Terry Casales - May 28th, 2021
(Photo: canva.com)
Each Spring you look at your surroundings and think, “I need to do some Spring cleaning.” The urge to get your house in order is pulling at you because you know that Summer is coming and you want everything to be ready. There is something that is very freeing about de-cluttering and cleaning your house. It is a good opportunity to take inventory and to look at what you have been using and what you no longer have need for.
On some level, each one of us has the tendency to hold on to things that are no longer useful. We keep clothes that no longer fit in our closets in the hope that we will fit into them one day. I once heard someone say that if you haven’t used it or worn it in a year to get rid of it. I also heard once about a lady who, every time she bought a new pair of shoes, she gave away one pair from her closet. She understood the concept of getting rid of the old to make room for the new.
This even works with food. It is a good idea to eat all of the food in your fridge or pantry before you buy more. It is also a good idea to keep track of foods that you buy and eat on a regular basis and only keep those items. This is also a good way to ensure that you have something not go bad and have it go to waste. Another good tip is to think before you buy and ask yourself, “Do I really need this item?” This is why it is a good idea to make a list only of those specific items so that you don’t overbuy.
Another thought about making room for the new is to think about whether those items that you are not currently using could be actually be useful to someone else who needs them. The saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is so true because there is so much need out there.
There is such a fear in people that says, “if I get rid of such and such I may need it some time down the line.” The phrase “waste not, want not” comes to mind. I am not advising you to get rid of everything necessarily, but that it is important to steward what God has given you well, and, if you see a need and He leads you to give something away to meet that need, then you should do it.
I feel like when a person keeps things, he/she may be doing it as a coping mechanism — as way to keep some control over his/her life when there is so much that is beyond his/her control. This can also stem from fear of lack of provision or fear of losing what he/she already has. It is the fear that “if I let this go, I will not be able to replace it later.”
When it comes to the amount of clutter that constantly vies for your mind’s attention, it is important to get rid of the enemy’s narrative that you have allowed to take up valuable space. This toxic mindset has been stealing your peace— little by little over time— to the degree that it has kept you from sitting still and quieting your soul long enough to listen to the voice of God. This clutter of distraction has kept you stuck, starved, depleted, spiritually poor and unable to fully receive the wisdom and revelation from the Lord that you need. When there's too much stuff around the space of your soul, you become like a plant in a too-small pot. It's hard to grow or thrive when hemmed in by the clutter and your roots are not allowed to breathe and be free to expand. There is not enough room left for the new things that the Lord wants to give you.
Beloved, a habit of allowing clutter to enter your mind with anything and everything can be hard to give up. We are so programmed to take in every bit of information at face value without taking the time to process it and decide whether this is something that you can use and that will benefit you in the long run. If you're used to having a lot of stuff floating around in your mind, a pared-down space can feel too spare and empty at first as you de-clutter it. Before you rush to fill that void, try sitting with it with the Lord for awhile and really setting an intention for what He desires for you to replace your clutter with.
So, how does one de-clutter his/her soul? How does one get rid of the old mindsets to make room for the new? Spend time renewing your mind by meditating on the Word of God in prayer. Be intentional to guard your eyes and ear gates in order to protect your soul and keep the enemy’s narrative from coming in and taking root. It is crucial that you allow the Lord to take you through the process of growing you, healing you and purifying your soul. Be patient with God and with yourself in this process, even when it can feel overwhelming. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day so neither will you be.
It is God’s will and desire for you to be completely healed and whole in your heart, soul and body because He loves you and so that you are properly prepared and equipped to step into your Kingdom assignment. Only then will you be able to prosper and be in spiritual and natural health, even as your soul prospers!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 - NKJV
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. - Isaiah 43:19 - NKJV
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, - Philippians 3:13 - NKJV
——————
Comments