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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

Life for Rent

*****Going along with yesterday's topics on "renting",  today-
 let's talk about when our life is for rent.***



The Bible speaks about our hearts and lives being like a house. The house really is the metaphor for life - as experts would tell you.  Going along with this metaphor, we have to address the spiritual aspects of this house.

FOR THE UNSAVED:
Simply put - you are using your spiritual house like a rental.    Things move in and things move out.  You do not make the commitment to "sell".  You would rather benefit from renting rather than be "locked in" to something permanent.  You do not see in long term, only temporary.  As long as you are happy - nothing else matters.  Unfortunately, the wear and tear on your property will become evident over time.  Entire rooms become occupied by familiar visitors, which gives you a sense of stability - but it is a false sense of security.  If you are not careful what you let occupy your rooms, certain "things" will refuse to leave:  Sin, idols, other religions - anything that separates us from God.  It's like the mucus commercial where he moves in with his luggage and soon is inviting his friends to join him!  

Listen to what the Word of God says,

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."    Matthew 12:43-45

What happens in the end?  A house not bought, redeemed, remodeled, and rejuvenated by Christ is doomed to be condemned.

Renting always costs you much more over time than buying. 

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."

FOR THE REDEEMED:
If you have been saved; accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by admitting you are a sinner, confessing your need for God, and believing in Him and on His name - then YOU are the house for His Spirit.  

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? "  1 Corinthians 6:19   When you become saved, you receive the Spirit of God into your life.

Salvation takes you from being a renter to being sold!  

The rest of 1 Cor. 6:19 and into verse 20 tells us what has happened;

"You have been purchased!  You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

How did God purchase us?

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." 1 Peter 1:18-20 NIV

GOING FROM RENTED TO SOLD:
Most people (when we're talking about real estate) dream of owning their own house.  I would say the majority of people you would ask would say that they want to own.  For some, renting is all that they can afford.  They can't come up with a deposit or because they have been unwise with their money - they don't have the good credit they need to purchase. 

Thank the Lord that in the Spiritual this is not the case. 

We are in the process of selling our home right now and I can tell you that the waiting process is not easy.  First, we had to get the house ready to sell - which was a feat in itself.  But, this is not the case in the spiritual.  We don't have to be a certain way in order for God to accept us.  We just get sold "as is". 

Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."    That's right.  He already paid the deed before we were even ready to sell!


Back to our story of selling our home: We have to sell our house in order to purchase our new home.  We have a buyer, but our buyer needs a buyer... like a domino effect.  Could you imagine if we simply said, "We want to sell our house" - and instantly someone handed us a check for the amount in full and said, "OK- SOLD!" ?   It would be a miracle... unbelievable... but in the Spiritual realm - that is exactly what happens.  The price has already been paid... all we have do to is ask. 

If You are Already Sold:
Contrary to popular belief - a house won't stay clean unless you keep it clean! There are many rooms in our hearts.  Even as a Christian, you must be careful not to give occupancy to anything sinful.  Why? Because God does not dwell where there is sin. 

It's important to regularly maintain your spiritual life: washing it with the water of the word, protecting it from intruders, touching up the places that tend to wear easily and get a bit rusty, etc. etc.

I remember when we bought our current house and started working on improving it.  Neighbors would come by and tell us how nice they thought it looked.  We refinished the entire inside from ceiling to floor - it was a completely different house.   Honestly - it's always a continuing process.

That's the same transformation our lives should have when we decide to sell to God.  A house owned by God and well maintained is not only good advertisement for the Kingdom of God, but it's an eternal estate!   We continue to be transformed by His power and it will be a continuing process!

So I will ask you... are you rented or sold?





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