Cleaning the Trash

Luke 11:39 NLT

“Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy -- full of greed and wickedness!”

I watched someone clean their trash the other day. They rinsed everything off and even washed some of the things before they through them in the trash can. I asked why they felt the need to do this, afterall, we do live in the desert and for all I knew, maybe they were afraid of ants or other bugs who like trash. But, the answer I received was something that I didn’t expect. The reply was “Because the trash is dirty and I need to make it clean when I throw it away.”

It got me thinking about how so many times, before I became a Christian, I would try and “clean my trash” before I threw it away, placing the blame on other people for the problems and events that had taken place, finding other people who would support my actions and make it seem like the choices I were making were ok. But, the truth is, my trash was trash.. no matter how much I tried to clean it, it still ended up in the same place: The garbage can.

Hebrews 10:22 says “let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

When I became a Christian, God took all the trash, threw it away and filled me with the Holy Spirit. I do my best not to allow the trash to get back in, but there are times it does. But now, when God cleans me, the trash disappears. He makes me whole and he fills me with comfort and peace and all sorts of amazing things. We have all been made clean through the blood of Christ!!! There is no trash to dirty for God to cleanse. We can face the world with our heads held high, knowing that we are one with Christ!!!

The Armor of God, Day 1....

 10           Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11        Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12     For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13      Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14            Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15             and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16    In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17       Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ^[1]

The armor of God…every day, we should put on the armor of God…as we know, the things we fight in this world are not carnal…and as Christians, we are open to spiritual attack from every angle. Over the next 6 days, I want to share with you how I put on the armor of God.

Day 1: The Belt of truth:

Before a Roman soldier put on his armor, he put a belt around his waist. This held his garments together and served as a place on which to hang his armor. The belt of truth refers not to the facts of the gospel but to subjective truth, a believer’s integrity and faithfulness. As a soldier’s belt or sash gave ease and freedom of movement, so truth gives freedom with self, others, and God.^[2]

Satan fights with lies and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God's truth, which can defeat Satan's lies. Author Andrew Knowles says that The belt of truth holds the Christian together, giving an integrity of belief and behaviour.^[3]

As you start your day today, put on your belt of truth. Delve into God’s word to see what truth he has for you today!

What can you do to put on your   belt of truth?

How can the truth found in God’s word, help you in your daily life?

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^[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eph 6:10–17.

^[2] John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-), Eph 6:14.

^[3] Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001), 622.

This little light of mine.......

Isn’t it great how God can speak to each and every doubt and question, even before you think about them? Today, I was sitting here, thinking about what I should write about…or even if I should write at all. Is anyone even reading this stuff anyhow? What makes me think that I have something to offer the world? I certainly can’t do this for a living…there are to many other people our there that write better than I do.

These are the doubtful thoughts that have been trying to make their way into my mind every morning and even throughout the day. They hadn’t gotten to me yet this morning, this time, God got here first. As I was going through my emails and reading the several devotionals that come into my inbox every day, I came across this one sentence that jumped off the page at me:

“God gave you a message to share. Don't keep it to yourself.” ~anonymous 

He gave each and everyone of us a message. Our lives are a living example to everything God has done based upon what we allow. The more we give him to work with, the more he can do and the bigger the message can be. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16)

My light shines through what I write.

What is your light?

What is keeping you from shining your light to the world?

Dear Lord, Today you showed me that you are hear and you are always with me. You have showed me yet again, just how faithful you are. Lord, when we truly trust you for everything and place our lives in your hands, you can do fantastic and wonderous things. More than anything we could ever imagine! Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for loving us so much!!! Lord, reveal to us, what our light is and show us how to shine it for all the world to see. AMEN!