, must be physically circumcised in order to be saved. This is in direct violation of the teachings of Jesus. You could say that podcasts started springing up entitled, “Are You Really Saved?” or “Jewish Beliefs on Salvation.” Catchy titles, but false teaching. Paul was warning Titus to watch out for such teachings.
It is next to impossible to stop all the influx of news or water cooler talk in our lives. It is also nearly impossible in today’s world not to be affected by social media. While all that is true, we can choose to stop listening to myths and mental throw-up from people who are known agitators and only seek to stir the pot. We can choose to read the Word of God and find out what it says about such controversial topics before we get dragged down the rabbit hole of opinions.
Today, start to make the Bible your main source of truth. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Make it a priority to fill your head with the Word of God instead of all the mental spewing that seems to tickle our ears just enough to keep us listening. Above all, make sure you get your information on these topics from trusted sources who can show you where in the Bible it talks about such things.
2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”
Enroll yourself in Bible 101 today. Don’t let yourself be the one who is caught up in all the blather of unbelievers and the false teachings of those who only speak well. “Find it in the Word of God” should be your retort on most things.
Prayer: Father, help us to recognize false teachings and wrong theologies that the enemy puts in our path to trip us up. Help us to read and understand Your Word. Help us to write the truth of the Word on our minds and hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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