Do You Not See That I Do Not Reside in Palaces of Stone?

“And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, see now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, go and tell my servant David, thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel: and I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies.
Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom for ever,” 2 Samuel 7:1-13.

“Do you not see that I do not reside in palaces of stone? You sing and praise Me, and lift up your hands, and I surely hear you, but My Church is not confined to a building.

I AM even here in your midst. I AM here when you walk the fields. I AM here on your city streets. I AM here in your hospitals. I AM here in your prisons.

You dress yourselves up, and you put on your finest clothes, and yet, your clothing means nothing to Me. Would that you would have put on the clothing of my kingdom. But no, you would rather impress one another.

Have I instructed you to build a palace of stone for Me? Have I asked you to adorn it with gold and the finest trappings? Are your pews varnished with the finest woods? Is your altar adorned with Old Testament saints and prophets? I will have nothing with this!

Come unto Me with a pure heart; come unto Me in the humblest of places. Those who worship Me must worship Me in spirit and in truth.

Yes, sing your songs. Yes, preach the word, but don’t think that your place of worship is hollowed and great just because of the way it looks.

David wanted to build a great temple for Me. He wanted to commemorate it as a place where I would reside. But I told him through the prophet Nathan that I was never to reside in a place made by human hands. I told him that my Spirit was ever moving. But in time, his son Solomon did build this temple.

You see, the temple is within you. I have hollowed out a place deep within you. And here, deep within the confines of your own heart, is a place much more luxurious than any temple man could build.”

Selah,
~ Stephen Hanson

Stephen Hanson of In His Truth Ministries came to the LORD is a special way in 1975 and has prophesied regularly since. In these end-time birthing pangs we are reminded that judgment must first begin with the household of God. Will we be prepared and ready?

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