-
Menu
Skip to content
  • Home
  • Meet Jenny
  • The Hat Lady
  • Contact

Tag Archives: romans

3 ways to spiritually clean your heart

1 / 28 / 191 / 28 / 19

The last thing I ever expected to make my life easier was garbage day. Yep, garbage day.

For the past ten years, our local waste management company has helped me organize my life by picking up our garbage every Monday.

What’s so special about Monday?  Nothing really, except it’s the start of a new week.

On Sunday, I clean out the refrigerator and collect all the trash in the house. In the evening, my husband takes the full, and sometimes heavy, garbage cans to the curb where they sit and wait for the garbage truck the next day.

When I leave for work in the morning, the cans are filled with accumulated garbage. But when I return at the end of the day, the cans are empty. It’s a satisfying feeling knowing that the house has been cleared of all garbage.

But the results of this weekly ritual do not last. Within a day, more garbage is starting to accumulate, and by Sunday, we start the process of removing the trash from our home once again.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. – Romans 12:2 (NIV)

In Romans, we are instructed to remove the trash from my spiritual life. When we listen to the ways of this world, we accumulate garbage.

Here are five ways we can remove all of the trash and renew our hearts.


Confess your sins to God

Our sins weigh us down and hold us hostage. But the healing power of confession restores our relationship with God and sets us free.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

Read scripture

Immerse yourself in God’s word. They are alive and will clean the depths of your heart and renew your spirit.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

Forgive

When we refuse to forgive someone who has hurt us, we become bitter. It drains our emotional energy and can affect our health. More importantly, God cannot remove the garbage of our sins unless we forgive others.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

1 Comment
Share
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Following God’s path for your life

1 / 15 / 191 / 15 / 19

I stood before the automated soda fountain. It seemed simple enough. The machine’s instructions had me navigating the touchscreen with ease. Only a few simple clicks stood before me and my favorite soda.

But then something happened. My finger stopped mid-air, unwilling to press anymore buttons.

On the screen before me were logos of over one hundred different brands and flavored drinks to choose from. I didn’t realize that many existed.

I realized my choices were endless and began to rethink my decision. Should I choose something different? Maybe I would enjoy a drink I have never tried before? I became lost in a soda world full of choices.

I eventually decided on my favorite cola.

We make many decisions on a daily basis. No wonder we become overwhelmed sometimes. 

  • What will I watch on television?
  • What’s for dinner?
  • Should I make dinner, order a pizza or go to a nice restaurant?
  • What shall I wear today?
  • What time shall I wake up in the morning?

These are just some of the small things we all have to decide every day.

There are also big, life-changing decisions.

  • Who will I marry?
  • How many children will we have?
  • Where shall I work?
  • Where will I live?

Decisions can sometimes be stressful and hard to make.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6 (NIV)

Luckily, we don’t have to become exhausted and confused with all of the choices we face. There are scriptures to help us.

Clear your mind

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)

Pray for wisdom

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 (NLT)

Isn’t it comforting to know we only need to ask God for wisdom, and He will provide?

Let God lead

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.  Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

God will never leave us in the dark. He is forever our guiding light.

Trust God

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)

God is always right beside us.

3 Comments
Share
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

God’s grace is free

11 / 18 / 1512 / 16 / 15

Proverbs 29:11 The glaring red light mocked me. I could hear its unpleasant laugh as I stared at it. I only had one short mile to travel, yet managed to approach every street light at the exact time they turned red.

Earlier a friend I had not seen in a few weeks called to say she would be at my house by six that evening. I had plenty of time to run to the grocery store after work. Or so I thought.

I arrived at the store frustrated with the delay but thought I could make up the time with a quick sweep of the store. I headed to the deli and was relieved to find a short line. I took a number and awaited my turn.

My irritation grew as the short wait turned into fifteen minutes due to mechanical failure of the equipment used to slice meat.

I watched as time quickly moved forward. I pictured my friend sitting in her car outside of my home wondering if I had forgotten about her.

Read More

7 Comments
Share
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
     

Featured Posts

Stop seeking your self-worth in others
The beauty of being different
3 reasons God asks you to wait
When change is good for you

Categories

Site made with ♥ by Angie Makes
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes