Warriors Arise: January 28, 2023
1 Chronicles 15:11-13 (NKJV) And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
David gave the command, "sanctify yourselves." How long had it been since the priests and Levites had to sanctify themselves? Maybe they had continued as normal doing this when they went to the place the ark of the Lord used to be kept before the Philistine's captured it. I really have no idea. Would I? Would I continue to worship the Lord for decades when I know His presence is somewhere else? Would I continue with my duties, responsibilities, and calling when I knoew God is not here?
Thankfully, I do not live in that time. I am thankful I live here and now. I know God is with me, even if I can't feel Him, see Him, or hear Him. I know He is with me. I know He dwells within me. I know His presence is here all the time. I know He never leaves me. Thank You Jesus for coming to earth, taking the punishment for my sins by hanging on the cross, and walking again as my resurrected King, Savior and Lord. I am truly thankful.
It was different times for the priests and the Levites, Jesus had not come to be the Savior of the world yet. The presence of God was seated upon the cherubim on top of the ark of the Lord. The ark of the Lord was captured by the Philistines, then returned to Israel; but it didn't make it back to the priests and the Levites. It remained at Abinadab's house for decades. How long had it been since the priests and the Levites has sanctified themselves? They were about to go before God and carry Him upon their shoulders. Did they know how to sanctify themselves or did they have to go back and read what God told their forefathers in the wilderness? Had they been waiting anxiously for this time to come or had they forgotten who they were and what they were called by God to do?
I have to answer these questions for myself and I encourage you to do the same.
Do I know how to sanctify myself, to be prepared to meet God?
Do I know how to prepare myself to carry God?
Have I been waiting, with baited breath, for God to call me to the position He gave to me?
Have I forgotten about the call of God upon my life?
Have I forgotten my responsibilities to God?
Have I forgotten who I really am?
It is time to sanctify myself. I must remember Whose I am and who I am. I am God's child. I am to minister before Him.
As in 1 Chronicles 15:12, I am to sanctify myself. I am to be made clean ceremonially and morally. I am appointed, dedicated and consecrated to minister before God by God, in my heart, with every thought and each action I take. To be sanctified; I keep myself from evil, prepared for great exploits, positioned to proclaim the greatness of God, purified in motive, wholly. Yikes! No wonder they had to go sanctify themselves. I am so not even close to being sanctified in order to be able to minister before the Lord and a carrier of His presence. I do not know how much time they had to spend to become sanctified, but I can see why the people were given three says to sanctify themselves in Joshua chapter three. This may have taken several days. They would have to allow God to reveal to them areas in their lives that did not align with His call upon their life. They would need time to get their heart right, their mind at peace, and their will to submit to God's.
There would be some fear and trembling in David's command. They had to go. He was the king and it was a command. They didn't want to do it wrong or God may strike out at them like He did Uzzah. How would they know they were ready? How would they know they were clean according to God's standards? How would they know they were purified wholly? They wouldn't. They wouldn't know until the task was achieved and they were still alive. David had called them back into their position. David had reinstated them, but did this come from God?
Year's ago Scott would be at the church getting things ready for church and I was loading up our five little ones. Someone would disturb someone else and before a fight broke out, I shouted back, "This is not how we go to meet with God. You keep yourself to yourself and keep Your mind on God and what He is going to show you today at church." Then I would put in the worship music and we would sing all the way to church. I was not going to have an argument all the way to church and arrive flustered and frustrated. My heart would not be ready to receive nor available to offer any Jesus to someone else.
That probably doesn't count as being sanctified, but it was how I addressed how we were going to prepare to go meet God. I do believe in getting my heart ready before going to church. I believe in spending time before the Lord before I write this blog. I believe in allowing God to search my heart, speak to my mind and reveal whatever He sees that needs to be purified. Many times I come before the Lord dirty; however, He directs me in cleaning up the mess in my life, straightens out my thoughts, settles my heart, and strengthens my body. Thankfully, I don't have to do this on my own before I go meet with Him. On my own, I do not do a very good job. I place myself before God and I allow God to direct me in being sanctified. Through His cleansing process, I become more pure. Personally, it is like the process of silver becoming purified. To purify silver they turn up the heat, the impurities rise to the top and they are taken off the top of the liquid silver. The silversmith turns the heat up hotter, the impurities rise to the top and they are taken off the top. The silversmith continues to intensify the heat until no more impurities rise to the top. Then it is has been made pure. This is the sanctification process when I enter into the God's presence. When have you willingly gone before God and allowed Him to administer the sanctification process? It may get hot, but it won't hurt. The heat causes the impurity's to rise willingly.
Father, I come before You today and position myself in Your presence. I cannot make myself clean. I can only present myself to You as a willing vessel to be made pure, by your refining fire. Here I am. I will rest in Your presence and allow You to bring to the surface anything I need to get rid of in my life. Here I am. I will wait upon You to touch each part of me that needs to be made clean. Here I am. I receive Your consuming fire and allow You to burn away all that has gotten in the way that is not what You have for me. You are my God and I desire to be made whole, positioned and purified for Your service in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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