Personal Cleansing

What lessons can I absorb from what I have learned so far from Jesus' house-cleaning exercise?

The Passover – be more aware of the significance of the symbols about truth that God has given me. The more I understand the true meaning of these symbols the more aware I can be of how to more effectively respond and relate to my heavenly Father and to my Savior.

Animals and moneychangers in the temple – be willing to allow Jesus to expose the things in my own heart and belief system that are out of place or don't belong in my life altogether. Instead of resisting His exposing light in my life I can choose to confess and acknowledge that He is right and that my life needs a good clean-out before I can better enjoy His presence within me.

The temple is the Father's house – I need to be much more aware and sensitive of God's ownership and subsequent rights as my Creator and Redeemer and Lord of all of my life, body and spirit. It is failure to truly appreciate God's rights to His own property that causes much of the confusion and resistance in my heart. Especially do I need to be aware that the cravings for love and affection in my heart were put there by God to be connected to His heart and presence more than anything else. It will only be through the experience of being ravished by the extravagant love of my God can I ever feel fully satisfied and fulfilled.

Not only is my place supposed to belong to God, but there is time that also belongs to God. Belonging is another word for holy. I am to be part of a holy people just as the Sabbath is to be a holy time. The more I learn about the real nature of holiness and its true definitions and meanings the easier it is going to be for me to have a meaningful and intimate relationship with my Lover.

Stop making My Father's house a place of business – because religion has turned true spirituality and intimacy with God into something tragically demeaning and enslaving. I must come to recognize the many ways in which my thinking and beliefs and practices still are contaminated with false ideas that make merchandise of the free grace of God. All forms of manipulation, control, exploitation and force are reflections of a counterfeit religion that uses the principles of business instead of the principles of family. The more I learn about the difference between the right way to live as family verses the efficient and profitable way to operate a business, the sooner I will be able to discern the ways of God and be able to draw closer to Him.

I am unavoidably living in the great time of the final cleansing of the sanctuary as prophesied in Daniel 8:14 whether I want to believe that or not. So it is simply for my own benefit that I take this seriously and allow God to teach and mentor me as to what should be happening in my heart as I live through this experience. Part of my education and training is to expose myself to the examples that He provided for me to study in the Bible so I can better understand what He really wants to do in my life and in all those around me who are willing to be cleansed His way.

One thing He has been teaching me over the past few years is that I need to avoid drawing conclusions of fear from the teachings about the great cleansing of the sanctuary. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) Whenever I tap into fear to motivate or control others or even myself, I am moving away from the pure ways of God and begin to adulterate my temple with corrupt views and representations of God and His ways.

I have much more to learn from these stories and I want to remain open to assimilating them into my life. Especially this problem of having a spirit of business mingled with religion instead of relating to God and to others with His Spirit of love, faith and hope. I have so much to yet unlearn as well as to learn, and I have to trust God to continue to clean out my temple of false ideas and practices that misrepresent Him. I want to see His face and His ways much more clearly. I want my church family to come to know and experience these things more deeply. I choose to allow God access to transform my life, my friends and family and His body here on earth into a sanctuary where it is safe for Him to relax and hang out and live and enjoy each other's company. I want my home and my heart to be a safe place for God to fellowship with me and my friend's all the time.

God, have full access to my temple in every respect. Sweep away all my resistance to you and cause me to rejoice, even at the painful things that must happen to clean out all the garbage, the manure and the false ideas about you that have ruined your property. I open myself up to you and ask your Spirit to blow through and cleanse me in every way so that Your presence and joy and loveliness become the dominate thing that people see and hear and smell and sense when they observe my life and spirit.