1 Kings 8:27 KJV But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
Luke 19:5-7 KJV And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. [6] And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it , they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
If the Lord Jesus told you that he was going to be staying with you in your house, what preparations would you make concerning his visitation?
Surely those that cared would do all they could to make the house pleasing in the sight of the Lord; removing anything that he would find offensive, making clean what was dirty. The same would be true in respect of how that person conducted themself in his company. In the presence of the Lord what wouldn't that person do?
Isaiah 1:16 KJV Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
James 4:8 KJV Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
A Christian is the house of the Lord, his temple, and we should always strive to ensure we honour his holy temple. The temple is to be used in serving the Lord not sin. In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the behaviour of the church by asking them the rhetoric, Know ye not that ye are the temple of God? Knowing we are the temple of God should surely effect the manner in which we live.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? [17] If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 KJV And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
1 Corinthians 6:13 KJV Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
Leviticus 26:12 KJV And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
His house, is a house of prayer but prayers can be hindered.
1 Peter 3:7 KJV Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
James 4:2-3 KJV Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. [3] Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Isaiah 66:2 KJV For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord : but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Matthew 9:13 KJV But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 18:13-14 KJV And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Acts 8:21-22 KJV Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. [22] Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
2 Timothy 2:22 KJV Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Proverbs 4:23 KJV Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
1 Chronicles 29:9 KJV Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord : and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
If God is not served joyfully from the heart then how can he take pleasure in it? Would you have pleasure in someone giving you a gift if you knew that they truly didn't want to give it to you?
2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
And from the heart comes prayer. In Luke 6:12 Jesus prayed all night; why did the Lord do that? What came from all those hours of prayer?
Luke 6:12 KJV And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Matthew 14:23 KJV And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Luke 5:16 KJV And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Matthew 6:6 KJV But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Luke 9:18 KJV And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
Mark 1:35 KJV And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
In Philippians we are told to pray about everything which is echoed in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. God wants us to pray, it is his delight to hear the prayer of the righteous. Likewise we are called to delight ourselves in him.
Philippians 4:6-7 KJV Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV Pray without ceasing.
Proverbs 15:8 KJV The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Psalm 37:4-5 KJV Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. [5] Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Prayer is also a time of casting our burdens and cares on him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20).
1 Peter 5:7 KJV Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Psalm 55:22 KJV Cast thy burden upon the Lord , and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
In Proverbs 3.6 it says to acknowledge God in all our ways. One way of doing this is by praying about everything in a manner according to his will.
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
We are consecrated, set apart for the Lord and for his glory.
Isaiah 43:7 KJV Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Psalm 4:3 KJV But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Revelation 3:4 KJV Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Colossians 1:9-12 KJV For this cause we also, since the day we heard it , do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; [12] Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Ephesians 4:1-2 KJV I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, [2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Galatians 5:16 KJV This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.