1 Corinthians 9: 24 -27 NKJV
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
About a year ago, I believe the Lord dropped this phrase in my heart: “Declutter – make room for me”. Since then, I’ve been on this journey of decluttering my life. I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord in this season but I’m believing God that reading this will encourage your heart today and most importantly, you will hear the Lord say to you “this is the way, walk in it”. I pray that this season, you will know what to do and how to do it. The Spirit of God will instruct your heart with specific instructions on the path He has for you.
I’m not writing this from the place of having figured everything out. If anything, there are still clutters in my life that I need to get rid of. My desire is that together we will be challenged to give Jesus His rightful place in our lives. Every area of our lives that we declutter for God is a ground gained for Him and lost to the enemy.
One of the stanzas of the hymn, Higher Ground captures this idea of continuous work:
“I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I’m onward bound, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
When I got this instruction, I took it quite seriously. The first thing I did was to evaluate my life in line with God’s Word. I chose to ask myself the hard questions like;
“Who am I?
What has God called me to do?
Am I on track towards His assignment for me,” and so many other questions.
I had a few answers, but I also had to go back to God for a lot more answers and clarification. Once I had this cleared out, it was easy for me to adjust my life and schedule in the light of the end goal which is to be with Him in eternity. There are disciplines we must implement in our lives, decisions we must make, requests we must politely turn down, assignments we must embark on, relationships we must cultivate, and others we must let go of, if we are ever going to make it to the finish line. (1 Corinthians 9: 24 -27 NKJV)
Here are some dictionary meaning of the word declutter to help us.
· To remove mess or clutter from a place
· To organize and prioritize one’s commitments
· To remove unnecessary items
Some of the ways this has played out in my life is making little adjustments here and there on a regular basis. Adjustments as simple as turning off all notifications on my phone. The truth is, from time to time, there will be things the Lord would either want us to get rid of or something to add to our lives. We will only know this as we walk and fellowship with him. It is in this place of fellowship the Lord reveals His heart to us.
In Luke 10:38-41, Martha got a similar instruction.
“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38 – 41 (NLT)
Take an inventory of your schedule. What are you doing for God that may be preventing you from being with God? Have you been so busy lately filling your time with good activities that you barely have time to spend in His presence?
So many of us have sacrificed the one thing that is needful on the altar of nice to dos. The must dos are the non-negotiables; these are the activities that make us who we are. In 1 Corinthians 6:12 AMPC, the Apostle Paul said, “Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.”
The Holy Spirit is the one who will let you know what specific adjustment(s) you need to make. This is not a once and for all thing. It is something you will need to take stock of regularly in light of God’s plan for you. Here are a few ideas worth praying about.
· You may need to wake up earlier so you can spend time in prayer
· You may need to go off social media for an extended time so you can convert that time to study the Word or maybe just to rest your mind.
· You may need to eat less and bring your weight under control.
· You may want to start journaling your journey with God.
· Attempting a media fast for 1,2,3 or 14 days might be the declutter you need.
The bottom line is, allow the Holy Spirit tell you what you need to get rid of in your life and schedule at this time and the things you need to replace such activity with. For you, it might be to do certain things more – pray, study, rest, fast, encourage others, love, give, the list goes on. But the idea is to know the exact changes to make, and only the Spirit of God can help you with that.
I will leave us with these words from Lysa Terkeurst, “Underwhelm your schedule so God can overwhelm your soul.”
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