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                             The Girdle of God

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By David Wilkerson
October 5, 1992
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          Home Depot is a chain of large warehouses that sells
          home products wholesale. I was in one of their stores
          recently just as a new work shift arrived, and I
          watched some of the employees "gird up." They put on
          black, wide-band belts - or girdles - that were
          required by their employer. These girdles provided
          added strength in lifting heavy items, and they helped
          safeguard against injury. They were an apparel made
          specifically for the workplace.

          The girdle of Jeremiah's day was similar. It too was
          considered workers' apparel, and it was worn like a
          belt around the midsection. The phrase "gird up your
          loins" meant to place the cloth belt snugly about your
          waist prior to undertaking some particular labor - to
          put it on, tighten it up and prepare for work.

          Jeremiah speaks of a certain girdle as God's very own.
          It was a belt that the Lord said He girded Himself with
          - one that "clave" [clung] to Him for a time - but
          eventually He cast off as ruined and "good for
          nothing."

          This girdle of God represents a people who once had
          been called by His name: set apart by covenant,
          tremendously anointed, near to His heart, dearly loved
          and much blessed. They were a holy, sanctified remnant
          people - bound closely to the Lord by His covenant
          promise. God had said He would gird Himself with this
          pure remnant as He goes forth in these last days to do
          battle with His enemies.

          But the people that this girdle represented had a
          deep-seated flaw: a seed of iniquity had settled in
          their hearts. They had spiritually rotted and decayed -
          and God had to cast them aside, because they had never
          allowed themselves to truly be cleansed by Him!

          Isaiah confirms that God will gird Himself only with a
          righteous, faithful people: "And righteousness shall be
          the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of
          his reins" (Isaiah 11:5). This speaks of Christ's own
          righteousness, holiness and purity. But it also speaks
          of all who are in Christ - those who will become His
          girdle of glory in these last days!

          The apostle John saw an awesome vision of Jesus coming
          to judge the churches of the last day: "One like unto
          the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the
          foot, and girt about the paps [breast] with a golden
          girdle" (Revelation 1:13). Jesus will be wearing a
          golden girdle as He comes forth for His work of
          judgment!

          This girdle will be like the one worn by the high
          priest in the Old Testament (Exodus 39:3). It was
          ornamented, bejeweled and woven with golden threads.
          These threads represent the body of Jesus Christ - a
          pure, holy, sanctified people that Jesus causes to
          cleave to Himself. They are the manifest presence of
          the Lord - a praise and a glory to His majesty: "For as
          the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man... so have I
          caused to cleave unto me... a people... for a name, and
          for a praise, and for a glory" (Jeremiah 13:11).

          This ornamental girdle was beautiful to behold -
          because there is a beauty to God's holiness! All
          mankind, all kings and principalities, were to look
          upon that girdle of God as something royal - a diadem,
          a beautiful source of glory to the wearer. It was to be
          a wonder to the world of God's majesty!

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                    Jeremiah Was Commanded by God
                    to Get a Linen Girdle - And to
                   Wear It Without Ever Washing It!

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          "Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy
          loins, and put it not in water" (Jeremiah 13:1).
          Jeremiah was instructed to wear this girdle on the
          outside of his clothes. Today, he could wear it on any
          street in almost any American city, and no one would
          take a second look. But to the Jewish society of his
          day, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb!

          The Jewish masses dressed very much alike, in
          conformity with the times. And as they caught sight of
          Jeremiah parading down the streets in a girdle, they
          certainly would have recognized this as a sign! This is
          because Jeremiah was well known among the people. They
          knew that everything he did - including what he wore -
          had an important prophetic meaning!

          When Jeremiah first appeared on the streets of
          Jerusalem wearing the linen girdle, the guessing game
          began: "What is the meaning of the girdle? What is the
          prophet trying to say to us?"

          The educated priests and rulers prided themselves on
          interpreting for the people the prophet's message. They
          probably told them: "It's very obvious. God is saying
          to us what we all know - that we are His chosen people!
          We are His girdle worn proudly, His glory and strength,
          the excellency of the ages, united to Him by covenant.
          He will never leave us or forsake us. We are bound to
          Him as surely as that girdle is bound to Jeremiah!"

          As the prophet walked by, you could almost hear the
          people clapping: "Amen, Jeremiah! We get the message.
          Right on - praise God!"

          But in a short time those same priests and people were
          frowning! They watched Jeremiah with a deep puzzlement
          - because day by day the girdle got dirtier. It was
          becoming soiled and unclean; spots were beginning to
          appear. But the prophet kept wearing it!

          "Why is he not daily washing it?" they wondered. They
          all knew the girdle represented them - so why did he
          allow it to cling to him with filth and stench on it?
          Soon they were angry, hissing - because to the Jewish
          mind of that day, cleanliness was a form of godliness.
          And this soiled, smelly girdle was an offense!

          They could no longer believe the girdle represented
          them! They must have run to the priests and said: "That
          girdle can't mean us! God doesn't allow dirt to cling
          to Him. We sacrifice, pay tithes and keep the law. We
          pray every day and fast.

          "The girdle must represent the wicked heathen around
          and among us. If we were that kind of people, God would
          have cast us aside. He'd never wear a stinking, dirty
          girdle upon His waist!"

          Not so! The dirty girdle was Israel. Yet it also
          represents every single servant of God who has never
          been wholly, totally cleansed!

          Israel called themselves by the name of God. They
          observed all the religious forms and rituals. And yet
          God saw something deep in their heart that was going to
          destroy them - something that had never been dealt
          with.

          All along there had been a flaw, a fly in the ointment
          - a secret, hidden sin in their hearts: They were
          idolaters! They lusted after the Midian gods, because
          of the sensuality and sexuality involved in their
          worship. And now Israel had conjured up their own
          doctrines to suit their life-style. They had secret,
          deadly lusts that had never been plucked out!

          God wanted to show Israel that in spite of ceremonial
          cleansing they had never been cleansed at heart. He
          told Jeremiah, "These people have never allowed Me to
          go deep into their hearts and pluck out their idolatry.
          No matter how meticulously they pay their tithes or
          come into My house, there is something inside them
          that's causing decay and rot!"

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                     The Girdle Is the Servant of God -
                       the One Who Is Busy For Jesus,
                         Convinced He Is Redeemed!

                        ----------------------------

          This servant may be a lover of lost souls who
          sacrifices his life by praying, fasting and giving. He
          cleaves to the Lord, enjoying covenant blessings. But
          deep inside he still holds onto a secret sin, a
          besetting lust - and he keeps falling back into a
          temptation that he never overcomes!

          He cries out, day after day: "Lord, I'm sorry - forgive
          me! Don't let me die in my sin. Be merciful to me! You
          know how weak I am, how easily this lust overcomes me!"
          He sins and confesses, sins and confesses... but he
          never goes to the laver - he never allows himself to
          truly be cleansed! And he becomes blind to his danger!

          A brother in Christ came into my office recently and
          said, "All my life I've heard sermons on King Saul.
          I've read all about him. Brother Dave, yesterday I
          talked to him!"

          He was referring to a man who appeared to be truly holy
          - one who prayed for hours, sitting up half the night
          interceding for others. His conversation had always
          been full of Jesus. But now he is living with a woman
          in adultery!

          This had been the third such episode in his life: he
          had fallen into this same sin every few years! All
          along he had appeared to be a holy man, a prayer
          warrior. But he was never delivered from a stronghold
          of sexual lust - and now it had ruined him!

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           Next, Jeremiah Was Commanded to Wear the Dirty Girdle
            on a Long, Arduous Journey to the Euphrates River!

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          This journey would cover 250 miles. Some biblical
          scholars, such as John Calvin, believed this trip was
          merely a vision: nobody would actually travel that
          distance on foot to bury a girdle. But I believe the
          trip was real - because God had a powerful truth He
          wished to convey!

          You see, Jeremiah was well known and respected
          throughout Israel and Judah. He was admired even among
          the surrounding nations. Foreign kings acknowledged God
          was with him.

          And now, by his walking the distance to the Euphrates,
          every village along the way would see the famous
          girdle. The trip would takes weeks - and it would set
          every town a buzz as Jeremiah passed through. Everyone
          would want a glimpse of the dirty girdle, to speculate
          about its message!

          Yet what probably was most mystifying to the people was
          Jeremiah's destination: The Euphrates River. Everyone
          knew the Hebrew word "Euphrates" meant "river of
          fruitfulness." They all would have asked themselves,
          "Why would Jeremiah be taking a dirty, soiled girdle to
          a place of fruitfulness? It's awful, full of stench!
          Why doesn't he cast it off and burn it? The unclean
          cannot be fruitful!"

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                God Was Giving His People a Picture of
                His Patience Toward Those Who Cling to
              Him While Still Holding Onto a Secret Sin!

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          Indeed, it is possible to cling to a secret sin in your
          life and to go on with Jesus. You can still sense His
          presence and be in covenant with Him. Everything may
          seem fine. In fact, it might seem you're right on the
          brink of the greatest blessing ever - fruitfulness like
          you've never known, a whole new realm of usefulness
          opening up before you.

          Yet it doesn't matter who you are - pastor, street
          worker, choir member or layperson: If you have hidden,
          habitual sin, you're on a death march! You're headed
          for a black hole - for darkness like you've never
          known. You can harbor sin and appear to be getting away
          with it - yet not be aware that a patient Lord is
          waiting for full repentance before He leaves you to
          your sin and gives you over to ruin and decay!

          God had endured such sin in Israel for years before He
          brought them to ruin. In fact, the prophet's journey
          was a perfect illustration of this. The Euphrates was
          far out of the way - and Jeremiah's journey showed how
          far out of His way God goes in being patient with His
          servants how are trapped by a besetting sin. He's a
          loving Father - and He continues in longsuffering for
          years.

          But the time comes when you are given a final call -
          and your day of conviction passes! God then knows you
          refuse to part with your sin: "Because sentence against
          an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
          heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
          evil" (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

          Recently, a young pastor came to me with tears in his
          eyes. He spoke of an older minister who was a role
          model for a host of pastors. This man had had a
          reputation for dignity and honesty, and doors had
          opened to him for greater ministry. The younger men had
          pointed to his life and said, "Even if all the great
          televangelists fall, at least we have our beloved
          brother as our example. He is so full of Christ - he
          exudes the very essence of Jesus!"

          But now, said the tearful young man, "I've found out
          he's been carrying on a secret affair for the past
          twelve years. I'm devastated - I can't believe it! He's
          exposed, ruined - gone!"

          Beloved, that man had been on a death march to the
          Euphrates! God had gone out of His way with him for
          twelve years, because the Lord is patient, always
          wanting His vessels to come to true repentance. This
          man could have cried out at any time: "I'm filthy! I
          have hidden sin, and I want to be cleansed and free!"

          But something happens when sin sets in! God's Spirit
          had come to him time after time, with message after
          message. God had done everything in His power to speak.
          Yet still this man wouldn't part with his sin - and now
          his life is in ruins! Hardness and blindness had set
          in!

          God commanded Jeremiah: "Go to Euphrates, and hide it
          there in a hole" (Jeremiah 13:4). The girdle arrived at
          the place of fruitfulness only to be cast aside - not
          simply shelved, but buried and abandoned. Jeremiah
          stood at the edge of the river, and off came the
          girdle: he dropped it into a hole, covered it with
          dirt, put up a marker - and walked away!

          This is a picture of God "taking off" the cleaving
          pastor, Christian worker or so-called believer. What a
          frightful thought! The days of cleaving are over -
          God's patience has gone. And now He says, "You are
          finished - I am giving you over to your filth. You are
          of no more use to Me!"

          I will never forget the sad sight of a TV evangelist,
          at the peak of his fruitfulness, weeping as he was
          handcuffed, manacled and taken off to prison. The
          arresting officers pushed his head down to enter the
          car, and down he went - into a dark hole near the
          Euphrates! He was just at the age of usefulness, when
          he had the ability to be really fruitful for God. But
          instead he was let down into a hole of despair!

          Fruitfulness will be just before you - and yet suddenly
          you will be isolated, cast off and abandoned by the
          Lord! You will be buried in a cleft in the rock by the
          river, stripped of everything - your good name, your
          reputation, your ministry, your whole future. You will
          be buried in a desolate hole of shame and despair to
          rot and decay, completely ruined!

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             Not Only Was the Girdle Hidden, to Rot and Ruin -
             But It Was Dug Up and Brought Back As an Example!

                    ------------------------------------

          After a time, God commanded Jeremiah to go and dig up
          the girdle. So the prophet brought it up out of the
          hole: "And, behold, the girdle was marred, it was
          profitable for nothing" (Jeremiah 13:7). It was ruined,
          useless - good for nothing! Why did God tell Jeremiah
          to dig it up? Why didn't He just leave it buried, to
          show that this was the end result of sin? Most of
          Israel had forgotten all about it. Some probably
          thought, "At least he finally cast it off and buried it
          - whoever it was he was preaching about!"

          But here came Jeremiah again, parading through the
          streets with that same girdle - now tattered, filthy
          and in total ruin. It was absolutely worthless - it
          couldn't even be worn! He preached:

          "This ruined girdle is Israel! It represents you - good
          for nothing! You were cleaving to God, but He is going
          to cast you off. You have become a stench - you are
          useless to Him!

          God was saying, "You have been My girdle - I caused you
          to cling to Me. But you have refused to hear and obey
          Me! Instead, you walk after your idolatries and cling
          to the evil in your hearts. Now I will not only cast
          you off - I will also bring you to ruin and hold you up
          to the world as a warning! You will be an example of
          those who won't rid their soul of sin!"

          Every newspaper, TV and radio network carried the
          tragic story of the former
          street-preacher-turned-comedian who was killed in a
          head-on collision. Years ago, people on the West Coast
          had told me, "You really need to hear this young street
          preacher. He's the most on-fire evangelist to come
          along - he is so powerful!" He was stirring campuses
          all over the West Coast, winning many souls.

          But this young man had a problem: he had never really
          laid down his love for drugs, alcohol and sex.
          Eventually he became bitter, and he turned against God.
          He ended up in Las Vegas as a headline comedian, and
          his routines were based on blaspheming God and blasting
          the Bible. He grew to great fame. But he was cast aside
          - and he ended up in a hole of despair, contemplating
          suicide!

          Finally, he died in a fiery crash on a lonely highway
          last year. His last words before dying were, "Why, Lord
          - why?"

          Beloved, God had dug up the girdle! He was saying to
          the world, "I want to show you the end result!"

              -----------------------------------------------

                God Had a Very Good Reason For Giving
                  This Illustrated Message - Both to
                 Israel and To Us At This Very Hour!

              -----------------------------------------------

          God was on the brink of pouring out His wrath upon
          Israel - and He had no time for a dirty, useless
          girdle. God needed pure, holy vessels for the work He
          was about to do. And that is exactly where America and
          the world are right now! God is on the brink of pouring
          out His wrath like wine - and He is placing the bottle
          on the lips of the people!

          Jeremiah prophesied: "Every bottle shall be filled with
          wine" (verse 12). Yet this didn't make sense to Israel.
          To them he was merely stating the obvious - like
          saying, "Hats are for covering the head. Clothes are
          for keeping you warm. Shoes are for walking." The
          people cried, "What kind of riddle is this? Of course,
          bottles are made for wine! What's the point?"

          Jeremiah answered, "You are the bottle - and God is
          going to fill you with the wine of His wrath! Just as
          bottles are filled with wine, so you will be filled
          with drunkenness. You will become drunk with madness!"

          "I will dash them one against another, even the fathers
          and the sons together" (verse 14). To "dash" means to
          smash suddenly and violently. God was saying, "I'm
          going to dash these drunken people against one another
          until they destroy each other!"

          This dashing speaks of calamities, disasters and a
          human madness that robs men of their right mind. And
          the Lord is pouring it all out right now - on nations,
          on sinning Christians and on all wickedness! You see it
          everywhere you look - disastrous hurricanes,
          earthquakes, tornadoes, tidal waves; families
          inflicting wounds on each other, being brought down by
          divorce, drugs, adultery, shame and violence.

          What is happening right now is more than simply another
          moral downturn, more than social disintegration. We are
          living in the last days, when God is having to finally
          deal with sin! We're facing His poured-out wrath - a
          time of madness when every man is a law unto himself!
          God is saying, "You've sinned against Me, you've thrown
          Me out of your schools and society. And now you're
          going to pay the price!"

          I hear preachers saying, "God is merciful and kind - He
          wouldn't bring all these calamities on us. This is all
          just nature doing its thing - it's human nature being
          played out." Not so! God said, "I will fill all the
          inhabitants of this land, even the kings... with
          drunkenness. And I will dash them one against another"
          (verse 13-14).

          We must have compassion on all who are hurt - by
          disasters, by murder on the streets, by violence in the
          home. We are called to grieve with those who grieve.
          But at the same time we dare not forget that we are
          living in the last days - and God said He would pour
          out His wrath like wine!

                     ---------------------------------

            The Lord Is Girding Himself For the Final Conflict!

                     ---------------------------------

          God is not going into this final battle with any
          soiled, spotted servants for a girdle. Such are useless
          - "good for nothing!" I say to every minister,
          Christian worker, street preacher and everyone who
          calls himself a Christian: In this hour of drunken
          madness, you won't make it while clinging to your
          hidden, besetting sin!

          Jesus will not go with you - and you will not have a
          drop of anointing! You can testify, preach, pray and
          work your fingers to the bone - but all to no avail, if
          you are not clean before the Lord! If you're hiding
          secret homosexuality, drinking, and unbridled temper, a
          roving eye - anything that is not right with God - then
          it is all in vain. Your are a dirty girdle, soon to be
          discarded!

          God is seeking holy, pure, washed workers for the
          battle. He is going to have a spotless, pure girdle for
          His work of judgment in these last days - a girdle made
          with golden threads. Beloved, that is the best place to
          be woven into His majestic girdle, near Him - being
          worn as His praise, His name, His glory!

          Yet I ask you: Do you say you love Him - but still
          cling to a secret lust? Is God pointing His finger into
          your heart right now?

          This may be your last call - to be washed and cleansed
          to the depths of your soul!

          Fall before Him right now - before you come to the
          Euphrates! Pray: "Jesus, I want Your cleansing water to
          go into the depths of my soul. I want nothing hidden!
          Remove it all. I want to be useful to You, wholly given
          to Your desires. Weave me into Your golden girdle!"

          You will find all the mercy and grace you need: you can
          be truly sanctified and set free of every sin that you
          still cling to - if you will be honest before God.
          Admit it, confess it - and ask the Holy Spirit to
          empower you to receive by faith all the strength you
          need to resist the devil and all his enticements.

          The Holy Spirit is waiting to help and deliver you this
          very moment!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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