During the days of Unleavened bread we are instructed to remove the leaven...
(Exod 12:19-20) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. All of you shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall all of you eat unleavened bread.
(Exod 13:7)
Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with you, neither shall there be leaven seen with you in all your quarters.Leaven is equated with sin, both spread easily.
(http://jesusalive.cc/ques171.htm)(Matt 16:12)
Then understood they that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine (false) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.(Luke 12:1)
In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, so much that they tread one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.(1Cor 5:6-8)
Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Messiah our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.We are doing a disservice to ourselves and family if leaven is all we focus on.
While removing the leavening, get out sin, and get out anything that comes between us and God, which would be idols.
Discussion Focus: IDOLS
Dictionary.reference.com
1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.
4. a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.
5. a figment of the mind; fantasy.
6. a false conception or notion; fallacy.
(Exod 20:3)
You shall have no other gods before me.(Lev 19:4)
Turn all of you not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am YHVH (the Lord) your God.(1Chr 16:26)
For all the gods of the people are idols: but YHVH made the heavens.(Judg 10:13)
Yet all of you have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.(1Sam 15:23)
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…(Ps 106:36)
And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.(Ezek 14:1-7)
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of YHVH came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces: should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus says YHVH; Every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I YHVH will answer him that comes according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all cut off from me through their idols. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says YHVH; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourns in Israel, which separates himself from me, and sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I YHVH will answer him by myself:(1Cor 6:9)
Know all of you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Yah? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,(1John 5:21)
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Effects of idolatry:
The following article by another author may be of interest for further reading: "Is There A Buddha In Your House?" (
http://www.lakehamiltonbiblecamp.com/pdfbooklets/buddha.pdf)Some of the items mentioned in the article are obvious and should not be an issue for us but remember leaven isn’t always blatantly obvious, in your face, but can be insidious and work "under cover" / hidden.
"But that is not what it means to me, I don’t bow down to it."
Have you heard this argument before in regards to xmas trees?
We need to consider how YHVH looks at it, rather than what it means to us.
No idol's in my face. (ex 20:3)Some things to clean out of the home while de-leavening:
Buddhas, dragons, charms, dream catchers, and other idolatrous objects
Also look beyond statues and objects…
Consider pictures, images, books, music, and movies.
Ask yourself: Would I be watching / reading it if Yeshua (Jesus) was "in the house"?
Anything that comes between you and YHVH is an idol. Do you have any obsessions / addictions?
TV Show "American Idol"? Do we idolize actors, sport stars, models?
Also clean up your speech… IE "Works like a charm"
Days of unleavened bread coming up. It is a time to be de-leavened physically, which spiritually means get the sin out, let’s continue to examine ourselves and our possessions as we prepare. Have we removed obvious, recognizable idols and those less obvious ones? It is a foothold for the enemy.
Be holy (set apart) as He is holy
. Lev 19:2Bonus: (other things to look at and address for causes of illness besides physical idols)
(source:
http://www.mindsync.com/lam/root.htm)Hope deferred makes the heart sick
(Proverbs 13:12)Depression, self-pity, doubt and unbelief, heart problems, anxiety and stress, Parkinson’s
A broken spirit dries up the bones
(Proverbs 17:22)Brittle bones, allergies, fear
Shame to a husband is rottenness to his bones
(Proverbs 12:4)When women shame their husbands, it can produce health issues in a husbands bones
A curse causeless shall not come
(Proverbs 26:2)There is a reason to everything that happens. Take a look at Deuteronomy 28 to see the list of diseases - these are listed as curses.
Envy is rottenness to the bones
(Proverbs 14:30)Another bone disease
Critical and perverse lips
(Proverbs 4:24)Bitterness, strife and every evil thing
YHVH has not given us the spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)Many roots to dis-ease starts with fear.
He that hates reproof shall die
(Proverbs 12:1)The body begins dying at the cellular level. We have time to get things right in our heart long before final death happens.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue
(Proverbs 18:21)Our words do matter, it can cause others to feel good or to feel terrible which can, if long term, produce illness.
A merry heart does good like a medicine
(Proverbs 17:22)Joy, peace, health
He that trusts in YHVH happy is he
(Proverbs 16:20)When we truly trust YHVH, we will have peace and peace produces health and health produces happiness