Emotional Remodeling. It's really no different from remodeling a house. Remember King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29; 2 Kings 18). When he came to the throne at the age of 25, he purposed in his heart to restore Creator worship. His father Ahaz came very close to destroying the image of God in the minds of the people. He closed the temple, nailed it shut, and people were encouraged to create their own gods to worship in the groves and high places. After his father's death, Hezekiah undertook a massive temple remodeling and reconstruction project that resulted in one of the most powerful revivals and reformations recorded in the Bible.
Every time I read this story, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit of its spiritual application for me today. The apostle Paul understood clearly what God was trying to teach me about our body temple when he said:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 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 3:16, 17). 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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6: 19, 20).
When Paul spoke of the body, he did not exclude my mental health. This temple that is considered by God as being holy is not complete without the mind (thoughts), heart (emotions/feelings), and soul (essence) being fully engaged in His restoration process. And once I choose to believe that my body (His temple) is much more valuable than silver or gold, I am well on my way to being a temple restored for Christ's glory. This is important because until recently, I had the attitude that I owned my body; however, as Paul so clearly put it, I belong to God, I am not my own. So, what does that make me? ...A steward. After reading Hezekiah's account of restoring the temple, I knew it was time for me to take my position as a faithful steward of God's temple. That was the mindset that Hezekiah had when he became king.
Emotional remodeling at its core believes that the God we serve has the power to change our lives from the inside out... That His grace (power to overcome) is more than sufficient...That our lives will shine for the glory of God more brilliantly than we ever could imagine. Yes...by faith we are a new creature, old things have passed away; behold all things are become new' (2 Corinthians 5:17.)
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