I love spring time! Mostly because I hate the cold…so spring means that the warmer weather, flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass and green trees are on their way! A couple weeks ago I bought a Hyacinth at Aldi’s and over the next couple days it bloomed!
Now my hallway smells like spring and I have major spring fever. If you live in Pennsylvania, the teasing of warmer weather isn’t helping! Probably my favorite thing about Spring is “Spring Cleaning!” I love cleaning, and what a better time to pull out those bright fresh curtains, wipe those winter cobwebs and pull out the bright decor for the porch. I cannot wait until Spring is officially here…but have you ever thought about “spring cleaning” other things in your life, other than your house? As you make your list of things that need to be cleaned in your house, do not forget to take time and think about what needs cleaned out of your spiritual life! We can always be improving our walk with the Lord and service for Him. Here are some thought-provoking things to think about “cleaning out” of your life.
1. Pride- Everyone one of us has an element of pride in our life. Unfortunately most of the time, it creeps in and we do not even realize it! Just ask some of your friends, they will tell you where the pride lies in your life. Evaluate your life, if there’s anything in your life that can be labeled as pride? Get rid of it!
Psalm 10:4 “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
2. Anger- How do you correct your children, talk to your husband or even those you work around? Would they say you respond rather than react to things that come up in your life? Take a step back and think, “Am I more intent on listening or do I lash out and say the first thing that comes to mind?” Our service to our family and to the Lord is GREATLY hindered if you are utilizing anger in your life.
James 1:19-20 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
3. Unforgiveness/Bitterness- This can be so damaging to your relationships and friendships. Don’t harbor unforgiveness! It takes more work to harbor hatred and unforgiveness than it does to forgive and forget. Don’t live a miserable life always trying to find a way to avoid that person, find the next way you will make their life miserable or just forget them all together. Get rid of all that build up and live a life free of resentment. Remember Who has forgiven you? We don’t deserve the forgiveness that was offered to us at the Cross of Calvary … yet everybody takes that forgiveness, and then thinks somehow what someone else has done to them is “far worse” than what we have committed against Christ.
Mark 11:25-26 “And when you stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will you Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
4.Gossip- This is a serious problem, that most don’t recognize as a problem. Gossip can ruin relationships, friendships, and work ethics. Don’t be someone who is always talking about someone else in a negative way. That is a sure way to lose friends. Nobody likes to be around someone who is always negative or talking negatively about someone. It is emotionally exhausting and they won’t stick around for long.
Proverbs 16:28 “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
5. Addictions- God has given me the privilege to work with many addicted people. However, addictions don’t just come in the form of drugs or alcohol. TV, cell phones, food, books, spending money, music, friends, etc. What is your addiction? Many of these creep their way into our lives and before we know it, they have a tight grip on our life. Don’t let these things get in the way of your relationship with the Lord, your priority of being a wife and mother, and your service for the Lord.
Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
6. Fear, Worry, or Doubt- If there is one thing that I struggle with it is trust. I KNOW God has everything under his control, yet, I still choose to fret and worry about things that are really out of my control anyway! My husband has been a great example for me in this area and is always encouraging me to trust the Lord and leave everything up to Him! Don’t live your life in fear of what may or may not happen. Trust me when I say, you won’t experience God’s blessing to the fullest when you are so focused on what you don’t have, you missed all the MANY blessings you already have!
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.”
7. Guilt Over the Past- I have seen many a life thrown away from holding guilt over what they have done in the past. When you repent of your sins and become a child of God, He forgives you and your sins are remembered no more. Not because God forgets them…he can’t. He CHOOSES not to remember them. The Bible says your sins are “…as far as the East is from the West…” So leave your past in the past and serve the Lord without the bondage of guilt from your past. Your testimony is one of the greatest tools you have, so use it for His honor and His glory.
I Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
These are just of the few things on my list of “Spiritual Spring Cleaning.” What is on your list to get rid of? Let’s get rid of all the trash in our lives so we not only have a clean home this spring … but a clean spirit as well!
Thanks for the wonderful post