Time 2 Clean House

I Kings 2:2-3
I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments…so that you may prosper in all that you do and whenever you turn.

When going from one season to the next it’s necessary and wise to clean your house. There are things that have been taking up space that need to be removed and things that are offensive that no longer should remain now that we are in a new season. They made sense in the previous season but are obtrusive in this new season. It’s time to clean house.

This is played out symbolically when one administration takes over another in government. All of the people minus a few are replaced with another group of people who will be loyal and proficient for the new administration. You can’t have people whose philosophy and loyalties are with another era. It’s time to clean house.

In your own life there comes a time where God is shifting you and the people who you knew as a prince/cess will not be able to shift with you as ruler of the kingdom. For every new dimension of leadership there is a need for new administration or a new circle of supporters.

When David got ready to die (old era) and hand over the Kingdom to Solomon (new era) he gave his son instructions on how to clean out his cabinet and make his leadership prosperous:

1. Be Strong. As a leader you can’t be too soft when it comes time to make decisions. You must love the people to lead the people but you can’t let them take your kindness for weakness. Solomon’s rival Adonijah wanted the kingdom and tried to go through Solomon’s mother to marry one of David’s concubines to show the people he was an heir of the throne. Solomon could have given in to his mother’s wish but instead he killed his deceitful brother for treachery. Which one of your relatives are trying to undermine your authority? Even Jesus said, “those who do the will of my Father are my mother, brother, and sisters.” In other words blood kin has no priority if they are not acting in the will of God.

2. Be courageous. David told Solomon about Joab murdering two commanders of Israel without his permission and to add insult to injury they were more righteous than Joab. Solomon didn’t need an unethical blood thirsty commander over his army so he sent somebody to take Joab out. Who on your team is unethical and needs to be removed? If someone close to you is unethical it starts to taint your leadership credibility. It’s time to clean house.

3. Keep God’s commands. David also told Solomon about Shemei who cursed David on his way out of Jerusalem with the crisis with Absalom trying to take over his father’s kingdom by insubordination. On his way back in Shemei halfway apologized and begged David not to kill him. David swore he wouldn’t kill him but Solomon didn’t make that promise. He honored his father’s request by sentencing Shemiei to be restricted to a certain town, if he left he would be killed. Three years later he left looking for runaway slaves. Shemei broke the agreement and had to die. Who is it in your camp that keeps breaking covenant and has to go? If they are not keeping their agreement then it’s time for them to break camp.

As hard as it it is, there are some people that cannot stay with you because they have hidden agendas, disloyal, unethical and are boundary breakers. You have to be strong, courageous, and keep God’s commandments. Some will use the argument that we are to suffer along with inept and unethical people because that is the Christian way but it was Paul that reminded us not to associate with these kinds of people in I Corinthians 5:1—12.

As we shift to another dimension and expect prosperity in our lives we first have to check the people in our cabinet and clean house. It’s time for a New Direction!

Dear God, give me the courage to clean house in this new season you are taking me into. I need the Wisdom of Solomon so I can discern who is supposed to stay with me and who has to go. I don’t want to make arbitrary decisions based on fleshly reactions but let me be led by the spirit to create a spirit led team who is passionate about fulfilling your Kingdom agenda. Today, I’m looking at my cabinet to see who needs to stay and who needs to go. Lead me I pray.

In Jesus Name,

Amen