Do We Still Prepare?

Verse of the day: Exodus 19:10-11 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

These verses reminded me of something that we often take for granted because we live in an age of grace. Sadly, what happens with many of us is that we take for granted the fact that in Christ we have such great freedom in coming before God’s throne of grace; as He has given us permission to come to Him with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). We do not give a second thought to our condition before we approach and engage our LORD. God was very specific with Moses about what condition the people should be in before they approach Him on His day of visitation. While God, today, is not concerned over what we wear on the outside (meaning that He will not reject a homeless person who comes to Him, or a poor person who comes to Him, if they do not have fancy clothes to wear). He still wants us to be mindful of what is in our hearts when we approach Him. Hebrews 10:22 clearly states, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” This speaks to us in respect to approaching our Heavenly Father with a clean heart, which is only possible in Christ, and having repented of the sins we harbor and hold on to. However, God also makes it clear that in those times when we are preparing to fast and pray, we must abstain even from those things which are lawful enjoyments in our Christian life. In verse 15 of this chapter Moses prohibited husbands and wives from engaging each other sexually, in preparation for their coming before God. In the New Testament, this still stands in respect to preparing for a time of fasting and prayer. The husband and wife are told in 1 Corinthians 7:1-6, that their bodies belong to one another, and that we are not to deprive one another the pleasure of a sexual relationship within the context of marriage, except that it be for a time of fasting and prayer. During that time of abstinence, a time should be set that the husband and wife come back together so that the devil is not given room to tempt either one because of a lack of self-control. The Apostle Paul did not write this as a commandment, but as a concession, or compromise in the marriage relationship in respect to preparing for a time to go before God in prayer and fasting. The bottom line is that far too many of us have lost the sense of reverence that should exist in our approach to coming before God’s throne. We come before Him with our “shopping list” of requests while we still harbor sin in our hearts. We treat God as if He was some magical genie who exists only to fulfill our every whim, without giving a second thought to the fact that our attitude towards God, and others, is less than godly. We live like the world, and speak like the world, but then come before God with “holier than thou” speech when we want something from Him. It would be good for us, God’s children, to return to that time when we were in awe about that fact that the God of creation, the God of the universe, the God who brought us salvation, has allowed us access to His throne, in Christ. Herein lays the importance of knowing the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, for us, the born again believer. When we understand who God is in the Old Testament, we have a greater understanding of just how much grace He gives us today; and this should bring us to our knees when we realize that the way we approach God today would have been punishable by death in the days of old. In verses 12 through 13, God made it very clear that anyone who crossed the bounds set by Him, whether person or animal, would pay a dear price. They would be stoned, shot through, put to death. This is the same God who has provided eternal life for us in Christ, and who is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8). Maybe we should stop and think about that before the next time we come before His throne.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).