Genesis 35:1-2 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

Then he goes and tells his household to put away all the gods? How did the gods get into the house- hold? We can marvel at this and yet isn’t it the same with us? So many Christians worship and place possessions before the Lord. It probably didn’t start that way, but idolatry often happens after a series of subtle compromises. So, let’s consider: If God said to you, “put away the gods among you” what would you be putting out of your house?

The sons of Jacob had plundered the houses of the Shechemites and killed the men and taken the women, children, livestock captive, which means they had brought foreign influence into their camp.

Galatians 5:7-8 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Leaven is a great picture of sin because just like leaven, it only takes a little bit of sin in one part of our life to infiltrate and fill all of our life..

Purge the leaven from your own camp. Again. And Again.

I was watching a documentary on whales and there was a pod that had beached themselves. Hundreds of people had gone down to the beach to keep the whales wet and to help to get the whales back out into deeper water. They succeeded and many of the whales swam out, but others turned right back around and swam up onto the beach.

Like those whales on the beach, sin leads to destruction but people have a tendency to return to it over and over again. So, over and over we have to purge our homes of things that distract us from seeking God and serving Him with all our hearts.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

What distracts you from God? Purge it from your life because in Kingdom terms, it is not profitable to you. What focuses you on God? Increase those things in your life, you will never regret it because the Kingdom of God is where it’s at.