Amy Carmichael wrote, “All the great temptations appear first in the region of the mind and can be fought and conquered there. We have been given the power to close the door of the mind. We can lose this power through disuse or increase it by use, by the daily discipline of the inner man in things which seem small and by reliance upon the word of the Spirit of truth. It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is as though He said, ‘Learn to live in your will, not in your feelings.'” God gave Israel various feasts to develop spiritual disciplines in their lives so they would learn to love God more than anything else. Leviticus 22-23 provides steps on how to love God.
Aaron and his sons were to draw close to holy things in purity so as not to profane His holy name and be cut off. No male descendant of Aaron who was a leper or had discharge could eat of the holy gifts until he was clean. If he touched anything made unclean by a corpse, seminal emission or any teeming thing, he could not eat any holy gift unless he bathed his body in water to be sanctified, keep God’s charge and not bear sin and die (Lev. 22:1-9). Daily choose to be spiritually pure by confessing sin and asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
No stranger, sojourner with the priest or hired man could eat the holy gift. A priest who bought a slave as his property or those born in his house could eat the food. If a man ate the holy gift unintentionally, then would add a fifth to it and give it to a priest so as not to profane the holy gifts they eat to the Lord (Lev. 22:10-16). Bondslaves have full privileges as other family members in their relationship with God.
Any Israelite or aliens who presented his voluntary offering as a burnt offering, must offer a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats. When a man offered a peace offering to fulfill a special vow, it must be perfect to be accepted. You could not offer a blind, fractured or maimed animal or an animal with running sores to the Lord (Lev. 22:17-25). God only accepts your best as you surrender totally to Him.
When an ox, sheep or goat was born, it remained seven days with the mother and from the eighth day it was accepted as an offering by fire to the Lord. A sacrifice of thanksgiving was eaten on the same day with none left until morning. Don’t profane God’s holy name since He will be sanctified among Israel; He is Lord who sanctified and brought you out of Egypt (Lev. 22:26-33). Practice spiritual disciplines daily as they don’t carry over to the next day.
Proclaim holy convocations as the Lord’s appointed times with the seventh day as Sabbath rest after six days of work. The Lord’s Passover is on the first month of the 14th day at twilight with the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th day. Seven days you eat unleavened bread and rest on the first day. Seven days you present an offering by fire to Lord and on the 7th day you rest. Bring the first fruits of the harvest to the priest. Count seven complete Sabbaths and 50 days after the 7th Sabbath, then present a new grain offering, sin offering and peace offering with the priest waving the bread of the first fruits while resting (Lev. 23:1-21). Affirm that Christ is Lord of your life on a regular basis.
Do not reap to the very corners of the field, but leave something behind for the needy and the alien. Rest on the first of every 7th month and blow trumpets (Lev. 23:22-25). Leave margins behind for the poor so they can provide for themselves through labor.
The 10th day of the 7th month is the day of atonement to humble your souls to make atonement before the Lord as a Sabbath of complete rest. God would destroy a person who worked on that day since it was a time to humble your souls (Lev. 23:26-32). Take time on a regular basis to acknowledge Christ’s forgiveness of your sin.
The 15th day of the 7th month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to present an offering by fire to the Lord with the first day as Sabbath rest. The 8th day would be a holy convocation to present an offering as an assembly to do no work so all future generations would know that Israel lived in booths when God brought them out of Egypt (Lev. 23:33-44). Daily trust in God’s provision of basic necessities.
Consider the following steps in developing spiritual discipline so you love God more than anything else:
1. Do you daily confess sin and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
2. Do you believe that you have full privileges of sonship in your relationship with God?
3. Do you daily surrender you mind, emotions and will to God?
4. Do you daily practice spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading God’s word, listening, silence, praise and thanksgiving?
5. Do you affirm daily that Christ is Lord of your life?
6. Do you leave margins in your work for the poor so they can provide for themselves (ex. hire an ex-inmate)?
7. Do you take time on a regular basis to acknowledge Christ forgiving your sin?
8. Do you daily trust in God’s provision of basic necessities?
