Cleansing the Temple

by: Pastor Julian Awari

In Matthew 21: 12-14, it is written, ¹² Then Jesus went into the temple of God^[f] and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ ^[g] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”^[h]
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

In pursuit of fame, many have sold the power of the anointing in their lives; some have sold their bodies, their peace, freedom, joy, and happiness in exchange for temporary pleasure, sorrow, depression, and oppression. What causes us to sell ourselves short of the promises of God? Could it be greed, bitterness, doubt, impatience, or lack of faith and knowledge? In spite of what has caused us to sell ourselves short of what the Lord has freely given us, God is still in the business of restoration!

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we read, ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

There is no price left to pay, God has already purchased us and paid in advance every mistake we would ever make. All that we have sold and rendered into Satan’s authority has been purchased with counterfeit funds by the devil. Therefore, by law, it must be returned! So how do we get our stuff back? ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE – CONFESS AND POSSESS – The Word of the Lord says to ask anything in His name and according to His will that He may do it. We know that God’s will is for us to have life; therefore, receive it as He has already given you.

In the manner Christ went into the temple and overturned the tables of those buying and selling, we must allow Him to come inside of us as His temple and allow Him to turn over the tables in our hearts. May the cry of your heart be for Christ to turn over the tables covered with refuse and make room for the outpouring of God’s blessing! As the blind and lame came to Jesus in the temple after the cleansing and were healed. May they come also to you being the temple of the Holy Spirit and receive from what God has deposited in you!

*Scriptures references from the New King James Version.