Spring Cleaning in January

 I know it’s not spring yet, but the Lord has put it on my heart that it is time for some “spring-cleaning”.  I’m not talking about cleaning out the closet or the garage; I’m talking about a “spring-cleaning” of the heart.  I’m talking about ridding my life of things that distract me from the Lord’s presence.  

It was very convicting to me when my pastor defined impurity as "anything that is not Christ-like".  Our goal as followers of Christ is to become more like Him.  We cannot love Jesus and the things of the world at the same time (1 John 2:1-17). We must choose one, and as believers we are saying that we have chosen Christ and not the world.  We must fill our lives with more of Christ and less of this world. 

Purity begins with prayer.  My prayer is that Jesus will reveal to me the things in my life that are not of Him. I want Him to clean out my life of the things of this world so that all that is left is His presence! Jesus so desires a purified bride and that is what I want to present to Him with my life. 

What are the unnecessary things in your life that the Lord is convicting you of today? The first thing Jesus convicted me of when I began this prayer for purity was the TV shows I watch.  They are not necessary and if I’m being honest I only watched them to fill up my time and my mind when I was feeling lazy and bored.  The things those shows filled my mind with were not Christ-like.  I want to fill my mind and my spirit with things that honor the Lord, not things that distract me from Him. 

I am so desperate to see God, to know God, and to love God more.  The Lord is showing me that in order to do that I need to have an undistracted and purified heart and mind.   Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Yes, Lord, this is my desire. Purify me, Jesus, so that I may see you more.

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

1 John 3:2-3

"If you love me..."

Jesus has so ravished my heart by giving me revelation of His sweet affections towards me.  I have received so much healing and have developed so much intimacy with the Lord by studying His great love for me.  I am in awe of how loving our Father is and how much He desires, enjoys, and longs for each of us. 

His affections for me have drawn me to love Him more, to seek Him more, and to desire His presence more.  

The other day I was searching through the Bible to see what scripture says about what my love for God should look like.  I want to know what pleases the heart of God.  I want my love to set His heart on fire just as much as His love for me sets my heart on fire.  As I was searching through verses, I noticed a common theme… Loving God and obeying God go hand-in-hand.  Look at these three verses from the book of John:

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” John 14:23

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 15:10

To love God is to obey God.  

I don’t just want to feel love in my heart for God; I want to show Him how much I love Him with my actions. In order to obey God’s words we must know what His words are. We must study scripture and we must listen to the convictions He lays on our hearts.  I want to love God in a radical way, so I must obey God in a radical way.  

Thank you, Jesus, for showing me how to love you more. Give me the strength to radically obey you, Jesus.

New Things in the New Year

I love that the new year brings new beginnings, but what I love even more is that it is JESUS who makes all things new!

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  With Jesus we are promised newness.  A new heart, a new mind, a new spirit.  Our old self is gone, washed away, and transformed into a new creation. 

When we believe the Lord has made us new, our minds can’t be stuck in our old ways. Isaiah 43: 18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Not only does Jesus give us a new self when we walk with Him, He gives us new things, new situations, and new desires for our life. As He brings this newness we must have a renewing of the mind. We must no longer have our minds set on the old things; they have already been washed away.  As He refreshes and renews our lives, we must allow Him to refresh our minds. Jesus can only do a new thing in us if our hearts and minds are open to new things!

Let us walk into this new year holding onto and professing the promise that Jesus makes all things new! Revelation 21:5 says, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” What a BEAUTIFUL promise. What a beautiful hope. What broken situations, old thoughts, or dried up desires are you trusting the Lord to make new this year? Let us have faith and believe that His promises are true and that He WILL make those things new! The old is gone and the new has come! Let us rejoice in this truth!