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Tag Archives: scripture

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)

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Fighting the spiritual battle

6 / 15 / 16

Hebrews 4:12

Have you ever noticed that when your relationship with God deepens, the enemy tries to take you down? That’s what happened to me his past week when I found myself in a spiritual battle.

I had been deepening my prayer life and relationship with God when out of nowhere, the enemy attacked me with his arrows of lies. He told me I am not a good wife, friend, sister and daughter. He tried to plant jealousy in my heart along with insecurity, fear and doubt.

The arrows flew fast and hard. “You’re overweight,” he said. “You were not kind enough to your husband yesterday,” he continued.

One after another, the arrows headed straight for me. I tried to dodge them but they came faster. My mind clouded and I could not think rationally. The walls of his lies were closing in. I could see no end to this attack.

[biblegateway passage=”Ephesians 6:10-11″ display=”Ephesians 6:10-11″] (NIV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes.

Priscilla Shirer says in her book Fervent, “In spiritual warfare, as we detect enemy activity and deploy the various pieces of armor, our prayers need to be fervent and specific, strategic and personal, tied to the specific needs arising at the specific occasion.”

I opened my Bible and read. I prayed. I recited scripture out loud for the enemy to hear. With my armor on, I strategically prayed to destroy the enemy’s plans. Those arrows of lies quickly fell to the ground – useless to do any harm.

This battle with the enemy is not a one-time thing – it’s lifelong. He wants me stuck in a cycle of fear and insecurity and to keep me from accomplishing the plans God has for me.

[biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15:57″ display=”1 Corinthians 15:57″] (NIV)

But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don’t have to fear though. I have already been given victory through the blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for me – for you.

[biblegateway passage=”2 Thessalonians 3:3″ display=”2 Thessalonians 3:3″] (NIV)

The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

And I don’t have to fight this battle alone. I have access to the one who is greater than the enemy. And so do you.

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This week, I’m linking up with these great ladies:
Good Morning Monday | Monday Musings | Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays | Sharing his Beauty Monday | Intentional Tuesday | RahRah Linkup | Tell his story | Testimony Tuesday | Wedded Wednesday | Woman to Woman Wednesday | Woman With Intention Wednesday | Faith Barista | Thought Provoking Thursday | Faith filled Friday | Fellowship Friday | Grace and Truth | The weekend brew | Susan B. Meade | Still Saturday

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