Tues.’s Devo -Cleanse Your Church

Read: Zechariah 8-14
Zechariah eight is God’s promise to one day bring life and prosperity to Jerusalem. God will turn their curse to a blessing. He gave them this commandment: speak the truth to everyone, be truthful in all your judgments and bring peace to your inhabitants. He summed it up with saying love the truth and love peace. Then, all will see that God is with them.
In Zechariah nine, God attacks Israel’s enemies with curses. He tells Israel to greatly rejoice for their King is coming. He will be just and bring salvation. He will be lowly, riding on a donkey. (Of course he was speaking of Jesus first appearance.) His renown will cover the earth
In Chapter ten, God tells us to ask for rain in the time of the latter rain and God will give it. We are living in the day of the latter rain and we need to be asking God to rain down his Spirit on us. Then the prophet will not be able to prophesy lies. God is against false prophets and shepherds who don’t keep watch over their sheep. I think we are at the place of verse eleven. We are passing through the sea of affliction and the storms of the seas and the deeps of the river and God is strengthening us so that we can do anything in his name.
Chapter eleven is an allegory showing what was going on at the time. The elders who should have been the moral and spiritual leaders were actually fleecing the sheep. The branch named Beauty stood for the privileged and the one called Bands stood for the poor. The rich of Jesus day rejected him so he went to the poor who accepted him. The prophet who wanted to be paid for his prophecy was incensed by how little they paid him so he threw the thirty pieces on the floor of the potter. He stood for Judas who betrayed Jesus for such a little amount and it cost him his life.
We are witnessing chapter twelve in our day. Jerusalem is the church and she will rise up and defeat her enemies. Everyone will rise up against us but the weakest of us will become like David. Great repentance will fall. Chapter thirteen continues speaking of this revival. Cleansing and humility will come to the church. We who have come through the fire will come out shining like gold.
Chapter fourteen is the coming of the Lord! God’s holiness will be upon the earth.
Show us today what our part is in Your story.