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The War for Our Affection: Understanding God's Zeal for His Temple

In Ezekiel chapter 8, we witness a powerful vision where God shows the prophet the detestable sins happening within His temple. From the waist down, God appeared as a burning flame, and from the waist up, like gleaming amber. This same God who showed such zeal for His physical temple now has that same passionate concern for us - because we are His temple today.

We Are God's Temple

The foundation of understanding God's heart begins with recognizing our identity. First Corinthians 6:19-20 makes it clear: "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? And you are not your own. For you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

We are made up of three parts - spirit, soul, and body. Just as the physical temple had different sections (the outer courts, the holy place, and the most holy place), our bodies represent the outer courts, our soul (mind, will, emotions) represents the holy place, and our spirit represents the most holy place where God's presence dwells.

Why Does God Have Such Zeal for Us?

Unlike the stationary temple of Solomon, we are more like the tabernacle that traveled with Moses and Joshua. We are moving temples, carrying God's presence wherever we go. This is why the enemy targets us so intensely - because we are carriers of God's glory, and he doesn't want that presence spreading to others.

The same zeal God showed in Ezekiel 8 when He was grieved by the idolatry in His temple, He now shows for our bodies. When Jesus cleansed the temple in John 2:13-17, driving out the money changers, His disciples remembered the scripture: "Zeal for your house has eaten me up." This same zeal burns for us today.

What Jesus Accomplished That the Priests Never Could

The priests in the Old Testament temple could never finish their work. They continually offered sacrifices that could only cover sins temporarily. But Jesus finished the work outside the temple on the cross. The priests entered with another's blood, but Jesus entered eternity with His own blood. Inside the temple, sins were covered, but outside the temple, Jesus made them forgiven forever.

When Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again," He was speaking of His body. His resurrection demonstrates God's zeal not just for His own temple, but for ours as well.

How Should We Respond to God's Affection?

Romans 12:1 gives us the proper response: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Our response should match His sacrifice. He gave everything for us - shouldn't we give everything back to Him? This isn't about perfection, but about surrender. As Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

This surrender must happen daily. Paul said he died to self every day. It's a continuous choice to set our affections on Him rather than on the things of this world.

Understanding Satan's Strategy Against God's Temple

In Luke 4:13, after tempting Jesus, Satan "departed from him until an opportune time." When he couldn't defeat Jesus directly, he moved to Plan B - attacking us, God's temples.

Satan recognizes that we are the spots where God's glory can shine through. He aims to attack our temple through:

 

  • Addictions
  • Strife and bitterness
  • Anger
  • Sickness and disease
  • Compromise and distraction

 

When We Carry His Presence, Darkness Must Flee

When we truly carry God's presence, demons recognize it and cannot overcome it. In Mark chapter 1, when Jesus entered the synagogue, a demon-possessed man cried out, "What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"

The same thing happens when we walk in His glory. Darkness cannot silence the light within us. Every attack becomes an opportunity to reveal God's presence. The enemy can only take ground through deception and lies.

Our Defense Against Spiritual Attack

Prayer is Our Primary Defense

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Even Peter, who boldly declared he would never deny Jesus, fell when he wasn't prepared through prayer.

When we get into the prayer closet, we fall in love with God. The closer we get to His heart, the more of Him we desire, and this compels us to withstand in our spiritual fight.

Faith and God's Word

We must fight by faith, using the Word of God as our weapon. When Satan tempted Jesus, He responded with Scripture each time. James 4:7 tells us, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

We get what we fight for, not simply what is promised. The Bible contains many promises, but we must actively engage our faith to see them manifest in our lives.

Life Application

This week, examine what has your affection. God desires that our hearts not be given to other gods or idols - even good things that might take His place in our lives. Ask yourself: What am I setting my affections on besides God?

Make a commitment to daily surrender. Present your body as a living sacrifice, recognizing that you are God's temple. When temptation comes, remember that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Establish a consistent prayer life. This is your primary defense against the enemy's attacks on God's temple - your life. In prayer, you fall in love with God and receive the strength to withstand spiritual battles.

Questions for Reflection:

 

  • What things in my life might be competing for the affection that belongs to God alone?
  • Am I daily presenting my body as a living sacrifice, or am I holding back areas of my life from His lordship?
  • How consistent is my prayer life, and how can I strengthen this primary defense against spiritual attack?
  • When I face temptation or spiritual warfare, do I immediately turn to God's Word and prayer, or do I try to handle it in my own strength?