Spiritual Clutter

I grew up in a Christian home and became a believer as a child. As a result, to my shame, I had a tendency during my young adult years to "think of myself more highly than I ought" (Romans 12:3). I believed I was a really "good" Christian, and people appeared to see me that way. The older I get the more I realize how little I knew and how much I needed to grow up in the Lord. There is always more about God and myself to be discovered.

As we endeavor to please the Lord, the Spirit reveals areas in our lives that need to change, and it can be overwhelming. I compare it to how I feel when I get busy and let things pile up in my home, and then discover I am going to have guests. The task of cleaning the house can be overwhelming because I let things get out of hand.

Sometimes we don’t deal with matters of the heart because we have so many things going on in our lives. And as a result we can end up with a lot of spiritual clutter.

That is one reason it is so important to have a daily time with the Lord—a time for just you and Him where you can read His Word and talk to Him and hear what He has to say about your life. Sometimes He will tell you things you don’t want to hear. I think all of us have a certain amount of pride and don’t want to be told that we need to make changes. But we serve a holy God, and He says for us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). And that means there will be things that need to change!

Father, help us to humble ourselves before You. You know all things. You know what is best for our lives and the changes that will benefit our relationship with You. May our hearts be pliable in Your hands. Change my heart, O God. Make me more like You.