Now when Asa heard these words and the [fn]prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD which was in front of the porch of the LORD.
As I prayed the Lord convicted me. I saw that Asa did three things.
- Took courage
- Removed
- Restored
I imagine that as Asa was busy running the kingdom, the day in and day out got pretty routine. He probably dealt with what was in his face (which more than likely would keep him busy constantly!) and maybe even had a get-through-the-day mentality. If so, I can relate. But I also know that that mentality does not line up with the life God has planned for His people.
First, Asa took courage.
It takes courage to look for weakness in your "kingdom". I'd rather not see the things that aren't good- because then I have to make the choice to either deal with it or not. If I don't, I feel guilty and if I do, it's hard! (And who likes hard?)
Second, he removed. Honestly? Maybe the hardest part. I am challenged to be very careful what I allow in my "kingdom" to begin with! But, once I see that something is there that shouldn't be, I need to remove it immediately. It can be pride, selfishness, disobedience, bad habits. It can also be music, television, video games, harmful friendships....
Third, he restored. Another word for that is repaired. After I remove something, I usually see that something else needs repair. The removal may leave a big hole. Harmful things that need to be removed usually cause damage. And what did he restore? The altar of the Lord. He went back to what was important and the only thing that could actually restore him and his kingdom!
I have so much to learn. Life gets busy and routine, but the enemy doesn't ever let up. He tries to get in and destroy...and often does is subtly. I need to take courage, remove, and restore.
this is SO GOOD!
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