Cleaning the temple

Last night as I was praying through some areas of deep-rooted sin in my life, I was struck by the idea of Jesus in the temple:

Mark 11:15-17: " On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers..."

The idea of Jesus in the temple is one I feel that the Holy Spirit has again given to me. As I have said previously, I believe part of the reason why I am going through this season is so that God can restore me to the glory He knows I can attain. But I must be cleansed -- no matter how much it may pain me.

I have allowed, over the course of many years of disobedience, my life to be dictated by the pleasures of the world and not by the will of God. That is a dangerous thing... especially because Scripture reminds us that when we ask God in to our hearts, our bodies cease to be our own:

1 Corinthians 6:19: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body".

My body is a living temple for Christ, and yet for a long time I flung open the doors to sin in order to make myself feel better. Doors of the world that corrupt the mind, the heart, the soul and the body.

Drinking. Sex. Trying drugs. Racy movies. Pornography. Over indulgence of food. Lack of exercise/laziness. Questionable t.v. shows. Abusing alcohol. Ignoring God. Seeking the approval of my peers versus the approval of my God. These are all areas I have struggled with -- and they are areas that open doors into our lives that the enemy seeks to - and often, successfully - exploit.

I am certain that God does not approve of how I lived my life -- afterall, what Father likes to consciously watch as their child ruins themselves and their lives just because they can.

Indeed, as Habakkuk 1:13 reminds us: "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong".

God can not tolerate wrong -- He will NOT tolerate it, nor will He even entertain it enough to look at it. It offends Him. Just as it offended Jesus to see His temple turned into a den of thievery and debauchery.

But how often are we doing the same things in our bodies... in His living temple? I dare say, more often than we would like to admit. And as Jesus came into His temple and overturned the tables and set the doves loose, driving out merchants and sinners, so too is God -- in this season -- doing that in my OWN body in some respect. He is cleansing it. He is purifying it. He is transforming my body - HIS TEMPLE - from a "den of thieves" into one that more accurately mirrors His glory.

It isn't easy. I don't think it is meant to be easy. But then, it wasn't God that put me in the situation I was in in terms of sin - I did that myself, with a little coaching from an enemy that likes to see us fail... an enemy that twists words and situations to make them seem good at the time, but which are far from good.

God has convicted me of my past. He has convicted me of areas I need to address and which I am in the process of addressing. At the same time, while I am addressing them, He has convicted me to avoid the corruption of the world. I don't say this to be holier than thou, but rather because I think that God is right to have me avoid things that are not of Him especially in a time of cleansing when He is in the process of stripping me down from the inside, making me vulnerable and more susceptible to impression and innuendo from the world. Frankly, right now I would find things of the world comforting but, as the Bible reminds us, those comforts are fleeting and ALERTNESS is what is needed -- not just during a time of trial but ALWAYS:

1 Thessalonians 5:6-9: "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ"

1 Peter 5:8: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour".

How do we stay alert? I think it varies depending on the person, but here are a few areas that I have felt laid on my heart:

Digging - deep - into His word. (Psalm 119:9-11):

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart so that I may not sin against you".

I am digging deep and praying because that is not only where I find my comfort, but my sense of direction, strength and purpose. It took a long time for me to realize this, but when all else around you seems crazy and uncertain, having God as the unchanging touchstone, is powerfully reassuring.

Avoiding things that can lead us into temptation:

Ephesians 5:18: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit".

God has told me to stay away from alcohol. Not because I have ever struggled with drinking, but because I think God wants me to ensure my mind is sharp at all times to do HIS will and that I have not allowed myself to be compromised by wine. I want to be alert because I feel that when I am NOT alert, I am weak. And that doesn't serve me well, and it certainly doesn't serve God well.

I always remember years ago when I worked in retail being at a bar with colleagues from work, drinking and dancing the night away. At one point in the night I was standing against a table and for a few seconds I think God let me see the situation the way He saw it... through the smokey haze, I saw people stumbling about, dancing and acting provocatively, anger and sadness all over their faces. It was the very moment that I started to hate bars -- and since then, it has remained that way. I can't get the image out of my head of that night a long time ago - and I am grateful that God let me see, for even the briefest of moments, what He must see when we behave that way. It was troubling. And very sad.

(Please know that I am not trying to suggest everyone avoid alcohol. That is NOT my intention, nor is it my place to suggest that. I am completely fine if others want to drink -- that is their right. I am simply sharing what God has laid on MY heart. God will give to each direction as they require it).

Avoiding the corruption of the world:

2 Peter 1:3-5: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires".

Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things".

Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will".

This is a tough one for me -- I love movies (except horror films) and I love TV. Absolutely and totally love it. I love reading current affairs stories. I love getting the latest scoop about what Celebrity A is doing versus what Celebrity B isn't doing. I love the idea of making money, getting rich and just living the good life.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. 

God has told me that during this season I am to turn off my TV, avoid the movies, and avoid the crap the world tells you is important. Instead, I have been opening His Word and finding something very interesting, that my desire for the things of the world is quickly falling behind a desire to do what is right and true in HIS Kingdom.  To measure myself and my actions against what His Word says is true. 

Were I to try and continue to allow God to work through me and in me during this time, while I was filling my brain with crap on the TV or movies where people are having random sex, drinking alot, doing drugs, committing crimes or engaging in violence, I would be allowing myself to be corrupted. This is not to say that God will not, at some point, allow me to go back to enjoying a good movie and getting back into my 80s TV sitcoms (Hello, Mama's Family!), it just means that right now God is causing me to think twice about putting into my head the things that are not of Him.

To put it more bluntly: if I was in the process of vacuuming a carpet, would I then pour red wine on it so that my job would be more difficult? Of course not. In the same way, I feel God is saying: "Let me clean out MY temple, let me restore it and let it be used for MY purpose".

After 30 years of living my own way, I think -- I know -- I owe Him that.

Every temple needs to be cleaned - no matter how much it hurts to have the graffiti scraped off the walls and the tables overturned.

Nobody likes to change the way they live their lives -- but when OUR way of living soils HIS temple and HIS plans, then our Father has an obligation to step in and deal with it. Consider it discipline -- discipline built in love:

Hebrews 12:10-11: "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it".

Every day is a bit easier in this struggle -- the temple gets a bit cleaner, and I move a step forward. But I'm not there yet -- I'm not sure when this cleansing will stop - and when the enemy will stop throwing muck at me, trying to muddy God's clean floors -- but I do know when God is finished, I will sparkle with His righteousness and glory.