Day 20 meditation proclaims that the fleshly thinking of man is the great adversary of God.

The date was 1514, a little commentary on the current study of a church leader was published. It would be followed in 1543 with his life study. What he set forth in his writings was greatly opposed by the visible church. One of his disciples was tried before the Inquisition, condemned, and burned at the stake for this heretical view. Another one was forced to his knees under the threat of torture and death, and pressured to renounce all belief in this teaching. This follower of the new teaching would consequently be sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of his life.

The church leader who set forth this new understanding was Copernicus. Although what he taught is accepted today, it then countered a belief that had been taught for almost 1400 years. The simple truth that the earth was not the center of the universe was greatly contested by most of the leaders of the established church. It seems when new truth or even a clearer understanding of an established truth is revealed it is always resisted by the mind-set of what is currently believed to be true.

Day 20 reveals that often what hinders the acceptance of new truth is the current understanding of man.

Such was the new understanding brought to Peter by the revelation of God that he must go and eat with the Gentiles. He not only found himself resisting this change but the contemporary people of God resisted it as well (Acts 11:1-2).  In many instances, what hinders the acceptance of new truth is always the current understanding of truth. Day 20 meditation reveals why new truth is often rejected.

After Peter had his thinking challenged and changed, he went up to Jerusalem. Upon his arrival, he was confronted by the brethren that were in Judaea (Acts 11:3). They were struggling to understand how Peter could go into a home of the uncircumcised and eat with them. Preaching the gospel to all people just was not done in that fashion.