The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 2 Cor. 6:16 NCV
I know we usually think of lack of lamp oil for eight nights and the miracle of it lasting until the end of the Festival, but we can’t forget about what Hanukkah is really about, the cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple. Although the very first Hanukkah was a celebration of Sukkot (which usually was in the Fall), thanking God for the harvest and God’s and for His protection of the Israelites while wandering in the desert this was celebrating the retaking of the Temple and God’s protection while fighting for it.
Once Jesus was born there was no need for a Temple made of stone, because those who Believed in Jesus now became the temples of His Holy Spirit. But just like the world and its ways defiled the Temple from 167-164 BC, so we as God’s temples can be defiled by the world. We don’t like to think about it, but we hold idols, just like the Temple in Jerusalem did. Idols such as our phones, computers, jobs, family, TV, movies, professional athletes and teams, and the list goes on and on. If we choose any of those things before God, then they are an idol to us.
As we go into 2025, it seems to be a good time to cleanse our temples and clean out our idols. We need help with this, because most of us don’t even realize we have them, but when we ask Holy Spirit to reveal them to us He is more than willing to do just that. I encourage you to take some time between now and New Year’s Day to seek Him and allow Him to help you rid your temple of the things that are hindering and holding you back from living the life Jesus died to give you. It isn’t easy, but once it’s done you will feel liberated from the weight of this world.
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