Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:7-10

 

We typically keep our house clean throughout the week. Our hands touch the vacuum cleaner once a week and take the trash out almost daily. But there is one thing that always seems to be neglected, the baseboards. Those rascals that line the house sit there and accumulate dust. After a few months, one of us gets on our knees and cleans them. I’d call that a deep clean.

 

Probably for the most part you try to live your life in a God honoring way. But like me, I’m sure there are areas of your life that quietly accumulate a less noticed sin that never crosses your mind until it’s heavy on your heart. Today’s passage gives some great advice to deep clean your soul. Getting on your knees and praying to God, with tears and mourning, for the buildup of sin that you have failed to acknowledge and ask for God’s forgiveness. Once you begin this prayer, the Holy Spirit works to remove the guilt and shame through tears of a sorrowful heart, and once again your soul is restored. Once restored you become a more useful vessel for the Lord. 

 

Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuael 2:30

 

Honor God by deep cleaning your soul today. He is ready to forgive and cleanse your heart so you can walk unhindered by the entanglement of sin. God bless!