For many people, spring is a time for deep cleaning around
the house – moving furniture that never gets moved to vacuum behind and under it,
dusting in all the hidden places, and removing the clutter that has built up
over time. With the budding of new life
outdoors, it just seems fitting to refresh the inside as well.
As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that there
may be some “deep-cleaning” that God may need to do in my heart. The Psalmist asks God to search him and know
his heart, to see if there is any wicked way in him (Ps. 139:23-24). In keeping with the theme of spring cleaning,
I thought of four things that I should be asking God to do in my heart on a
regular basis:
1. Reveal.
As furniture gets moved and things come out of closets, dirt
and clutter that have built up over time quickly become obvious. In my heart, what
hidden lies may I be holding onto that need to be revealed? What sins may be buried deep inside and need
to be brought to light? What thoughts
need to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ? Heb. 4:12 tells us that it is the Word of God
that He uses, by His Spirit, to discern the thoughts and intentions of our
hearts and to lay bare our souls before Him.
God, leave no space unexamined in my heart! No matter how painful the revelation may be,
bring into view, by the light of Your Word, anything that is not what it should
be in my heart
2. Remove.
Once dirt or clutter is revealed, the logical next step is
to remove it. So once sin is revealed in
my heart by the Word of God, what action must be taken in order to remove it? God’s Word tells me that in Christ my sins have been removed as far as the east is
from the west, and I bear them no more (Ps. 103:12)! So when I confess them, He is faithful and
just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
And yet we live between the already and the not yet, in
which we still struggle with sin on a daily basis, and so we must continually
put off the old nature. Eph. 4:22 says,
“that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self,
which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.” And Heb. 12:1 encourages us to “lay aside
every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us.” So is there sin that I need to put off? Is there clutter in my heart that, though not
sinful in itself, may be weighing me down and hindering me from running the
race that God has set before me?
3. Renew.
As I put off the old self, I need God to daily renew my mind
with His truth and help me to put on the new self, made like Him, in
righteousness and purity of the truth (Eph. 4:20-24). Rom. 12:2 tells us that the renewing of our
mind results in transformation and enables us to discern God’s will. 2 Cor. 4:16 implies that this inner renewal
is a work of God in our hearts as we submit to His will by faith. And, as David reminds us, it is God who
creates a clean heart in us and renews a steadfast spirit in us when we humbly
confess our sins to Him (Ps. 51:10).
4. Rearrange.
Where have my priorities become unbalanced? Does my schedule need to be rearranged in
order to reflect God’s priorities for me?
What has become too important in my heart and must put back in its
proper place, in order that Christ might once again have preeminence? Col. 1:17-18 tells us that “He [Christ] is
before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church;
and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will
come to have first place in everything.”
Does my life bear witness that Christ indeed has first place in my
heart?
Oh Lord, let this kind of examination of my heart be happening
on a regular basis! Let not a day go by
that I don’t ask You to search me and know my heart, to reveal anything that
needs to go, to help me promptly remove it, to renew my mind through Your
truth, and to help me rearrange any priorities that have become
disordered! And thank You for the
promise that You who began a good work in my life will be faithful to complete
it until Jesus comes! (Phil. 1:6)
