Cleaning House

Dear Sister,

It was the end of the day. I was looking around at the mess that had been incurred since my children came home from school only a short two hours before. As I looked, all I saw were papers everywhere, dishes piled high, and the playroom looked like every type of game with little pieces strewn on the floor. Overwhelmed by it all, I suddenly got the urge to get a large dumpster and start hauling everything away in the trash!

Jesus also experienced a time when he was overwhelmed by the chaos and materialism in his home. John 2:13-16 says, “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And within the temple grounds, He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves, He said, “Take these things away from here; stop making My Father’s house a place of business!” 

Imagine it, millions of people traveling to the temple for Passover to worship the God of the universe to remember how He delivered His people from slavery. They walk into the temple courts to prepare their hearts to connect with God. As they came to worship God, they were confronted with thousands of sheep and other livestock bleating and mooing, ready to be sold for slaughter to be sacrificed for atonement of sins. The livestock was being sold for personal gain, not in accordance with its original intention of being a sacrifice to God. The temple, Jesus’ home, had become a place of chaos, rather than a welcoming place for people to come and worship the Lord. This is not what God intended for His people. 

Just as the temple was Jesus’ home, our physical bodies are now His temple, His home. “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. This is the mystery that was revealed to us: Jesus Christ dwells in us. We are his temple. The way in which we quench the spirit in our bodies is our sin, our chaos. Just as the things in our homes can overwhelm us, so can our inner thoughts of failures, fears, anxiety, and to-do lists.  Our house needs to be cleaned out daily; otherwise, we are unable to live and function. Similarly, our hearts and minds also need to be cleaned out.  

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus.” Romans 12:2a As women of the King, how to we begin to clean our mental and spiritual house? Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest for your souls.” How do we enter this soul rest that Jesus himself promises? Just as you have an order of how you clean your physical house, there is also an order of how we can clean your spiritual house. As it is easier to clean when we have help, Jesus is there to be our help, and he takes the mop and says, All I need you to do is ask, and I will clean the floor for you. He will not do it without you inviting him to clean your home or yours.

The Order of Cleaning Our Spiritual Houses

1)We confess our sins 

The spirit is holy and cannot dwell in us when we are filled with sin and chaos. Jesus calls us to come and confess our sins. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9-10. Just like in the temple in John 2, when we confess our sins, Jesus comes and cleans our spiritual house, casting out all the chaos within us, making us clean. Jesus says to Peter when washing his feet, if you do not let me wash your feet, you can have no part in me. Confess your fears and anxiety. Confess your lack of trust in God’s provision. Confess whatever sin is weighing you down. There is never a time that Jesus will say no to your plea for forgiveness. Jesus forgives you, and you can forgive yourself after Jesus forgives you, because Jesus died for your sins and has made you clean. No need to hold on to guilt or shame. You are clean, my friend.  

2) Cast away the evil thoughts and demons that are plaguing you 

Satan is the great accuser and wants to use your sin to entrap you and leave you ineffective for his good. Just as angels are God’s spiritual forces to minister and help his saints, demons are Satan’s forces to keep us trapped in our sin and ineffective for God’s kingdom. Cast the thoughts that are plaguing you: of inadequacy, overwhelming thoughts, or thoughts of unforgiveness or anger in Jesus’ name. Open your eyes and do not give reverence to evil. I cast out fear, anxiety, inadequacy, unforgiveness, anger, etc. Pray for wisdom to overcome what is plaguing you, and then God will reveal what to pray for. If there is anything in your home that causes you to sin or your family, put it away from your home. There is no need to fear when we have Jesus with us. He has defeated the evil around us, and we have power over them because of Jesus. I promise that if you do this, peace will come. 

OK! Your house is clean. Phew, that was a lot of work! You sit down and think, "Man, I am done. My house is clean, and I don’t have to do any more work." I encourage you, my sister, that your work is almost complete, but it is not yet finished. Jesus speaks to the Pharisees when they were still seeking out sign for Jesus to prove himself. This is what He said to them in Matt. 12:43-45, “Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” I know this is unsettling to think about, but we cannot be blind to the spiritual battle that we fight daily in this world. Don’t be blind, this last step is most important in keeping your body and home clean. 

3) Guard your Heart and Home 

Do not be discouraged, my sister, we are never perfect, nor will we be sinless in the way that we live our lives, but there are times when we can be more plagued by evil than others. Jesus is our helper, and we do none of this alone or in our own strength. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” To help things like anxiety, fear, and anger stay at bay, the Lord gives us specific tools to protect ourselves from messy minds.  He is also our ultimate defender; we do not fight alone. He is already defending you, but you can call on him to defend you in times when you are feeling attacked. " I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:1-3

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:5-9 

May you have gentleness in your interactions with others. This is especially hard for me when I lose patience with my kiddos. Pray in every situation, giving your anxiety to God. List all the ways you are thankful when you are in despair or overwhelmed. Think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely. Identify when your thoughts are unlovely or untrue about yourself or others. Take those unsavory thoughts captive and give them to the Lord in your mind. Do these things, and the promise is that God’s peace will be with you. 

When we renew our minds daily with God’s word and abide in Him, He will give us the strength to complete the tasks of guarding our hearts through the instructions and promises found in Philippians 4. Seek out what it means in your own life, of how to guard your heart and your home. God does not promise that He will take you out of the chaos around you, but He does promise that the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds —transcending all worldly understanding of what is going on around us. Though it is a daily battle to maintain a physically and spiritually clean house. My prayer is that you feel the peace and freedom that comes when Jesus comes and cleans you and your home. 

Your worth is immeasurable. You have been bought at a price. You are loved

Love,

Kayleen Moore