God shakes each man from his house

SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED

Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise (Nehemiah 5:13 New King James Version).

The Lord is shaking His people.  Why?  Because there are many who make empty promises and many who take oaths, but do not deliver.  God is looking for honesty, obedience and integrity in His people.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-37, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;  nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”  Jesus is coming back to collect His Bride, the Church, and He will not tolerate spots or blemishes; He is looking for purity.  He is shaking us up, cleaning us, and washing our bridal garments.

Are you being shaken right now?  Ask our Lord to reveal to you the areas in which you are not walking in honesty, obedience or integrity.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.   Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)?

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, You are Holy, Righteous, Pure and True.  Thank You for the cleansing You are working in our lives right now.  We thank You for Your mercy, it is because of Your love and mercy that we are able to recognize Your hand at work; purifying us, cleansing us, uniting us.  We want to be the Bride You have called us to be.  We give You access to those areas of our hearts that need Your touch.  We turn over to You all of our insecurities, our burdens, our entire selves.  We renounce every prideful act, every lie, every bit of dishonesty in our lives.  We ask that You strengthen us during times of temptation to sin, we ask for Your Spirit to remind us of Your Word and to show us the correct path to take during moments when the enemy seeks to confuse us. Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).  Yes, Lord, set a guard over our mouths.  Blessings, Honor, Glory and Power to You forever!  In Your blessed name, Jesus, we pray.  Amen

Today’s Attitude of Worship: Don’t make a promise you have no intention of keeping just to make someone else happy.

Additional Scriptures: see above passage

We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot (Abraham Lincoln).

Shalom,

Prudence