Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
The paradigm shift about the concepts of prayers, worship, rituals, formalities and ceremonies changed with the arrival of Jesus. His name is Immanuel, which means “God is with us”. The paragon of His omnipotence was made known to humanity in different ways to the patriarchs, priests, prophets and the Pharisees. During the time of Priests, He dwelt in the ark of the covenant that was built by Moses. The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire became like the sun and the moon to the Israelites in the desert. Familiarity breeds contempt! The fear of God soon dissipated and people turned away from discipline and disobeyed. They rejected the words and the warning from the Prophets and lived a wayward and wilful sinful lifestyles. They built a flamboyant temple in Jerusalem but there was no holiness or purity in their hearts. Isaiah 66:1 This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? When all of these models failed, it was time for the arrival of Immanuel, Jesus Christ.
We don’t need temples, trumpets or traditions to worship the Immanuel who is with us 24/7. We cannot build a church, citadel or basilica that can contain the ‘All Powerful God’. He dwells in our hearts and homes.
Three vital requirements to make our hearts the home of the King of Kings:
1. Hunger: When our bodies have burned up the food in our stomachs and when insulin levels begin to drop, a hormone called “ghrelin” is released to convey to the brain that it is “lunch time”. The same concept does not work with spiritual hunger. Ghrelin does not send signals to feed our spiritual man. The hormone that stimulates spiritual hunger is “discipline”. Hunger is a signal from the stomach to the brain but craving is a signal from the mind to the body. Discipline your mind; crave for His presence and feed on His Word. 1 Peter 2:2-3 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. Spiritual hunger is a discipline.
2. Humble: Humility is the bridle over our mind. Humility is not a verb and cannot be defined by deeds. Humility is defined in the way we judge others. The rule to treat each other with dignity and respect is to appreciate their strength and esteem others better than ourselves. Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. A self absorbed person is puffed with pride about their strengths, talents and gifts and can never respect the gift of others. Humility is an attitude.
3. Holy: Holiness can be defined by who we are when no one else is watching us. The ritualistic Jews became split personalities. They had a church life and a karaoke lifestyle. Rituals and religiosity cannot draw humanity to the Lord. The white clothes and church behaviour does not define holiness. Holiness is the purity and cleanness in our little private corner. Goodness defines what you do but holiness defines you.
Church is only a building to congregate for corporate worship; that is not where Christ dwells. Our heart is His habitat of the Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23 they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I long and hunger for you. Immanuel dwell in me and with me always. Keep me humble, empower me to be holy and make my heart your habitat. Amen
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