Thursday, 23 May 2013

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY 23/05/2013 - CLEAN ENOUGH? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE



THURSDAY 23RD MAY, 2013
CLEAN ENOUGH?

MEMORY VERSE
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Isaiah 52:11

READ
Zechariah 3:1-7

Zec 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

Zec 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Zec 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

Zec 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Zec 3:5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Zec 3:6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,

Zec 3:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

MESSAGE
In today's Bible reading, we read of how Joshua the high priest, who was both a representative of God and a divine champion, was standing before an angel, putting on filthy garments. You would notice that God's attention was focused on the dressing of His priest. Some people tell us today that since the inward appearance is more important to God, we should play down the outward appearance. The truth is they are both important before God. If you are God's representative, God is interested in your inner beauty as well as your outward dressing. God wants to know whether your physical clothes are clean or dirty. If you are a Christian but you are dirty, you need reorientation and renewal of your mind. Some sisters leave their hair unkempt and unwashed until it begins to breed lice. Some brothers will wear the same boxers for one or two weeks. Some people do not have their bath or even brush their teeth in the name of fasting. No wonder whenever they are doing a private fast the whole world knows. What is keeping God and His favour away from some of His children is not sin but dirt.

Demons are spiritually unclean beings so they flock around where there is sin and dirt. If you visit the houses of some people, dirty clothes will adorn the settees. You will have to wait for them to move the clothes off before you find space to sit down. Some people will eat and pile up dirty plates until there is no clean plate. Even when they give you what they claim to have washed, you will still see traces of food sticking to the plates, cups, cutlery and pots. If you are a dirty person, it will show wherever you go. Some people take their dirty habits to church. They will litter where they sit with sweet wrappers, water sachets, and empty water bottles etc. instead of disposing them properly. Personal hygiene is very important both for healthy living as well as for relating with God and man. Are you keeping God far away from you by being unhygienic?

KEY POINT
 All-round cleanliness is required to relate with God as His representative.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Ezekiel 28 - 30

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