Prepared For Power

The power of God will grow in your life as you prepare room by purifying your heart, mind, and soul.

“Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our parents were unfaithful...do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped...they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped. So the service of the temple of the LORD was reestablished. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.”‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭1‬-36

What would you do on your first day if you were elected president of the United States? Would you take a ride on Air Force One or prepare a speech? How would you use your power? The first action for the newly appointed Hezekiah was to purify and repair the temple. Is that not an odd choice? Is that what you would do? Would you not ease into office and enjoy some of the perks of having all authority?

Not Hezekiah. He began with consecration. He had a heart to honor God, so he started out his time in office by making room for more of God's presence. Consecration is not a word we use often, but it is a word that people who want to closely follow Jesus Christ should consider. The deeper meaning of consecration is to set apart. It is to separate the common from the holy. It is to see what is of human origin and what is of heavenly origin. Hezekiah said to consecrate yourself and consecrate the temple.

Consecration does not mean you have to get everything right before you go to God. That is a twisting of truth. Consecration involves evaluating all of your life—your heart, mind, and soul—to consider what is best for you according to God's standards. We have the advantage of understanding consecration as people who are in Christ. He is the One who came to us and cleanses us from all sin, but that does not mean we do not have work to do. Followers of Jesus should not look like, sound like, and act like the rest of the world. We are set apart. We are a kingdom of priests who live by the power of the Holy Spirit, and our lives should reflect the power at work within us.

Notice that there is a cost to consecration. Are you willing to pay the price for more of God's presence? It will cost you your comfort and require you to cut out your common practices. The people responded to consecration by making an offering. It cost them to thank God, but they did not want a faith that was worthless. They wanted to offer their best. Do we? Would you let go of something ordinary so that God can do something extraordinary in your life? He worked in mighty ways through Hezekiah, and He will through any humble, obedient heart.

So the question to begin the devotion is: What do you need to remove from your life? Have you allowed anything unholy into your heart? What you watch and what you listen to will get into your heart. What are you allowing in? Where do you need to consecrate yourself so that you can experience more of God's presence? The people of Judah were amazed at how quickly God moved after they removed what did not belong in their bodies or in the body of believers.

“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭96‬:‭1‬-‭13

On some level, we have to decide what is worth our devotion. We have to make a choice and discern what we value. If you are not sure of what you value, look at where you invest your time, talent, and treasure. Jesus said that where your treasure is, your heart is. Nothing is truly free because even something that is free takes up space. There is both an actual cost and an opportunity cost to what takes up space in our hearts. The psalmist wrote this song so that we would see that God is worthy.

He is worthy of our devotion. He is worthy of our praise. He is worthy of our songs, our surrender, our service, our sacrifices, and whatever it costs for us to separate from the worldly. The psalmist said to ascribe to God the glory due His name. Bring an offering. Come into His courts. Do you want to know what you will not find in heaven? Anything that does not belong there. Heaven is consecrated to the Holy God. The psalmist said to worship God in the splendor of His holiness.

The person who is consecrated to Christ should sing differently. They should sing a new song. The song of salvation. You should not sound the same as you did before you met Jesus. There should be a marked difference in your tone because of your testimony. We often sing other people's songs. It is good to sing your own song. You may not be a poet, but you have the ability to pen words to praise God for what He has done in your life. Will you scribe and ascribe to God the glory due His name so others might know what He has done for you?

“Obey the king’s command...Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter...So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad...I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬-‭17

Can you hurry consecration? Not if you want to do it well. The priests took eight days to clean out the temple. There is a wise old adage that tells us to do things right rather than do them fast. Solomon said not to be in a hurry to leave the presence of the King. DNH. Do not hurry. This could be a great tattoo with the letters and a cross to remind us daily to practice the Way of the cross rather than hurry about our day. Love is patient. Love is present. Love does not hurry.

If you are in Christ, you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. You are to be Spirit-led in all you do. But how often do you fully experience this power? Is it possible that many people are missing out on the power of the Holy Spirit because they are in a hurry to leave the presence of the King? Consider your prayer life or how often you pause to invite God into whatever you are doing during the day. This is not condemnation, but an observation of whether we have consecrated our hearts to Christ. Jesus said He is to be the center of our lives.

An unexpected benefit of consecration is clarity. Wisdom tells us that we can live with greater gladness when we learn to stop caring about common things. Do you ever find it hard to relax, feel at peace, and enjoy the day? Ask yourself why. Why do you feel this way? Are you worrying about things that God would worry about? Does God ever worry? No. Neither should you. Wisdom tells us to focus on what God has done and trust that He has a plan.

“See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths...all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver... they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths...I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭22‬:6-30

What a remarkable connection and contrast to the consecration in Hezekiah. Rather than showing devotion to God and doing what is right, the people Ezekiel calls out let their lives look like the nations around them. He calls out people who use their power to harm others rather than do what is holy. God is a righteous and just God. He cares that we act with righteousness, justice, and mercy.

What led the people to a dark place? Ezekiel said it was their failure to consecrate their lives. He said there was no separation between the holy and the common. Consider your life. Would a stranger know you love Jesus by how you talk, act, and treat others? Is your life holy and set apart? Why or why not? For many of us, there are some areas we have consecrated and some we have allowed to be common. None of us are perfect, but we can pursue holiness. We can start by getting rid of what we know is not good and not from God.

But removing the common is only the first step. God always has a higher standard. He has a life for us that uses the power at work within us to do good and bring holiness to others so that He would be glorified. He said He looks for someone to stand in the gap but finds none. Did you know that when you gave your heart to Christ, He gave you the opportunity to be a gap stander? An intercessor. A person who brings life, light, hope, love, and healing to the world. There is power in your prayers. You can circle another person in prayer and stand in the gap for them.

Who are you interceding for? Who are you standing in the gap for? Standing in the gap for others is something that every follower of Jesus can do. Why would we ever not stand in the gap? Hurry and worry, mostly. We are in a hurry to leave the presence of the King, or we are worried about our own fears or anxieties. God wants to free us from that life so that we can be people who actively bring the kingdom through the power He has given us.

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬0

What happened when Hezekiah and the people consecrated themselves and the temple? They experienced the power of God quickly. What would happen if we slowed down long enough to let the Holy Spirit lead us in purifying our lives? Paul said you would experience power. You do not need more talk in your life. You need more of the power that comes through the Holy Spirit. God will give you power as you pray and stand in the gap for others. Pause and ask God to tell you who to pray for today. Then stand in the gap for them. Ask Him to strengthen them, guide them, and help them experience His love. Then get ready to lend a hand so you can participate in answering their prayers.

He will give you power at your place of need as you make room for more of His presence. Look at what happens when the people do. On the other side of obedience is blessing and gladness. Do you want more blessing? Do you want to enjoy your life more? Pursue holiness and prepare your heart for Him. But be aware that Paul tells us the biggest obstacle to God's presence can be our own pride. It is hard to be full of His presence when we are full of ourselves.

Do not be in a hurry to leave the presence of the King. Enjoy and dwell in His presence. Sing Him a new song of thanksgiving. What are you thankful for today? In response, give Him the best of your time, not the leftovers. There is a cost to consecration and following Christ. It will cost you time. Jesus is not honored when we just try to fit Him in. Jesus invites us to abide. As you draw close to Jesus, He will teach you what a life that is set apart and reflects His heart will look like. There is no limit to what He can do through a willing heart. Make room for Him, pray for another person, and take the step of faith He puts in front of you. The kingdom of God is a matter of power that comes in greater measure as we consecrate ourselves to Him.