Getting rid of what drags you down

Background:The Israelites, under the leadership of Ezra all ready to worship the Lord at their newly rebuilt temple, gather together in Jerusalem. "35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God." They had now taken their first step to return to their God.

"1 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 2 They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."

Lessons

1. Urged to be separate-When the Israelites turned to God after many years of disobedience, God dealt with their past. They had mingled with the 'other' people. I have stood with the general crowd, not wanting to be the odd one out, even if it was wrong to join the crowd. I am guilty.


2. What drags you away from God, must be put away-The Israelites mingling with the neighbouring people wasn't helping them in their faith, in fact they were learning their customs and traditions rather than following what their Living God had taught them. . Isn't that the work of the father of lies. Any time something is dragging us away from God, must be dealt with and put away.


3. God searches our past to deal with any blockages to victory-The Israelites had been in bondage since the time they began disobeying God. From marrying foreign women, to following foreign gods. In order for them to move forward in obedience, their serious mistake in the past(which was constantly dragging with them) had to be removed

Conclusion:For the Israelites the separation was a physical separation from the foreign people whom they had married. For us it could be more than that. For the Israelites, just by leaving their foreign wives and children would be enough, but for us how will be able to separate the evil thoughts that have crept into our lives, from media, through television, radio and evil song lyrics and such. How and when will we discern and get rid of those voices which want to get married(meaning:-to unite ) to us? People are selling lies about our Lord Jesus and we stand and watch!!! How can this be? I cannot sit and watch when a man had taken a cleverly spun lie and multiplied it into a spectacle of lies, performed as if true!!! Its wrong. Let us not compromise with lies, that are trying to persuade our families, who are not yet in Christ, into the wrong direction.

Romans 12:2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Dear Loving Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Saviour and I ask for your pardon for the times of sin when I have joined with the foreign. The times when I have disobeyed you and believed in the lies and traditions of the foreign(not from you). I pray O Lord that You would grant me the courage to stand for what is right, no matter how painful it may be to bear it. Help me stand up for You and for Truth.

Amen.