Scripture:
The king removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the pole to dust and threw the dust in the public cemetery. 2 Kings 23:6
Observation:
King Josiah, motivated by obedience to the Scriptures and devotion to the Lord, started a purging process to bring wholeness to Jerusalem and Judah. He paid special attention to the Temple of the Lord, where years of neglect and disobedience allowed pagan practices, even a detestable Asherah pole to be used in pagan worship inside the temple. Josiah took any trace of idol worship, removed it from the land, and took it to the dump, the Kidron Valley, to be destroyed.
Application:
Josiah reveals to us a pattern to be followed when we discover that there’s junk in our lives. Whether is intentionally or unintentionally, the residue of our flesh, compulsions, sinful habits, poor skills, and slave mentality will cause us to allow junk in our hearts. If we are not careful, or if we neglect regular trips to the dump, we will end up clogging our heart with junk that we don’t need and that God doesn’t want in our hearts. As we prepare for a new season, it’s important to ask the Lord to reveal His Word to us and to show us any trace of idol worship, thoughts of the flesh, selfish ambition, sinful habits, fears, compulsions, poor skills, and any other unholy thing that he doesn’t want in our lives. We need to take regular trips to the dump to place all our junk under the blood of Jesus. We need to allow His power to destroy anything that doesn’t bring honor to His name, and we need to continue growing from glory to glory according to His image.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, during this season I need to clean house and get rid of all the junk that has perverted the good purposes you have placed in my heart. Please make me aware of the junk that clogs my heart and that needs to be taken to the dump. I want to be whole, and I need to be covered under the precious blood of Jesus. Amen!
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