What clutters your sanctuary?


 TODAY'S PROVERB: It is better to live on a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. Proverbs 21:9

What fills our home? Today's proverb reminds me of Proverb 14:1: A wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

Yes. That is our "superpower," my sisters. For good or evil.

In today's proverb a quarrelsome wife--or woman, or mom--fills their home with such dissension it pushes out her loved ones.

It reminds me of the television show HOARDERS. The program profiles those poor souls with homes filled with stuff. Their inability to let go of possessions has created unlivable situations. From china to plastic bags to empty cans of green beans, the thought of throwing anything away causes great distress. And, this disorder occurs in both men and women.

While this type of hoarding is a disease, it prompted me to ask myself: What do I "hoard?" What am I afraid of letting go? What do I fill my home with that pushes people away?

My list is almost as long as a "real" hoarder: guilt, anger, perfection, regret, the need to be right, fear, unforgiveness, offense--just to name a few.

If I don't discard this stuff each day, they will accumulate and make me unbearable to live with.

How do I clean out the clutter? Reading Proverbs daily helps with identifying the poor choices that create the spiritual clutter. But, how do I get rid of them?

I have a few favorite passages that help me with daily spiritual housecleaning. Verses that open my heart to the Holy Spirit's conviction of what I'm hoarding, so He can help me make short work of throwing them out. I hope they'll help you:

Psalm 19:13-14: Who can discern his errors? Cleanse me of hidden faults. Also keep Your servant from willful sins. May they not have dominion over me. Then I will be blameless, free from great transgression.

Psalm 90:8: You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

Psalm 119:133: Direct my footsteps in Your word, and let no iniquity get mastery over me.

Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Mark 11:25: "Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your transgressions.”

What are the things we have been hoarding? If there are a lot of things, know that our loving Father wants more than anything for us to be set free. Proverbs, repentance, deliverance, prayer, an open heart are all ways we can get rid of the garbage and keep our "homes" clean.

Then, our homes will be the sanctuary GOD intends them to be.

May our homes be clutter-free and a true sanctuary, my friends.

Proverbs 21:9, Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs

[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]

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