If you have ever experienced moving, then you are familiar
with clutter. I am always amazed at the things I find when preparing to move.
Trinkets that were once important to me are re-discovered after lying dormant
for years. It’s impossible to live without accumulation symbols of your time
and efforts. Whether it’s a collection of old magazines on the coffee table or
an assortments of clothes ranging from 8-28 in your closet, we all live with
unneeded baggage in our lives.
Clutter is the natural progression of living and
unless it is managed it can lead to disorder. When clutter gets out of control
it can lead to confusion and chaos. One definition of clutter is a clotted mass
similar to what can be seen in patients with heart disease. In these patients,
cholesterol and inflammatory cells cause confusion in the arteries leading to a
clotted mass called a plaque. These plaques are unstable and can dislodge to
block the arteries downstream leading to a heart attack. Have you ever
experienced a spiritual heart attack?
Clutter in your spiritual life works in a similar
way as in the blood stream. Bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, shame, guilt,
pride, and fear can block the flow of God leading to death in the different
areas of your life. Years of dealing with these issues cause a toxic buildup of
emotions that can drain you of energy to the point you no longer have freedom
to move, breath and live. Spiritual clutter causes confusion in your ability to
hear God’s directions and plans for your life. We need to regularly detoxify
from the toxic emotions that prevent inner peace.
The first step to freedom is to throw off everything
that is hindering your ability to move and flow with God. You must identify
those areas of your spirit that have become cluttered with past issues. We all
have life events that have left a deeper impression on our psyche than we would
care to admit, but as you expose these areas you will open the door to your healing.
Studies have shown journaling to be an effective tool for spring-cleaning the
soul. It is an opportunity to let go of
those areas that clog your mind and let God be God. As you settle down daily
for a time of devotion, write down your thoughts as God reveals to you areas
that need cleansing and renewing. Allow Him to perform a penetrating work in
your life and reap the benefits of a fresh flow of His presence, peace, and power.
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. ~Hebrews 12:1
Putting
It Into Practice
1. Purchase
a special journal for your time with God. This can be a yellow legal pad, spiral
notebook or a beautiful leather bound journal; the choice is yours. (Unless you
are a die-hard computer fanatic avoid journaling electronically. I have found
that journaling by keyboard is not as therapeutic as putting pen to paper.)
2. Each
day spend time in prayer about the things revealed to you during your time of
solitude and communion.
3. Allow
time after the prayer to meditate on scripture and to be still before God. The
time frame should be at least five minutes to allow yourself ample time to
clear your mind.
4. During
the silence, practice focusing your thoughts on God and not the worries of the
day. Your mind and thoughts should be empty to all except being in the moment
with God.
5. If
you have difficulty doing this due to a specific thought/event that is
cluttering your mind, you should write it down and write your emotions about
that situation. Do not re-live the event, as this only intensifies the problem,
but rather focus on what you feel.
6. After
you have transferred the emotions out of your mind onto paper, conclude by releasing
them over to God. By faith let go of the desire to control the outcome and
trust His heart towards you.
7. You may find that you need to spend additional
time in silence to ensure that you leave today’s mind clutter behind, so that
it does not accumulate to the point of dies-ease and disorder.
Spiritual
Connection Points
Cleanse your heart that you may be saved. How long will
you harbor your evil thoughts? - Jeremiah 4:14
It is God’s desire to see you saved from
destructive thoughts and emotions. Thoughts of jealousy, pride, envy, anger,
and bitterness can eat at the roots of your life and rob you of the spiritual
nutrients you need to live in God’s abundance. Daily cleansing will allow you
an opportunity to release those feelings that attempt to steal your joy and
peace.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that
they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 10:10
Our Heavenly Father seeks to lavish His
best into your life. There is a supply of abundance awaiting an opportunity to
pour into every area that affects your wellbeing, but first you must make room
to receive it. Clear out those things that clog your flow of His presence and
prepare to receive new springs of life.
Today's Prayer
God, thank you for
giving me the power to change my destiny. Help me to release whatever I need to
let go of, so that I can fully experience the flow of your Living Water in my
life. Help me to receive with joy the
gift of the present as I live and move in your presence. Cleanse me of toxic
emotions and bathe me in your healing streams of love daily. Prepare me to be a
living testimony of your goodness. Amen.
Bio:
Saundra Dalton-Smith is a physician, teacher, wife, and mother who is
passionate about helping women overcome the mental barriers that prevent them
from living free in Christ. She combines the knowledge and compassion of her
medical training with biblical principles to offer those bound by insecurity,
anxiety, fear, and doubt her prescription for living free. She is the author of
Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves. To
learn more about Saundra visit www.setfreetolivefreebook.com
