Maintenance Cleaning

I am always amazed at the amount of dust and other debris my vacuum picks up. It has been less than a week since I ran the vacuum last. The weather has been particularly nice out, so we haven't allowed our dogs in our house, we've left our shoes by the door and we've kept our food in the kitchen. You would think that in doing all these things, we wouldn't have so much dirt in our house. But we do.

I despise the task, but once it is done I always enjoy emptying the container that holds the dirt, and looking at the clean floor. I love having a clean house. The problem is, I need to stay disciplined to keep it like that. I need to my chores on a daily basis, or things start to get gross. I find that when I am in my routine, it doesn't feel like such a task, but becomes second nature.

The same goes for our spiritual homes. No matter what we do as humans to prevent dirt and debris from entering our lives, it inevitably gets in. It isn't enough to be a good person and do praiseworthy things (like leave your shoes by the door- aka, serve in a ministry or help out someone in need). The dirt always finds a way in. The devil has a way of disguising himself and trying to creep in our homes, our lives. We must do our daily maintenance cleaning. We need to spend time with God in His Word and In prayer. We must put on the Full Armor of God to take our stand against the devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18). Satan wants only to kill, steal and destroy. He wants us to feel stressed. He wants our marriages to crumble. But not God- He wants us to live an abundant life (John 10:10)! We have to be aware of the spiritual warfare going on at all times, and always be prepared for battle. I am not only protecting my life, but my family's lives as well.

It all comes back to priorities. What is your center? What does your spiritual home look like?

If our axis is off, everything else will be too.