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“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Heb 12:1
Not only is the end of the year an excellent time to clean house” and prepare for another year, but it is also an excellent time for leaders to clean their spiritual house. Real change requires cleaning house.
If you can’t find the motivation to clean your physical house, then cleansing your spiritual house may seem like an enormous task. But this is where you need to use your best energy—because the Lord wants you to use your life to become more like Christ. And becoming more like Him sometimes requires you to make significant changes.
The Bible says it this way: “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” Heb 12:1.
To decide what you need to clean in your spiritual house, you must discern what is in my life that needs to be different. Ask yourself questions like, what might be slowing me down?
If you want a healthy body, then you need to keep more nutritious food in your house or create a meal plan. Or you may need to commit to regular exercise, even if you start small with 20 minutes a day of cardio, strength training, and stretching exercises.
If you want a healthy mind, you may need to unsubscribe from some magazines or block some channels. You may need to delete some apps or set healthier screen time boundaries.
If you want a healthy schedule, then you need to decide what the Lord says is most important to you. Then, you remove the less important activities from your schedule. It could be good ones so you can focus more on what matters most to the Lord. Don’t let the good crowd out the great!
If you want a clean heart, you need to pray, ask God what you must confess, and then confess those things and forsake them. It can be the most challenging step of spiritual cleaning. You recognize and root out sins that cause unhealthy habits throughout your spiritual house through confession.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:22, “…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
Now is the best time to clean house—but it’s not a one-time habit. Just like you must clean your physical home regularly, you must ask hard questions to identify what spiritual rooms need a good cleaning. Then, with God’s blessing, get to work and keep it clean.
Ask Yourself
- Why is it essential to pray before I try to clean up any area of my life?
- In what areas of my life do I find it most challenging to make changes?
Action Step
- Invest time today asking the Lord where you need to do some cleaning in your personal life. Confess your sin to Him and ask for strength to do the challenging but rewarding work of change.
