HOUSE OF PRAYER OR DEN OF ROBBERS?

TEXT: MATTHEW 21:13

"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.”

The scripture says our body is the temple of God, and we should honour God with our body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Ephesians 2:22 also made it clear that “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Therefore it is no gainsaying to say God created you to be a sacred dwelling for Him.

The question at this juncture is “Are you an instrument in God’s hands or the devil’s instrument? We can put the question like this “As God’s “living temple” are you a house of prayer or a den of robbers? What do you have in your temple? (Heart). What you have in your heart shows if you are a house of prayer or a den of robbers. Are you using your body to glorify God or are you using your body to bring disgrace to the name of God? The scripture says as a man thinks so is he (Proverbs 23:7). No matter how long you stay in the midst of believers, it does not matter the length of time spent in the church, if your heart harbours everything that is against the commandment of God, you are not God’s living temple, and your body is not God’s house of prayer but a den of robbers!
Are you a man of God that habours greed in your heart, and play on the intelligence of your congregation by extortion? The Lord is watching you.

In our text, Jesus entered the Synagogue which was supposed to be a house of God and a place of prayer, but what was being done there was totally different from what it was built for. People were buying and selling and doing all sort of contrary things in the house of God.

Likewise, you are created to honour and serve God with your body, soul and spirit. What you do with your body determines whether you are a house of Prayer or a den of robbers. The scripture says in Proverbs 4:23 “Guide your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” for you to be a house of prayer, you have to purge yourself from every works of the flesh, lust of the eye,  pride of life, slander, greed and so on.

Jesus sent out the people that were doing contrary things in the house of God, you can do the same today by calling on him to purge you of every contrary spirit living in your “TEMPLE” that want to turn your temple (Your body) to a den of robbers instead of the house of prayer that God created it for. Go to God today and cry to Him to renew your heart to be in line with His will.