Faithful Friday / To Clean or Not? You Choose!

This is one of my favorite pictures! It's the way I think of Jesus. We can have victory in Jesus if we choose properly.

We've been talking the past 2 weeks about "Secret Faults", and I've shared that they are rooted in unhealed wounds from the past, saturated in unforgiveness, and how that we need to dig them out and remove them from our lives.

It's all about CHOICES! Each one of us makes the choice to clean or not to clean . . . the CHOICE IS OURS.

I'm so grateful for the healing and restoration that Jesus has worked in my life, but this story might not have had such a gloriously happy ending. Let me share with you what could have happened had I not allowed the Lord the freedom and liberty to cleanse me.

Deuteronomy 7:20 says,

"Moreover the Lord your God will send the hornet (letting me reap the consequences of sin in my life) among them until those (things in our hidden chambers) who are left, who hide themselves from you (in our subconscious , past experiences, hidden beliefs, and false assumptions!), are destroyed." [my paraphrase in parentheses]

Just the thought of it stings, doesn't it? God can use anything. He even uses our struggles with sin as a tool to encourage us to turn to Him for help, in removing the garbage in the hidden chambers. If He didn't, we would leave it there because cleaning it out is such an unpleasant and painful task!

Numbers 33:55 reads,

"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants (from these hidden chambers) of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain (of the garbage) shall be irritants in you eyes ( where you cannot see spiritually, clearly) and thorns in your sides

(causing you continual agonizing pain) and they shall vex you in the land ( of your walk with God) where you dwell." [my paraphrase in parentheses]

Are you weary of the struggle to walk like Jesus? Constantly, tripping over the failures of your own poor choices? Longing for, but never quite achieving His Abundant Life? If so, Please, join me in prayer:

Oh Sweet Precious Father,

We can approach You boldly because You love us so much. I praise You, Lord, for the inner healing that You ahve performed in my life. I thank You that I can live in Your Kingdom here and now. Your are truly the Awesome God! I'm so grateful that when I cried out to You for cleansing that You heard my plea (Psalm 34:4). When I asked for courage to look at all the garbaage and call it garbage, You gave that courage. Father, I ask for that same courage to be poured out for my borthers and sisters. Each one that is desperated enought to allow You to touch them, touch and heal issues in their lives that have been tormenting them for years.

Lord, we know that You can restore spiritual health to us and heal our wounds (Jeremiah 30:17a; 33:6). You desire truth in our inward parts (Psalm 51:6) for just that purpose. Show us Truth, Lord, and help us embrace it. Father, I ask that Your healing be released into every wounded soul that is praying this prayer. May they know the joy of Your abounding love!

I praise You that Psalm 146:7-8 is truth! "The Lord looseth the prisoners (those in bondage to the junk in their hidden chambers) . . . the Lord raiseth those who are bowed down (burdened from carrying all the baggage of past wounds and hurts)." Loose those reading and agreeing with these words and raise them up to new heights of glory in You, in Jesus' might name! AMEN!