"O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways." Proverbs 23:26 NLT
If I open the cabinet under your kitchen sink, will I find cleaning products? Well, you will surely find them under mine. I have everything from degreasers to disinfectant, from dish detergent to laundry detergent, to anything with Febreeze or Gain or just plain ole "it smells good so I had to get it" underneath my kitchen sink. The purpose of every last one of those things is to clean, of course. To clean every area, even the areas that people cannot see, behind and under furniture and appliances...the forgotten areas. Not only does thorough cleaning bring a fresh scent, it also keeps our homes free of unwanted visitors, like bugs and rodents. Eww, right?? Yeah that's why cleaning is so important.
Christ comes into our hearts to clean it up, which essentially cleans us up as a whole. As a matter of fact, we were extended an invitation for salvation and we make the choice of accepting Him into our hearts. It doesn't matter how much filth you can live in naturally, if you're a hoarder or if you have OCD, Christ doesn't dwell in a messy place. So while He's in our hearts, he cleanses it of all malicious intent, envy, pride, bitterness, and just plain old evil and sin and He teaches us to love and live like Him. We just have to surrender and let Him do it, which seems to be "the struggle".
Why purchase cleaning products if we never plan to clean? Just to have them? To lend some out when our neighbor needs to borrow some? So if we aren't allowing Christ to clean us from the inside out, then why did we accept Him into our hearts? Is it just to say, "Christ is in my heart" or "I'm a Christian"? What happens when we encounter someone who really needs some Jesus, not memorized quotes and "feel good" slogans? If we are still trying to control how our hearts operate and there are not even in the process of being cleaned by His Blood, then how beneficial can we be in those moments? We can't give someone something that we don't have.
Being cleaned by Christ helps us so much. He fills us with His Holy Spirit, blesses us with the gift of discernment and the desire to seek wisdom and understanding; He gives us a sound mind, encourages us to renew it daily and His Word teaches us to guard our hearts and minds. When we apply these things to our lives it keeps us clear of the unwanted visitors, like worry, fear, doubt, etc. and He doesn't leave us empty. He fills us up with hope, joy, confidence, courage...just more of Him. I'm not saying we won't be tested, because we definitely will but with Christ remaining in constant cleaning mode in our lives, we will pass the tests, even if we have to take them a few times before we do. It's because of His cleansing power that we are able to fight in the spirit when the enemy tries to attack our minds, our lives and/or when temptation presents itself. I can go on forever because He does so much more for us by just coming into our hearts. Once He begins to change our hearts, our minds change. We begin to see, talk, and walk differently, and the process molds us into who God intended us to be, teaching us every step of the way.
I encourage you to let Him live in you and let Him work in and through you, FOR REAL. Your journey will be a trying one, but you'll be pleased more with His results than you'd ever be with your own.
" Let Him Live, Let Him Work...."
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 NLT
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