A Spiritual Spring Housecleaning

A SPIRITUAL SPRING HOUSECLEANING

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Thy word.” Psalm 119:9

The weather in our area has been so beautiful the past several days that many of us have been inspired to take spring housecleaning seriously. It is amazing how much “stuff” a person can amass in a short while.

Not only is this true in our homes but it is equally true in our spiritual lives. Let us give thought this springtime to a spiritual housecleaning that will be pleasing to God and a blessing to ourselves.

ARE WE IN NEED OF A SPIRITUAL HOUSECLEANING?

Paul apparently thought so. He wrote, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NASB).

Notice several very important things that Paul mentions as he writes to the church at Corinth concerning the spiritual cleansing that was needed.

1. He writes with affection (“beloved”).

2. He employs the plural (“us”, “ourselves”).

3. He puts the burden of cleansing upon ourselves…not on God!

4. He challenges the church and himself to perform a complete cleansing (“all defilement of flesh and spirit”).

5. The Apostle goes on to encourage every one to “perfect holiness” in the fear of God. The call is not to “tidy up” our lives, but to cleanse our lives.

LET US START BY CLEANING OUR INTELLECTUAL ATTIC

(That way you will have to clean the main “living area” only once!).

Proverbs 23:7 reads, “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.” (HCSB). Solomon encourages us to “get our head on straight.”

Sanitize your “mindset” of all bitterness, wrath, pride, arrogance, haughtiness, envy, jealousy, prejudice and an unforgiving spirit. Read Ephesians 4:31 and Galatians 5:19-21 for scriptural support.

The writer of Hebrews adds another intellectual blunder we need to clean out of our thinking. “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” Hebrews 13:9 (NIV)). We are wise, indeed, if we “speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” Titus 2:1.

In today’s world, we must be careful what we coddle in our minds. John writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1.

How do we test the spirits? Test them by the Word of God. We all need to be like the believers in the church at Berea for they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11.

Paul tells us to focus on the truth, writing, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2

PROCEED TO THE “LIVING AREA” OF YOUR DAILY LIFE.

Some “closets” in our spiritual life that may need to be cleaned.

Bad habits need to be removed

Profane speech needs cleaned up

Some TV shows might need turned off.

Some books that need to be trashed. Consider Acts 19:19-20, “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”

WE MUST REMEMBER WHOSE “HOUSE” IT REALLY IS!

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

We dare not embrace the carnal attitude that says, “It is my life, I’ll do as I please.” The children of God must always remember that we “are not our own, we have been bought at a price”.