Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 1: “Dedication”

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Today officially marks Day 1 of Hanukkah. Today we will be lighting the second candle - or again - if you don’t have a menorah - any candle will do - or you can just reflect. But if you are lighting a candle - have it ready for the end of today’s devotion.

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Hanukkah takes place every year beginning on the 25th day of Kislev - the name of a month in Hebrew - on the Jewish calendar, which coincides the Christmas season - sometimes aligning with it, sometimes occurring a couple weeks before. This date is something to take note of as we go through today’s devotion:

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Antiochus departed to attack the Egyptians, apparently never considering the possibility of armed resistance from the long-sedate Jews. By 167 BC, when a full-scale revolt erupted in Judea, it had been more than 400 years since an organized Jewish army had taken up arms against an enemy. Antiochus sent his forces into the unfamiliar Judean hill country to finish the task of Hellenization. An officer named Apelles led a patrol into the village of Modein (where the Maccabees lived) and ordered the patriarch, Mattathias, to blasphemously sacrifice a pig to their gods, which Jews regard as an unclean creature. When Mattathias refused to comply, another Jew offered to perform the sacrilege, whereupon the aged holy man whipped out a dagger and killed both the Jewish traitor and Apelles. Idolatry was inconceivable to these faithful Jewish men. They revered God too much.

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The reign of Antiochus Ephiphanes brought much destruction to the Jewish people and their religion. As mentioned before, he defiled the temple, forbade circumcision, and even set up altars to his gods. Many Jews went along with the changes, being seduced by the Hellenistic culture and its false comforts and pleasures. However, there remained a faithful remnant. The extreme measure taken by Antiochus actually helped unite the faithful Jews who remained.

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As we continue to unpack this story - lets fast forward to the end for a moment - to victory. Don’t worry, we’ll continue to fill in the story as we go. But since this is the first day for lighting candles, it’s good we understand “why” we light them to begin with.

 

Following one of their victories many years later, the Maccabees eventually made their way back to Jerusalem. What they found reduced many of them to tears. Perhaps it’s best that I read to you out of 1 Maccabees 4:36-60.

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At that time Judas and his brothers said, “Look, our enemies have been crushed. Let’s go up to cleanse and rededicate the sanctuary.” All the army gathered together and went up to Mount Zion. They found the sanctuary deserted, the altar treated with disrespect, and the gates burned. In the courts, bushes had sprung up like in an open field or on one of the mountains. They saw that the priests’ chambers were in ruins as well. So they tore their clothes and mourned with great sorrow. They sprinkled their heads with ashes and fell facedown on the ground. When the trumpets sounded a signal, they cried out to heaven.

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Then Judas chose some soldiers to fight against those stationed in the elevated fortress until he completed cleansing the sanctuary. He selected priests who were blameless and devoted to the Law. They cleansed the sanctuary and took the polluted stones to a ritually unclean place. They discussed what to do about the altar for entirely burned offerings, since it had been polluted. They decided it was best to tear it down so that it wouldn’t be a lasting shameful reminder to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar. They stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple mount until a prophet should arise who could say what to do with them. They then took unfinished stones, in keeping with the Law, and built a new altar like the former one. They also restored the sanctuary and the temple interior, and dedicated the courtyards. They fashioned new holy equipment and brought the lamp- stand, the incense altar, and the table into the temple. Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lamp-stand, which illuminated the temple. They placed bread on the table and hung curtains. Finally, they completed all the work that they had started.

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They rose early in the morning of the 25th day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. It was the year 148. They offered sacrifice, following the Law, on the new altar for entirely burned offerings that they had made. In the very season, on the exact day that the Gentiles had polluted it, it was dedicated with songs, harps, lutes, and cymbals. All the people bowed to the ground and worshipped and blessed heaven, which had given them success. So they celebrated the rededication of the altar for eight days and joyfully made entirely burned offerings. They offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. They decorated the front of the temple with gold crowns and small shields. They restored the gates and the priests’ chambers, furnishing them with doors. The people were extremely glad, and the disgrace the Gentiles brought was lifted.

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Then Judas, with his brothers and all the assembly of Israel, laid down a law that every year at that season the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and happiness for eight days, beginning with the 25th day of Kislev. At that same time the Israelites built high walls and strong towers all around Mount Zion so that the Gentiles did not come and trample them as they had done previously.

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One legend says that when they were cleansing the temple, they found one jar of consecrated oil to light the “eternal flame” of the menorah, enough for one days worth of light - only the oil lasted 8 days not one, allowing enough time for the consecrated oil to be reproduced. True or not, it is now customary to light one candle a day for the menorah to celebrate the rededication of the temple of God.

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Take a moment now and light your shammash, then use the shammash to light the candle furthest to the right, and now the second one, next to it. Reflect on your own temple. Where have we have defiled or deceived our own hearts - the holy place where Christ resides within us? Where have the weeds come up? Is your light a bright and burning flame, a small flicker or has it gone out?

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The enemy has deceived many of us - by stalling or restricting the sacred within. Use Hanukkah as a time to take back the ground the enemy has stolen from you and begin a cleaning of your own temple. Repent of where you have misaligned priorities, or neglected your relationship with Him. Ask for His forgiveness. Today - Recommit to a life of holiness and obedience. Let Him direct you by His Spirit...and then finish by rejoicing and praising Him for your new beginning.

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God Bless You Today.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 2 - “Choose Today Whom You Will Serve”

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Today - prepare to light the third candle.

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There is no middle ground with God. You are either for him or against him. The Jewish people were faced with this decision when Antiochus swept through Israel forbidding them, upon penalty of death, from living a life committed to the God of Israel - YHWH. Jewish festivals ceased. The Sabbath ceased. Daily sacrifices ceased. Having a copy of the Torah - forbidden. Everything changed for the holy people of God. The enemy was working to remove the image of God not only in their land, but in their entire identity.

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Many Israelites fell into compromise, either out of fear or perhaps complacency. They chose the Greek culture, often took Greek names, studied Greek literature and philosophy, and participated in Greek games - many times of which - were performed in the nude. They became known as Hellenized Jews. Those who did not conform to the Hellenized culture were brutally murdered or tortured.

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In the meantime however, in the mountains, Matthias Maccabee were busy - he and his men attacked Syrian outposts, destroyed the foreign idols, and their altars, and made sure to reinstate Jewish customs within their isolated group, such as having Jewish infant boys circumcised. Matthias also died that year but not before entrusting his son Judah with the leadership of the army. The name Maccabee means “hammer” - Judah became known as "Judah the Hammer.” Under his leadership, their army grew. And thankfully so, for they were tested in battle by the Syrians as they faced overwhelming odds when they confronted armies 13 x their size. But over time, Judah Maccabee and his men became seasoned warriors.

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Life as we know it - has changed. A calculated effort is being made to influence society to think and behave the same way on many different cultural and critical issues facing us today. For Christians, we will feel the squeeze more than most. Like the Jews during the time of Antiochus, the image of God within us, through His Son Jesus and the indwelling presence of His Spirt, is under attack. Ever so slowly, and systematically, we are becoming the enemy of culture. We are being tested in battle right now - with a secular movement that feels 13x our size. What is our response to be? What are we willing to lose to maintain our identity in Christ? Is the church uniting and growing in number to stand against the profane surrounding us? Where are the righteous leaders, shepherds, taking a stand for the Lord? Where have we conformed in order to fit in, stay relevant, or maintain self-importance? Aren’t we to be living a crucified life to Christ?

 

Take a moment now to light the Shammash, and then proceed to the light the three candles furthest to the right on your menorah - or just light any candle you have. What lies are you believing - about yourself? Culture? About your faith...Christianity? Do you really think that the “God who Sees” - El Roi - does not see what is taking place? Do we not think He has reserved His remnant who will stand with Him? Will you be part of that remnant?

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"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him." 2 Chronicles 16:9. He was strong to the Loyal Maccabees. Is you heart Loyal to Him? Are you faithfully following His word - which is His truth? Do you know what His word says about such times in which we find ourselves living? What do you know about Him through His word?

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Today, pray and ask the Holy Spirit of Truth to reveal truth to you, and as you do, pray and ask Him to help you see the truth - in scripture. Let this be a season of rededication to the faithful study of the Word of God.

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God Bless You.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 3 - “Strengthen Us By Your Spirit”

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Today we will be lighting the fourth candle.

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Judah would have to make do with modified farm implements until up-to- date weapons could be captured. If early battles could be won, he reasoned, the enemies’ swords, armor, catapults, spears, javelins, bows, slings, shields, and battering rams would be a windfall. Until then, Judah realized, he would have to move carefully and slowly. And that’s what he did.

 

He had his steadily growing forces ambush and annihilate Seleucid patrols, amassing a new arsenal in the process. He also spent a great deal of time with his lieutenants, formulating unconventional tactics for which his dogmatic opponents would be unprepared. The Maccabees’ hit-and-run tactics increased their fighting strength and kept the Seleucids befuddled, off balance, and generally in retreat. Slowly but surely, the surrounding countryside came under Jewish control. The Syrian garrison in Jerusalem found itself isolated and in danger of being overwhelmed or simply starved into submission. When word of the grave situation reached Antiochus’s trusted general, Apollonius, at his headquarters in neighboring Samaria, he moved to intervene.

 

What an important takeaway for us to ponder today. Coming up with a strategy to take back ground. When Alexander the great conquered much of the then known world by the age of 33, including the land of Israel, he was known as a ruthless soldier - but also a “wise” diplomat. He understood that in order to create a united Kingdom he would have to instill a universal culture: people that spoke the same language, learned the same philosophies, experienced the same pleasures, and worshipped the same gods. This is where the term Hellenization came in. Are we not beginning to see that same pattern unfold today?

 

We are in a battle my friends, in which we must move carefully, thoughtfully, and strategically. The battle we are up against is spiritual in nature, therefore we need wisdom, knowledge, understanding and great discernment from above - in order to maneuver in this unfamiliar territory.

 

The same spirit that was at work then, is still at work today as we are all strongly influenced to move to a universal, global mindset. The ultimate showdown at the end of the age will involve another figure like Antiochus, only this time it will be the antichrist. He too will try to exercise his strength and power against the Living God, to conform society to a new way of living - in subjection to him. However, scripture comforts us by revealing... that he will not prevail. It will be time of tremendous intensity though and pressure for the saints of God to hold fast...and steady.... as Satan and his unholy alliance between the antichrist and the false prophet will deceive the world with power, signs and lying wonders. It's no surprise then that Jesus himself said in Luke 18:8, "nevertheless when the son of man comes, will he find faith on the Earth?” Will Jesus still find faithful ones when He returns for us one day - after such pressure? The birth pains always come before the birth - will we be able to endure the birth pains?

 

Judah was patient. He worked thoughtfully, and patiently - but reverently towards His God. When was the last time you prayed for God to give you the strategies of heaven? We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood but with principalities, and power, and rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. We are in warfare - spiritual warfare! Our prayers need to ramp up, as does our study of the word of God. Now more than ever we need to make sure we have the mind of Christ - the Word Himself.

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Is your faith strong enough for such a time as this? Can we not see the move to secular humanism, marxism, and communism - on a global scale - a move to a one world dictator and a one world order?

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Take a moment to light your next candle...begin of course with the Shammash - the middle one and light the four to the right of the shammash. Take some time for silence. Reflect on where you are in your steadfastness to Christ. What is your active role in this spiritual war? Take a true evaluation of your faith. Then pray. Ask for wisdom, knowledge, understanding and great discernment to discern the realities of what is happening all around us. Pray to re-dedicate your life to Christ in the way of courage, honor, truth, boldness, and strength. Ask Him to strengthen you with all of the power that comes from His glorious might - for all patience and long-suffering - with JOY...knowing that in the end He reigns as Victor - Victorious over it all.

 

God Bless You.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 4 - “Refinement”

 

Today we will be lighting the fifth candle.

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It was the first, and probably one of the last rebellions in history when the Jews defeated an empire in the Holy Land. The Maccabees is a story of courage, ambition and a lot of Jewish Hoop-spa.

 

On the outskirts of the modern day city of Modein, a village was discovered during a building project to expand the city. The excavations revealed something amazing - a Jewish village - from the time of the Maccabees. And in this Jewish village they found a number of things...they found a Main Street - and a number of other streets going out to homes. They discovered water pits, wine presses, and, the most amazing discovery of all...a synagogue, known to be one of the most ancient synagogues discovered from the ancient world - from the time of the Hasmoneans - the time of the Maccabees...so it could very well be a synagogue in which the family attended.

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The eighth and final battle between the Maccabees and the Seleucid forces took place at 160 BC at Elasa. It saw the death of Maccabees leader, Judah but also the inevitable victory of the Maccabees. After the successful revolt the Hasmonean dynasty, a dynasty of ancient Judaea, (descendants of the Maccabee family), ruled the country for 80 years. It was the last Jewish controlled regime in the region until the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

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The Maccabees is a fascinating book telling of their revolt against evil and portrays some of the most iconic figures in the history of the Jewish people. Never forget, God will use any instrument he wants to fulfill his plans and purposes on the earth. When Israel remained stubborn and prideful towards God when Jeremiah was prophesying “repent and return to the Lord” - who prophesied for 40 years mind you - God ultimately sent in Nebuchadnezzar...whom He called His instrument of judgment. In Acts 4 it is written that God appointed Herod, and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles and the people of Israel to “do” whatever His hand and purpose determined beforehand. God is always in control.

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God may use kings, nations, family members...or...maybe even your own family as His instruments for righteousness - like He did the Maccabees. Are you ready for that? If He sets His gaze upon you, will you recognize it? Are you prepared for it? If that time comes, are you committed enough to your faith to choose Him, stand for Him, lay down your own life for Him?

 

Trials and tribulations provide an opportunity to bring out the best in us... or the worst in us. They have the tendency to reveal our faithfulness to God. Do we really believe He will help us? Do we really believe that now? When push comes to shove, whose side will we really be on? Are you for Him or against Him? If you are for Him...are you prepared for the what it might cost you?

 

“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God." ~ Luke 12:8

 

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it....So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." ~ Luke 14:28, 33. Do you have enough in you to finish your race of faith well?

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It is time now to light your fifth candle. Use the Shammash to light the first candle to the left of the shammash. Pray and ask God to use you...either as His instrument of righteousness, OR to be refined by another instrument of His choosing. Dedicate yourself to Him, and His process of refinement - a process that the silversmith would apply to metal until it reached the point where he could see his own reflection in the product.

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That’s the goal. Being conformed into the image of Christ. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-8

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God Bless You.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 5 - “Overcome to Victory”

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Today we will be lighting the sixth candle.

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For eight days we celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights in honor of a 2,000-year-old miracle in which light won out over darkness. Unlike Christmas stories which are filled with hope, generosity and those warm- fuzzy feelings, the story of Hanukkah is a story of warfare and overcoming great odds.

 

Stories change lives; stories challenge; stories inspire. Stories are an important part of every culture. They capture the deepest parts of our hearts as we connect with the characters. The story of Hanukkah is no different. Imagine that story being retold among God’s people as they sat around tribal fires at night. How it passed on from one generation to the next - inspiring faith and courage to do the right thing. It’s a story that “needs” to be told every year to serve as a reminder of how God’s people, with God’s help, can overcome to victory!

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Hanukkah was a defining moment in the life and history of God’s people. The Maccabees changed the course of an entire nation because they determined that Yahweh was more important than anything else. A remnant stood in the face of evil and kept the faith. They kept their loyalty. And in doing so, exalted His Name all the more by proving to the ancient world that the God of Israel is the one true God.

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Hellenized Jews then, are in a way, not much different than some Christians today. Those Jews embraced Alexander the Great's attempts at creating a “universal culture.” Many Christians today are being lured into the same mindset - giving us all the more reason to take a step back during this season to examine our faith.

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According to Barna research (a well know Christian researcher on faith in America) from a survey done within the last 2 years: only 6% of adult Americans (Christians) hold to a biblical worldview, while the remaining 94% are embracing “a mixture” (7 in particular): Biblical theism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (all you have to be is a good person / feel good Christianity), Secular Humanism (man is the measure of all things - it glorifies our intellect, reasoning, philosophy, science), Neilism (a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless), Marxism (deceives - no class system, everyone working toward common good...only its result is communism), Dualism (the idea that there are two equal powers — good and evil — in competition with one another. No one is equal to the Lord) and then lastly, New Age (alternative approaches to western culture: spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism). It’s a mixture. Having just enough knowledge of Christianity to quote some verses, while dabbling in all the rest at the same time. Never forget...Satan always uses a mixture.

 

This isn’t the time to be idle in our faith. If we want any hope in changing the course of this nation - to the glory of God - we need to figure out what story we want to leave behind for the next generation. How are we demonstrating our loyalty and faithfulness for Jesus? What story are you sharing about His faithfulness to your children, grandchildren, friends? It’s been 2200 years since the story of the Maccabees was first told, and we’re sitting here today still talking about Mattathias Maccabee and "Judah the Hammer” his son - once a year at Hanukkah.

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The book of Proverbs says, “He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” - Prov. 10:5. This is a message for us. This is no time to be sleeping on the job. We are living at a time where the fields are white for the harvest. People everywhere are looking for answers, they’re looking for hope. As you get clear about how to rededicate your life, listen for the practical places God is inviting you into obedience to take action!

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So now, light your sixth candle....think about your faithfulness to your Savior Jesus. Is He your everything? Is His Word your standard for living? Do you long to meet with Him each day? Are you living from a Biblical worldview or are you embracing the mixture? Take time in reflection and prayer and rededicate yourself to faithfulness. He purchased you for Himself through His death and resurrection. No only else paid for your release from the kingdom of darkness - but Him. Truly consider the great lengths He has gone for you during this time of reflection.

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God Bless You Today.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 6 - “Truth Revealed”

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Prepare to light your seventh candle.

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Last May, 2022, a rare discovery was made in the Judean Desert in Israel: A wooden box containing 15 silver coins, buried in a cave near Israel's Dead Sea some 2,200 years ago, was discovered during excavations in the Judean Desert. The Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) said the box contained a layer of soil hiding a purple woolen cloth that covered the coins placed in its lower part. The coins have been identified as silver tetradrachms (large silver coins originating in ancient Greece) minted between 176 and 170 BC, under Ptolemy VI, king of Egypt. His uncle, Antiochos IV Epiphanes reigned at that time over the Seleucid Empire, which, as we’ve learned, dominated the land of Israel. One of the coins is engraved with the name "Shalmai" in Aramaic script.

 

Shalmai means: “Yah (or Yahweh) Envelops” or “Yah (Yahweh) Is Recompenser”, “Peace Offering Of The Lord”. So many scholars just say “‘peace.” There’s only one man named Shalmai in the Bible. Both Ezra and Nehemiah mention him as the head of a family of Nethinim (temple servants) of which an untold number of members returned from the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:46, Nehemiah 7:48).

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According to the researchers, the man who had fled to the cave with his treasure was obviously, planning to return. The value of the coins would be equivalent to around 30,000 shekels ($8,700) today. It is likely that he was killed during a battle against the Seleucid Greeks.

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After thorough research, archaeologists determine it is the first archaeological evidence that the caves of the Judean Desert were used as a refuge and rear base by Jewish rebels during the Maccabean revolt. Add to that, research carried out over the past six years in the Judean Desert has yielded thousands of archaeological finds which have been preserved from destruction and looting.

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Never underestimate the reality that God will always have the final say in all things. Since 1948 when Israel was reestablished as a state - after being exiled from there for 2000 years, more archaeological discoveries have been unearthed proving the Bible true, astonishing archaeologists worldwide. If you go to Israel today you will see digs taking place everywhere. God is revealing to the world that His Story is True!

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Take a moment and light the seventh candle. Where are you struggling with doubt about who God is?

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 7 - “Jesus and the Father Are One”

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Today we light the eighth candle.

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Jesus walked into the temple on the Feast of Dedication - Hanukkah, and made a startling declaration: “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). He declared to the Jewish people that He and God the Father were of the same nature. He was saying that He is equal to God in all respects. The multitude was taken aback and wanted to stone Him. The Jewish people considered it blasphemy for anyone to declare himself to be God. Keep in mind, only a couple hundred years had passed since the Maccabean revolt - when someone else claimed to be “god manifest” - Antiochus Epiphanes.

 

But it was also what Jesus was saying to them prior to that statement that alarmed the Jewish religious men, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

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To follow Jesus is no small thing. He says in Luke 9, if anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Where did Jesus take His cross? To His death. To truly follow Christ is to carry our cross to our crucifixion. To die to self. Paul says," I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!" (Gal. 2) Paul later says in Galatians that he is also crucified to the world, and the world is to him. Paul disentangled himself from everything to follow and serve His Lord.

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The Maccabees loved not their life unto death. They were prepared to lay it down for the God of Israel. Jesus and the God of Israel are one. Are we prepared to lay our lives down for Him?

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Take a moment and light the eighth and last candle. Is your life crucified to Christ’s? Do you choose to follow Him daily, take up your cross, and die to self - selfish ambitions, self-glorification, self-importance, selfish gain? Where do you need to disentangle from the world? What still needs to go on the cross for you to experience full surrender?

 

God Bless You Today.

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Preparing Ourselves for Christmas Through Hanukkah

Day 8 - “Let Your Light Shine”

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The last day of Hanukkah has arrived.

The Festival of Lights to me is celebrating the light of Jesus. Just as the middle candle on the
Hanukkah Menorah - the Shammash - is used to light the other eight, so too is Yeshua / Jesus.

He is the light of men, a consuming fire, who has “lit” us in order that we become “supernatural
lights” to the world! In other words - YOU are the menorah.

In the first chapter of the gospel of John it says that ‘In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the
light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Through Christ “in you”, you are now able to bring His light wherever there is darkness.
Hanukkah is a story about finding faith in dark times. It is a time to examine ourselves to make
sure that nothing is hindering the light of Christ within us - so make Hanukkah a season of
reminder to rededicate yourself to the rekindling of Christ’s light within you.

Do not quench the Holy Spirit inside of you for it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the
Father. When you allow the Holy Spirit to work unhindered in your life, the anointing of Christ
working within you can do miraculous things. The word Messiah itself means “Anointed One.”
So, whether you say Yeshua HaMashiach from the Hebrew (Yeshua meaning “Salvation” and
HaMashiach meaning "Messiah", the "Anointed One"), or you say Jesus Christ from the Greek
(Christ or Cristos, meaning the "Anointed One")...be filled with the anointing of Messiah / Cristos /
Christ - the Anointed One Himself.

Just as Hanukkah became a celebration of cleansing and rededicating the Holy Jewish Temple
back to God, Christians can also use this as a time to do the same to our own temples: "Do you
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and
that you are not your own?" 1 Cor. 6:19. After this week of reflection may you enter in to a new
season committed to using your temple in such a way that magnifies and glorifies our Lord
Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father.

As Paul encourages believers in Romans 12:1, “By the mercies of God... present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Be a holy offering to
the Lord every day - and don’t forget to tend to your lamp stand. An oil lamp goes out when the
oil is empty. A flashlight grows dim when the battery loses its charge.

Tend to your lamp stand. Trim your wick (set your life in order) to ensure the brightest flame,
and then keep your lamp stand (temple) filled with consecrated oil (the Holy Spirit). Every day
ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any hinderances to your walk with Christ,
blockages that prevent your light from giving the brightest flame. Ask Him to fill you to the full
every day so that you are prepared for all that God has for you. Unlike the Maccabees, when
legend says there was only enough oil for one days worth of light, as believers, when we tend to
our life with Christ, we never have to worry about not having enough oil to make it to the end of
all things.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16)!

Just as the God of Israel was on full display through the Maccabees, our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ should be on full display through all believers. People are looking for light in the darkness.
They are looking for hope in dark times. Be prepared to give them an answer for the hope that is
within you.

Scripture tells us that from the rising of the sun to its going down, the name of the Lord is to be
praised. As you enter into a new season - with a cleansed and rededicated temple - remember to

praise the name of Jesus from the rising of the sun to its going down. Declare His glory among
the nations and His wonders among the people. Declare daily how wonderful your Savior is.
Psalm 47 says to “clap for the Lord” and to shout to Him with a voice of triumph! For He is the
great King over all the earth and that the shields of the earth belong to Him - He is our defense!

Go now as out His light into darkness, for His light shines in the darkness and the darkness
cannot comprehend it. The darkness cannot seize it. The darkness cannot snatch it away. And
may His anointing be with you, the fragrance of the knowledge of God diffused through you
everywhere you go.

May the blessing, favor, love, and kindness of Almighty God the Father, and His Son Jesus
Christ be with you now and every day.

Thank you for joining us. God Bless You.