All four gospels recount the “Cleansing of the Temple,” when Jesus entered Jerusalem at Passover, entered the Temple, flipped over tables, and with a whip drove the money changers and the merchants out. The zeal of his Father’s house had eaten Him up, and this business of cheapening worship and cheating the worshipper had to stop.
The symbolism of this act is powerful.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Being a Temple of the Holy Ghost, you can expect Jesus to come in with a whip from time to time, flip over some tables, and drive out some money changers and merchants.
What are money changers doing in your mind? It is said that Faith is the Currency of Heaven. Faith has a powerful exchange rate, and the money changers are only too happy to exchange your Faith for Fear. And with the currency of fear, you can buy many things from the merchants: depression, anxiety, non-descript health problems, confusion, disorder, anger, addiction, despair, and the list goes on. What are they peddling in your temple?
Matthew 21:12-14
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
We want to see the blind and lame healed too, and we want to see mighty miracles of deliverance and salvation. In order to see this, submit to Jesus today. You are His temple, bought and paid for with the price of His blood, so invite Him in to come and cleanse it. Invite Him into the inner sanctums of your mind, into the secret chambers where no one else enters (Ezekiel 8). He inhabits the praises of His people, so praise Him as He comes to fill your house with His glory. Ask Him to drive out the money changers and the sellers of doves, and He will.
Mark 11:15-18
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
The Fear of the LORD is not the same as the fear that fills the world. When it comes to the LORD, even the devils believe, and they tremble in fear (James 2:19). As part of His cleansing process, ask Him to prevent them from carrying vessels through, from bringing vessels full of stray thoughts and temptations into your sacred space.
Luke 19:45-48
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
His sheep know Him and they know His voice (John 10:27), are you His sheep too? Allow Him to cleanse your mind today of the hustle and bustle and distraction, that you might be very attentive to hear Him.
We are His house, ask Him to be zealous for you!
John 2:13-17
13 And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
We are His house, ask Him to be zealous for you! Ask Him also to impart this same zeal to you, that you might be zealous in sanctifying your house to Him. Take the initiative to keep your inner temple clean, free of money changers, free of merchants seeking to sell lies in fear or cheapening our faith with trinkets and idols.
Here are the tools you will need to do this. This is a process, and may take days, weeks, months, or years, but it must have a beginning.
2 Tim 1:6-7
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The LORD does not give fear, unless it is of Him. The spirit of fear has to do with allowing fear of something that is not God to overwhelm you and forget how great and mighty God is. God gives us power, love, and a sound mind to overcome this. He also gives us a measure of faith, which we can grow in Him, or we can waste on something else.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We are at war, but not with people. We are at war with the unclean spirits of the world, and at war with our own selves. The most common battlefield is our own minds. Jesus will help us if we ask Him, the power He grants us is useful for casting down imaginations that distract us and taming our own thoughts. He can also lead us to make sound choices for ourselves, including seeking professional help and leading us to people who will speak love into our lives.
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is good to refresh and renew the mind. Allow Jesus to transform your mind by presenting yourself to Him, in submission, as a living sacrifice. When you give Jesus permission to renew you, He will bring to your mind things that have to go, that are in your way, that are holding you back from your true potential.
2 Corinthians 5: 17-18
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
You can’t pour new wine into old wineskins (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:21-22). The old way won’t work anymore; allow Jesus to make you new. Old habits, old grudges, old embarrassments, old bitterness, old secrets, old sins, old preconceptions, old misconceptions, old stubbornness, old pride, old lusts, old cravings, old ravings, old nightmares, old oppressions, old chains, old distractions, old rejections, old lies, old feelings, old drama, old trauma, old wounds….are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
2 Tim 1:12-14
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
Are you persuaded? Then let Him in.