2-18-06 Isaiah 52:1

Isaiah 52:1 (KJ21)
Awake, awake! Put on thy strength, O Zion! Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Isaiah 52:1 (NAS)
Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no more come into you.

Isaiah 52:1 (NIVUS)
Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.

Isaiah 52:1 (NLT)
Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourselves with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will no longer enter your gates.

Have you ever hit your snooze alarm, when it was time to get up in the morning? Perhaps you hit it more than once, hoping to get a little more sleep? Those few extra minutes in bed usually do not benefit you; in fact, they could be a detriment, if they take away from your time to get ready. Your flesh wants to lie in bed, but then you rush to put yourself together. Striving to get more rest ultimately cause less rest. The best thing for you to do is to immediately stir yourself to get up when you awaken.

In the spiritual realm, even though you have been born anew and are a child of the King, you can experience sleepiness of your soul and spirit. Lethargy and despondency can easily overtake you. At those times, it is important for you to rouse yourself. Your feelings and emotions may not be supporting you in this, but you must stir up the gift within you. You should act excited and triumphant, though that is last thing you feel. If you do not do this, you may be laid bare and exposed to your enemies.

As you choose what clothing you will wear each morning, so you must choose to put on your spiritual apparel. Dress yourself in the strength and might of the Lord. This will keep you firm in your faith and give you the power to prevail.

Satan, your adversary, wants you to believe that you are a parched, dry place. Although that may have been true in the past, it is no longer, for Adonai, your Lord and God, has made you a signpost and monument of His excellence. He has made you bright and preeminent. You are an overseer, director, and chief who endures perpetually. You are beautified and adorned with the glory and splendor of the Lord. You are fully clothed and arrayed in His renown and honor. You are covered with the finest of garments and bedecked with the most precious jewels.

You are now a city of peace. You are holy, sanctified, and consecrated to the Almighty God. Nothing unclean or impure resides within your borders. Terror and anguish are no longer a part of you, but increase and gain are the norm.