HE WHO HAVE EARS, LET HIM HEAR

HE WHO HAVE EARS, LET HIM HEAR!

“… in the SIXTH MONTH, in the FIRST DAY of the MONTH, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet… saying …This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built ... CONSIDER YOUR WAYS. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; …ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earn wages earn wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts; CONSIDER YOUR WAYS. Go up to the MOUNTAIN, and BRING wood, and BUILD the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Says the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house” Hag 1:1-9 [Emphasis mine]

Man created by God is a spirit being that lives in a body and possesses a soul. Many times he cares for what gratifies the outward man that is the clothes he wears, the kind of padded and luxurious house that he lives in and the taking care of the human body hygienically, make up, polishing nails or even the kind of cars he drives to the neglect of the inner man who is the real us. However believers must understand that they are the New Testament TEMPLE OF GOD! God expects us to build our inner man patterned after the nature and character of Christ Jesus.

It is with this inner-man that we fellowship with, and commune with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and eventually mature spiritually. We are expected to study, read, meditate and be a doer of the word of God such that we can behold the mirror and be translated into the glory of God through putting on more and more the image of the Lord Jesus Christ as we are transformed, renew our minds and present our body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service unto God [2 Cor. 3:16-18, Romans 12:1-2]

We will have spiritually imbalanced growth called “kwashiorkor” if we are not feeding on the word of God, cleaning up our acts by mortifying the works or the deeds of the flesh, and develop our spirit man such that we can become one with Christ. Many have the spiritual gifts developed adequately by reasons of use but lack growth in holiness and right standing with God, not minding the word of God to live holy nor do they know the fact that there is the need for progressive holiness as we understand the need to do away with the weight and sin that easily beset us [Hebrews 12:1].  

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” Ezek. 36:24-27 

God promised to put His law in our hearts [Jer. 31:33] but it is not automatic, positive godly change happens as we study to show ourselves approved unto God a workman who need not to be ashamed rightly dividing and living by the standard of the word of Truth that sets free from the old lifestyle. Also God does not force Himself upon us, we must accept Jesus as Lord and Savior; we must be baptized in the Spirit so that the Holy Ghost can now reside in us, and we must agree that when the choice of right and wrong, or good and evil is presented to us, we will choose right and only then can God cause us to walk in His statutes. God cannot dwell where the new heart is not in place!

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” 2 Cor. 6:16-18 

God do not dwell in tabernacles made with bricks, stones and earthly ornaments anymore but in the heart of men. So it is our responsibility to prepare our hearts as vessels where the Holy God can reside. Therefore we must be separated from the carnally minded Christians and be estranged from unbelieving corrupt lifestyle else pollution will come to our spirit and we shall become unholy vessel not fit for the Master’s indwelling because uncleanliness has crept in and we are defiled.

“Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob” Psalms 132:3-5 

David covenanted to prepare a holy and righteous living quarters for the Ark of God and we must in like manner prepare our hearts for a habitation of God in the Spirit. Your body can be compared to an old residential apartment that was bought over by a new owner who now takes his time to systematically take out the old junk and renovated it to a lovely and orchard like dwelling such that many prospective buyers or tenants are looking forward to lease or buy it.

What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two, says he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that commit fornication sin against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Cor. 6:16-20 

We were bought with a price which is the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the tree of Calvary and we must henceforth glorify God in our bodies. We must flee or cut off all the Old sinful lifestyle associated with Satan our former boss when we were unbelievers and hereby cultivate the character and nature of God in Christ which was created in holiness, righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” 2 Cor. 4:16 

“Blessed is the man that walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper“ Psalms 1:1-3

We must let go carnal behavioral pattern and lifestyle by letting those outward and carnal deeds of the flesh perish, get away from the counsel of the ungodly, not partake of sinful lifestyle nor seat where those who disrespect God sits anymore so that our lives can be fruitful and we may prosper like the tree planted beside the river side!

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” Col 3:1-10 

Then our spiritual container where the Spirit of God resides will be holy, righteous and sanctified vessel fit for the Master’s use and entitled to be blessed by the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says the LORD. [Read Micah 4:1-2]

The time is ripe for us to get back to Mount Zion where God has prepared the Spirit led teachers to teach the Word of God so that we can understand need to be carriers of the Kingdom of God in our inner man [Luke 17:11] who is God the Spirit and henceforth live lives of holy vessels in who God the Spirit resides! The Word of God is the WOOD! Where no wood is, the fire goes out! [Prov. 26:20].

CONSIDER YOUR WAYS!