Personal House Cleaning

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 on blessings and curses.

A. Scripture.

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me"  (Exodus 20:3-5).

"Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen"  (Deuteronomy 27:15).

"The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.  Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing"  (Deuteronomy 7:25-26).

1. You are to burn the images with fire.
2. You are not to desire the silver or gold in them or take it for it is a snare and an abomination unto the LORD.
3. You are not to bring it into your house.

a. There is a curse upon it.
b. The curse may come upon you (mentally, socially, emotionally, physically, or financially).

B. Summary.

1. When we disobey God's Law there is a curse.
2. When we disobey God's Law, we gave a place (legal right to work in your lives).  "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  Neither give place to the devil"  (Ephesians 4:26-27).
3. A open door is opening that evil spirits may work.  "He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction"  (Proverbs 17:19).

C. General Examples.

1. Books on false religions.
2. A charm received from a friend or relative.
3. Certain records, tape, CD or DVD albums.
4. Certain art objects.
5. Draws of Satan.
6. Pornography magazines and books.

A. The gold calf found in Exodus 32:1-20.  "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it"  (Exodus 32:20).

1. They were to burn it with fire.
2. They also ground it with powder.
3. The people were made to drink of which would have caused diarrhea for cleansing.

B. David commanded the idols of the Philistines be burnt with fire.  "And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire"  (I Chronicles 14:12).

C. Asa cut down his mother's idol, stamped it, and burnt it with fire.   "And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron"  (II Chronicles 15:16).

D. The practice of destroying evil items by fire was also practiced in the New Testament.  "And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver"  (Acts 19:18-19).

1. Joshua was the military leader of Israel after Moses.
2. He lead the people across the Jordan River and went into the land of Canaan, the promised land.
3. They easily conquered the fortified city of Jericho with God's help.
4. However, in the next battle at Ai, they were severely defeated.
5. This seemed strange because God had promised that he would fight for them.

WHAT HAPPENED?

1. One man, Achan, had take some of the idols that belonged to the enemy and buried them under his tent.
2. God's condition for fighting for His people, Israel, was that they would destroy all that belonged to the enemy.

We must be watchful not to bring that which belongs to the ENEMY into our homes.  There is a CURSE upon it.  It may well cause defeat in our own lives even though we are Believers.

A. GRAVEN IMAGES AND EMBLEMS:

"But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves"  (Exodus 34:13).

This could be anything used in pagan worship (books, art, music, pictures, magazines).  It would also be those things used the occult or cult in cultic worship ... Book of Mormons, false Bibles, including the mother child worship ... statues of various saints, the cross with Christ still hung on it (he is now the risen Lord!).  God also had me to remove many books about the cults and pagan religions even written by Christian authors.  Prayerfully consider the following items:

1. Signs of the zodiac.
2. The crucifix with Jesus remaining on it.
3. Statues of Mary and child used in worship.
4. Statues of other "saints" used in worship.
5. Voodoo dolls or anything used in casting spells.
6. The star of David within a circle (six points) a cult image.
7. The Crescent and Star.
8. The five pointed star (pentagram) turned upside down (used in Satan worship).
9. The horn of the unicorn, swastika, yin yang.
10. Emblems of various lodges (those who take oaths with a curse).
11. Evil books (witchcraft, false religions, false Bibles, lucid sex books, parapsychology, new age, mind control, human philosophies, etc.)
12. Stuffed (unclean animals such a frogs, owls, snakes, ...) animals.
13. Any statue, carving, or picture used as an object of worship.
14. Anything used in fortune telling (playing cards, crystal ball, witching stick, Ouija boards).
15. Books on or by the cults (Book of Mormons by Joseph Smith, New World Bible Translation, books by Mary Baker Eddy, books by Ron Hubbard)
16. Rock and Rap music.  (also see:  https://www.wholeperson-counseling.org/ndoc/strangefire.html)
17. The peace sign of the upside down cross with the limbs broken.
18. Much of what is now on TV is ungodly in nature.  More and more shows are about the ungodly supernatural (magic and witchcraft) ...   also shows that glorify divorce and remarriage or premarital relations.  (Pray and use discretion in what you watch). "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?"  (Job 31:1).

Please understand that this list is only a sample and not meant to be complete.

A.  Ask God to reveal to you that which is an abomination unto the LORD.

1. You may have knowingly or unknowingly brought something into your house.
2. You may have received a special gift from a well meaning friend.

B. Repent and renounce the evil.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land"  (II Chronicles 7:14).

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"  (I John 1:9).

C. Realize what God says about the item, remove, and destroy all ungodly items with fire.

"Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil" (Isaiah 1:16).

"And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place"  (Deuteronomy 12:3).

D. Once the house is cleansed, it is time to take authority over that which God has put into your care.

"Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them"  (Deuteronomy 1:8).

E. Demand in the name of Jesus that the enemy and all his powers are to leave.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).  "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues"  (Mark 16:17).

F. Declare that the house is off limits to the enemy.

It is a common practice to anoint the doors and windows in the name of Jesus with olive oil.  The olive oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  The oil was historically used to anoint for service.

"And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy"  (Exodus 40:9).

You may also declare the blood of Jesus over the house.

"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:7).

"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.  For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you" (Exodus 12:22-23).

The blood of the lamb was historically used to protect the house from the death angel.  Declaring the power of the blood of Jesus over your house is like asking God to put a guard at the door.

G. Replace the ungodly with that which is of God ...

1. The Bible.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

2. Scripture Plaques.

"And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates"  (Deuteronomy 11:20).

"My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:   So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck" (Proverbs 3:21-22).

3. Godly Music.

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"  (Ephesians 5:19).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord"  (Colossians 3:16).