1 Corinthians 11:2 (NET) I praise you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I passed them on to you.
Akogun became so sick that it was looking like he would die. This illness started after he came back from his journey to the village for the holidays. As the intercessors in the church prayed for him, someone saw a vision that revealed that the reason he was afflicted was that he exposed himself to certain elemental spirits when he innocently partook in some cultural practices for a festival in his village during the Christmas holidays.
Many believers have found themselves in big trouble because they exposed themselves to some pagan traditions of their culture of birth after becoming believers. When you became a believer in Christ Jesus, you were reconciled with God through faith in Christ Jesus. Because of this, you became a friend of God. But this also meant you became an enemy of the world—the prince of this world (the devil) and his company.
Traditions that were born out of pagan worship were designed to connect people with demons and keep them under the domain of principalities. If through a cultural practice, a believer (who is now an enemy of the devil and his kingdom) brings himself under their authority, he would be greatly attacked. Some believers have even fallen asleep before their time because of this.
Before the coming of the gospel, every ethnic group on earth had a culture, and these cultures were shaped by their religion and gods. The only group of people who were relatively free from cultures and traditions inspired by demons was the people of Israel because they worshiped the one true God.
Being an apostle to the Gentiles, there were many things Apostle Paul had to teach and explain to the Gentile believers because they grew up in cultures that were antithetical to the divine life.
In discipling people, it is expedient that you are diligent to identify unwholesome cultural practices and traditions that the enemy may seek to use to trap them. When you take away a bad tradition, it should be replaced with a good one.
Go into today remembering that because you are of a kingdom that is higher and better than any other, you are not to submit yourself to any cultural practice that does not glorify God and uphold His righteousness.
Prayer: Ask the Lord Jesus to deliver you from falling into the trap of practicing demonically inspired traditions.
Reflection: Reflect on any cultural practices or traditions you observe. Ask yourself if they align with the righteousness and teachings of Christ. If they do not, seek wisdom and strength from the Lord to replace them with traditions that honor Him and uphold His truth.
—Abraham Damilola Arigi
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