The Temple Within

Take 2-3 minutes to quiet yourself and ask God to speak to you today through your devotional time.  

Reading: Matthew 23:38 (ESV); 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV)

Be sure to highlight or note anything that stands out to you while you read.  
After reading the passage, take the next 5-10 minutes and spend time reflecting on what you read. You can write these things down in a journal or record them in your phone. Be attentive to both what you highlighted in the passage and what is going on in your life.

Jesus declared the temple desolate because people created space for religion but not for God Himself. We are temples made for His presence, yet we fill ourselves with busyness, bitterness, and distractions—leaving us spiritually empty. The ache you feel isn’t random; it’s the cry of a temple built for God but filled with substitutes. What have you allowed into your inner life that leaves you desolate instead of filled? God doesn’t pull back in anger, but in sorrow, allowing us to pursue what we’ve chosen—until we realize nothing compares to Him.

Now, take 10 minutes to seek God in prayer…  

1. Begin your time in prayer by taking 1-3 minutes to sit in silence (You can take longer if you sense the Spirit already beginning to speak to you).  
2. Pray through the things you sensed God speaking to you through the Scriptures or pray the following prayer: Holy Spirit, reveal anything in me that dishonors Your presence. Give me the courage to remove what keeps me from You.
   
3. Close by taking 5 minutes to sit in silence, asking God if there is anything else He wants to speak to you today.  

Take Action:

1. Choose one distraction, sin, or habit to remove from your "inner temple" this week.
2. Replace it with one intentional practice that invites God’s presence (Scripture reading, worship, silence, confession, etc.).