Spring Cleaning your heart and home
I just love how God leads us. When you follow God and your steps are ordered, each step connects to the next. Recently, my eyes were opened to being surrounded by stuff/junk/storage in my home and I felt very crowded and uncomfortable. As I thought about tossing some things, anxiety and fear gripped my heart. I was curious, so I went to the Lord. WHY, Lord, would I feel fear about some spring cleaning? He led me through some research and I discovered why.
As humans, we attach value to things or objects. We look at a certain jewelry box and it reminds us of past accomplishments or a painting reminds of the time and place where we bought it. Things remind us of memories, happy or not so happy, which is why we usually toss the ex’s jacket and belongings after the breakup.
There is another reason for tossing your stuff/junk/storage though. God says we are to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. What does that mean? It means God doesn’t want you to give attention or credit to anything but Him. He isn’t generic. He is a real, living God and He is Jealous for your affections!
John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
It means we can even hold onto religious objects also and tie God to them and we assume it makes them valuable. For example, you might blow a shofar to do a prayer walk in the neighborhood and soon you find you can’t do a prayer walk without a shofar. You have ascribed the power to the shofar rather than God. This is why we don’t need religious artifacts to worship God. We access God’s power through Jesus Christ, our Lord, by using His Name. That’s it. We don’t need a certain Bible or a shofar or a song or a special time or day even. I’m not saying you can’t have a shofar. I’m asking you to check your heart. Why do you have one? Did God say to get one or did you just want one? Our wants drive us to invest in false comforts over time rather than seeking God for all things.
Spring cleaning can be great practice not only for our physical space but our spiritual space as it cleans out our hearts. Remember, as God lives in your heart, your memories live in your head and you can access them anytime. The object only triggers your memory which is why you hang onto it. Break the false comfort attachment bond in Jesus Name and be set free. Your identity doesn’t rest in the object. Your identity rests in Christ Jesus.
Here are some tips as you prepare to clean closets this spring:
Get some boxes and mark them toss, give away or donate, keep to store
When you look at an item ask yourself, do I need this, use this or love this? If not, put it in the donate or toss box.
If you feel anxiety about getting rid of a certain object, thank it for its service in helping you remember and ask God to help you remember.
Here are some tips for cleaning out your heart:
Many people hoard things out of fear. Unless God tells you specifically to get something, keep something or store something long term, don’t. We live in uncertain times. People have always lived in uncertain times; however, we serve a God with certainty. Rest easy tonight because you can be certain of God caring for you and for those you love because He loves them more than you do! I thank my dear friend who reminded me of these things this week also.
Job 1:21
“Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return”
Psalm 16:5
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of myu cup: Thou maintainest my lot
Colossians 3:24
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Heavenly Father,
I praise You tonight that I am able to worship You in spirit and truth! Thank You for loving me and that my inheritance is eternal and laid up in Heaven! Thank You that I don’t have to keep up with the Joneses or live in a crowded space surrounded by things of no value anymore because they can’t save me. They can’t love me. They can’t protect me. Only You can do those things!
Forgive me for the value I have placed on things, memories and loving the world’s treasures. Tonight, I refocus my eyes upward and onto Jesus, where my help comes from!
I repent for loving my stuff and for becoming obsessed with it. Forgive me. I repent of defending my stuff and the need to keep it because of this or that reason.
I confess as sin and repent for the fear of losing my identity, my security, my faith, my hope, my joy and all other losses that were accounted toward any inanimate object. Forgive me.
Create in me a clean heart. Help me to live a less messy, less complicated life with less stuff/junk/storage today forward. Help me to be an example to my children whether they are small and grown and let me live my life to shine the Light of Jesus.
I break all ungodly soul ties to people, places and things right now and command all spirits attached to any of these objects which have received my worship to go now in Jesus Name.
Amen