January 2 – January 22

Last week I addressed your trinity:

Body – Soul – Spirit

You consist of all three components at birth. When you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then God fills you with the Holy Spirit. You are then under contract to transform the carnal state of your body, soul and spirit into His temple, the house where God dwells on Earth.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible

¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 

²⁰ You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

When you go to church, you are not going to meet God there, you are bringing Him there as active participant in acts of worship.

During this fast you should discover the following:

1. Where you are in Christ
2. Where you need to be
3. How to get there

Where are You in Christ?

Where are you in relation to God’s timing for your life?  We know God to be merciful but God reduced the years He was willing to suffer with humankind’s ways.

 Genesis 6:3

³Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years.”

The average life expectancy of a man in the US is 76.61 years and of a woman in the US is 81.65 years. Click the link to see the average life expectancy of men and women in your country (data covers 193 countries).

https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/

Now that you’ve seen man’s prediction of your life span, where are you on the timeline? What is your relationship with God? As a Christian, have you just started construction on your temple? Have you substituted the enemy’s flimsy materials for the statutes specified by God because they were cheaper and to acquire?

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 Amplified Bible

¹¹ for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

¹² But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 

¹³ each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.

Building Your Temple – Scenario 1

Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s starts with restoring the walls around the temple where God will dwell, Nehemiah 2:11-18.

Rich Man

The rich man tears down existing barns to build larger to store his goods, Luke 12:15-19.

The rich man cared about having the latest and the greatest. He was a party animal and lived by the mantra “eat, drink and be merry”..

While the rich man focused on building wealth and persona, Nehemiah focused on rebuilding temple walls and gates. The walls and gates would be the exterior framework and access points to the temple. Clarence Larkin’s diagram of the trinity of man illustrated the five gates, the Eye Gate, the Ear Gate, the Nose Gate, the Mouth Gate and the Feel Gate that serve as entry points to the soul and spirit. See “The Three-Fold Nature of Man” chart in 21 Day Journey – Deep Waters- The Hierarchy of the Trinity.

The better approach to building a temple was Nehemiah’s. He secured the outer perimeter’s so the temple can be safe from the enemy. The rich man was oblivious to the fact that he needed transformation. He was caught up in the world’s systems and pleasures. 

Just as Nehemiah rebuilt the gates and walls, during this fast you must sure up your walls and entry points against the enemies that want you in a dilapidated, weakened state.

During this fast, you are either a Nehemiah, reinforcing your wall and access points, or you are the rich man where God beyond ceremony is not even a remote thought.

Building Your Temple – Scenario 2

King Josiah

King Josiah, being made king at 8 years old, after having the Law read to him found Judah lacking, 2 Kings chapters 22-23. This transgression meant impending judgement for Judah. In response, King Josiah destroyed the high places where idols were worshipped and killed their priests as well. Because of his effort to return to God’s Covenant he was considered the king that turned Judah’s heart back to God, 2 Kings 23:25.

King Solomon

King Solomon succeeded his father King David and was brought up knowing the commandments of God. Once made king God gave him wisdom that exceeded any man before him and any man that would come after him, 1 Kings 4:30. He went to extraordinary lengths to build the Temple of God, 1 Kings chapters 6-8. However, this wise king allowed the world’s lures, namely politics and his own lusts to stain the foundation he had built. For he, himself built high places to honor the gods of his 300 wives and 700 concubines, 1 Kings 11:3-10. Surely with this many intimate companions, Solomon thought more highly of himself than he ought to think. Thus, his foundation, although established initially on good ground shifted resulting in grievous cracks and a split in the kingdom.

Many of you started out right but have fallen away from the life the scriptures direct you to live.

Hebrews 12:12-14 King James Version

¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Both Josiah and Solomon were young when they learned the statutes of the Lord. One stayed the course. The other although tremendously blessed allowed the world to turn his head. He became feeble and lame in his faith.

Which do you most identify with? Josiah or Solomon?

After your temple structure is dedicated to God the items in the temple must be cleansed and sanctified. This is part of salvation evolving from your initial confession to that of incorporating the principles of salvation as your lifestyle.

Where You Need to Be and How You Get There

Walk (live by) the Spirit. Galatians 5: 16-17

God is not a magician. Your effort is required. Some are waiting for God to take the “taste” of sin out of their mouths. Ephesians 4:23-29

 Hear the Word and do it. James 1:21-24 

Pray and be on guard for temptations. Matthew 26:41,, 1 Peter 5:8 

Know that things in this life are temporal. Base your decisions on things that affect your eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Purify your thought life. Psalms 19:14, Philippians 4:8

Forgive. Matthew 6:12

Ensure that the words that come out of your mouth reflect Christ. James 3:10-12 Amplified Bible, Psalm 19:14

Pray for answers, guidance and strength. Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36

Refuse to accept evil as good and good as evil. Isaiah 5:20

Do not do the things that will cause the Holy Spirit in you to grieve. Ephesians 4:30-32, Romans 8:3-5, 1 Corinthians 6:18

You have been born again. You are a new person in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 

To those that love the Lord the things aforementioned aren’t seen as grievous but a path to abundant life on Earth and the here-after.

Warning

 As you pray, fast and study the Word of God, God will reveal your shortcomings. Just as the enemy came against Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2: 19), the enemy of your soul will activate and do everything to convince you that you are fine, no adjustments necessary. I pray you distinguish the voice of God from the voice of your enemy. God’s voice is supported by scripture, the enemy’s is not.

Summary

During this time of fasting and prayer ensure your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. For everything that you do and say, imagine you are saying them right in front of God. Would you say it? Would you do it? You don’t have to imagine you’re in front of God,  if you are saved then God, the Holy Spirit is in you. Do you say things that make the Holy Spirit plug his ears? Do you do things that the Holy Spirit has to cover his eyes and turn away?

This has been about bringing your temple to code. The code of the written Word of God. You have been given a tall task. Transformation doesn’t occur overnight so don’t expect it to. Use this as a study guide to build your temple. You want to be a vessel of more than the extension of His grace but His power and glory? Then come up to code.

Start now.

It’s time.

2 Corinthians 3:15-18 Amplified Bible

¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 

¹⁶ but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].

 ¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the [Holy] Spirit.

I Need Your Glory

Wait on You