Today I was led to read 2 Chronicles 34. When you read God's Word with the Holy Spirit's guidance, His Word comes alive! He wants us all to understand His Word and the Holy Spirit guides and gives us that understanding.
It tells us about King Josiah. King Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. When he was only sixteen, he "began to seek the God of David" and by the time he was twenty he was removing idols and false gods from his kingdom: ...and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
He had a heart to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but the children of Israel were corrupted with sin and idol worship. As King Josiah was restoring the house of the Lord, they found Moses' Book of the Law and brought it to him. Upon hearing God's Word, Josiah was broken and repentant and tore his clothes in grief and mourning. (God's Word convicts and ushers in brokenness and repentance)
The keys to true worship? Brokenness, repentance and obedience.
What did he do next? He gathered all the people in his kingdom, his elders and priest; all the people from the greatest to the least, and read God's Word to them. And then he made a proclamation--a covenant with God: Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.
Do you want to restore God's power in your life? Do you want to restore true worship? You must be like King Josiah. You are your family's "king" and leader. You are certainly the "king and ruler" over your own self. Restoration starts with brokenness. Josiah beat down those idols and altars to a powder! There was nothing left to worship. They were just dust in the wind. THAT is what must be done in our lives and the life of our families. If you want to restore God to His proper place in this world, start with yourself. When He is 1st in your life, He will be 1st in your family's life, then 1st in your neighborhood, 1st in your culture, 1st in your city, 1st in your nation and finally 1st in the world. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24
I encourage you to read 2 Chronicles 34 in depth, for I have only shared snippets of it. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you understanding. Then go out and let your life be a "true worshiper" to the world!
~~Be blessed, Arlene
It tells us about King Josiah. King Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. When he was only sixteen, he "began to seek the God of David" and by the time he was twenty he was removing idols and false gods from his kingdom: ...and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
He had a heart to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but the children of Israel were corrupted with sin and idol worship. As King Josiah was restoring the house of the Lord, they found Moses' Book of the Law and brought it to him. Upon hearing God's Word, Josiah was broken and repentant and tore his clothes in grief and mourning. (God's Word convicts and ushers in brokenness and repentance)
The keys to true worship? Brokenness, repentance and obedience.
What did he do next? He gathered all the people in his kingdom, his elders and priest; all the people from the greatest to the least, and read God's Word to them. And then he made a proclamation--a covenant with God: Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.
Do you want to restore God's power in your life? Do you want to restore true worship? You must be like King Josiah. You are your family's "king" and leader. You are certainly the "king and ruler" over your own self. Restoration starts with brokenness. Josiah beat down those idols and altars to a powder! There was nothing left to worship. They were just dust in the wind. THAT is what must be done in our lives and the life of our families. If you want to restore God to His proper place in this world, start with yourself. When He is 1st in your life, He will be 1st in your family's life, then 1st in your neighborhood, 1st in your culture, 1st in your city, 1st in your nation and finally 1st in the world. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24
I encourage you to read 2 Chronicles 34 in depth, for I have only shared snippets of it. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you understanding. Then go out and let your life be a "true worshiper" to the world!
~~Be blessed, Arlene
