Spring Cleaning

I love spring time and all that it brings, except for the dreaded “spring cleaning”! Growing up my mom was big on spring time cleaning. Each year, she’d pull everything from a room, scrub the walls and floors, wash the windows, rearrange and polish the furniture, wash curtains and linens, and flip mattresses. Then she would sort through drawers and closets to uncluttered and get rid of all the junk. I would groan as she enlisted me (made me) do my part – clean the base boards, dust, etc.

 

While I now realize the value and importance of spring cleaning the house, it is even more important that we take time to clean up our spiritual houses. We can grow stale spiritually and allow dust and trash to accumulate – bad habits, offenses, unforgiveness, hurts, grudges, etc. Spring time is a great time to allow the Holy Spirit to help us freshen up, clean up and rearrange our spiritual house. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NLT), “ Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”

 

Let me encourage you as the days start to get longer and the temperatures get warmer take time to do some “SPIRITUAL SPRING CLEANING”.  Here are three simple tips that will help refresh your spiritual life –

1. Dust off your Bible and Prayer Time.

It is easy to let our time with the Lord to get dusted over with the business of life. Often we allow our daily Bible and prayer time to become just one more thing on our checklist . Take the time to dust it off and put the Word of God back in its proper priority. Fill your hungry and thirsty soul with the presence of God and His Word on a daily basis. The closer you get to Jesus the more the Holy Spirit can blow the fresh air of His love into your life. Recommit to daily Bible reading and devotion.

2. Get Rid of the Junk in Your Life

Are things like worry, anger, gossip, and bad habits cluttering up your life? Have you allowed unforgiveness or bitterness to take root within your spirit? It’s time to take out the trash and rid of any junk that’s accumulated in your life! Let go of the offenses, forgive those who have done anything against you, and repent of any wrongs in your life. “Therefore … let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress…” (Hebrews 12:1)“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Take the junk out and be refreshed.

3. Rearrange Your Thinking and Priorities

Get rid of any stinking thinking. Get your mind refocused on the things of God. “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.” (Pvb. 23:7) (HCSB). Solomon encourages us to get our thinking rearranged so we are thinking straight. Re prioritize your life and put things in proper order. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt. 6:33) Reorganize your life so things are positioned in a better more and more Godly way. Make room in your life for God’s plan. Rearrange your time, energy, talent, and money around pursuing God’s will form your life.

So what are you waiting for? Get to it – and do some “Spiritual Spring Cleaning”!