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Tuesday, July 15,
2008
House Cleaning
Mark 11:15-17 And they come to Jerusalem:
and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and
bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and
the seats of them that sold doves; (16) And would not suffer that any man
should carry any vessel through the temple. (17) And he taught, saying unto
them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house
of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. (KJV)
What kind of shape is your house in
today, you know that house you invited our Lord to come in to and dwell in?
Are you in dire need of some housecleaning because your priorities are
backwards? A place you invited our Lord into is now overcrowded with
thieves because what you claimed was His is now being occupied with someone
stealing rather than giving life to your house, a house you told the Lord
He could occupy. Once you have given your life to the Lord and He turns
your way of thinking upside down and overthrows the influence the enemy had
on you it is important that you stay alert and on guard, letting the peace
of God guard or keep your heart so that nothing unhealthy enters back into
your temple, which is now the temple of our Lord. Instead of letting your
house be a communication center, one where the Lord communicates His
message to you personally and then you are able to deliver it in the way He
intended (which is what prayer means), you have made it a den of thieves,
robbing you the opportunity to hear the message being delivered by Christ.
We have many today that have been called by God and let Him into their
temples for a season only to allow the devil to set up shop again and rob
them of the truth, the truth that sets and keeps them free.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk
in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ; (6) And having in a readiness to
revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (KJV)
Now when we look at these scriptures we
need to see the spiritual meaning of them, knowing that we are not fighting
a carnal battle. Similar to watching many of these TV ministries where
their focus is clearly set on the root of all evil, that being their love
of money and not a love for the Lord or His people. So what we see that has
transpired in the outward was a direct result of what has taken place in
the inward part of their heart. We see clearly how the Lord set an example
of how His temple is to be kept in order and clean, by casting down those
things that exalt and try to rise above the knowledge of God, making carnal
things seem to be more important than spiritual things. Once your temple
has been taken over and occupied by our Lord and put in order it is vital
that you are alert, casting down and overthrowing any imagination that is
contrary to what our Lord intended, bringing every thought to the obedience
of Christ. Just like with people that are overweight, it’s not like they
went to bed fit and trim one night, and then woke up the next morning out
of shape, but rather little by little ever so slightly things were added on
because one was not watching their intake. When one does get their temple
in order and wishes to maintain it, then it takes a steady diet as well as
exercise to keep your spiritual senses exercised so that you can tell the
difference between good and evil, things that are healthy and things that
are junk food.
2 Corinthians 10:6
[When
your obedience is fulfilled] Doddridge renders this: "now your obedience
is fulfilled, and the sounder part of your church restored to due order and
submission." The idea seems to be, that Paul was ready to inflict
discipline when the church had showed a readiness to obey his laws, and to
do its own duty-- delicately intimating that the reason why it was not done
was the lack of entire promptness in the church itself, and that it could
not be done on any offender as long as the church itself was not prepared
to sustain him. The church was to discountenance the enemies of the
Redeemer; to show an entire readiness to sustain the apostle, and to unite
with him in the effort to maintain the discipline of Christ's house. (from
Barnes' Notes)
The Lord is in a readiness to show you
the way of escape from this present evil world, when you are willing to do
it His way. How long will you halt between two opinions, or in others words
how long will you be double minded; instead of letting go of the tables and
all the junk you are trying to peddle as being the Lord’s you still hang onto
your own thoughts and ideas of how His church should be run. The Lord is
ready to move you forward in your walk so that you can grow up and mature
in the things of Christ once you are willing to let go of your childish
carnal ways, things that man says is highly esteemed yet in reality is an
abomination in our Lord’s sight. So who is truly in charge of your house
today; is it our Lord or have you invited a thief back in with seven other
colleagues of his that are more wicked and nasty making you worse off than
you were in the beginning? Are you willing to allow the Lord to bring the
correction to your life so that you can continue in the faith, or are you
still holding back and letting the thief set up shop again, robbing you of
the spiritual blessings the Lord has for His people?
Hebrews 12:7-11 If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall
we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
(10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure;
but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (11) Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby. (KJV)
You know the Lord doesn’t chasten us or
bring the correction because He hates us; rather it is so that we can make
the proper adjustment in our walk, and that we can continue partaking of
the peaceable fruit of the Spirit. So if the Lord is doing some house
cleaning in your life instead of looking at what you are being asked to let
go of or discard, look forward to what it is being replaced with, a deeper
love and commitment with Him. So today, if the Lord is overturning and
changing something in your walk it is so that you don’t end up shortchanged
in the things of the Spirit which allows you to receive your full reward,
of which God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.
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