Use Your 'Sanitizer' Today?

In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, Dawn Wilson asks us to consider how God "sanitizes" us, and whether we are willing to come to him for that cleansing process.

With the Coronavirus, fear has gripped many hearts. Doctors urge people to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, and when that's not possible, to use hand sanitizer gels.

As I used my hand sanitizer yesterday while out in public, I had this thought:

"Everyone is so concerned about protecting themselves from the virus. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christians were as concerned about protecting themselves from sin?"

Our heart, the Bible says, is "desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9))—desperately wicked and humanly beyond cure. We are all sin-sick from birth and cannot meet His holy, glorious standard (Romans 3:23),

Our heart before God is the issue.

We need to seek and know Him, and follow His plan for transforming our heart—first, in salvation, and second, in sanctification.

1. We Need to Be Cleansed in the Blood of Jesus.

This is all about our salvation and our position in Christ.

Again, no attempts at self-improvement work when it comes to our "sin problem" (Ephesians 2:8-9). It's not by "works of righteousness" (Titus 3:5-7) that we are cleansed in God's sight.

Our cleansing is all about God's mercy and grace!

It is the blood of Jesus that "cleanses us from sin" (1 Peter 1:19). We need to receive what He accomplished for us on the cross.

Old Testament Jewish saints followed God's strict laws for purity and cleansing (Isaiah 1:16), but they needed cleansing that went far beyond keeping the law.

God wanted His people to understand the state of their hearts.

They needed new hearts!

Their inability to keep all the law reminded them to look forward in faith to the coming Messiah. And the Messiah finally came.

Jesus did what no one else could do. He lived righteously, keeping all the law (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21)—allowing Him to be our sinless Savior (Romans 8:3-10; 10:3-4). He established a way to be right with God (Hebrews 9:13-14), and our conscience was cleansed so we can "serve the living God."

When God cleanses us in Christ—when we call on Jesus' name for salvation—we are pronounced ceremonially clean (Titus 2:14; 3:5). We are declared righteous in Him (Colossians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

That is what happens at our moment of salvation. We are right with God. Our standing before Him is changed forever, because when He looks at us, He sees our Mediator, Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5; Acts 4:12). We have eternal life with God (John 3:16-18).

Our sins are "washed away" (Acts 2:21; 22:16)

Have you ever watched the joy of baptism? The person being baptized smiles and sometimes even jumps with joy in the baptistry! Baptism is a outward picture of what has already happened within us. In God's sight, we are now "whiter than snow" (Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7).

2. We Need to Be Cleansed by the Word and Spirit

This is all about our continuing sanctification, or being made holy like Jesus—conformed (Romans 8:29) to His righteousness. If we say we are alive and abiding in Christ, we should be walking like Him, imitating Him (1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

There are different kinds of contagious "viruses" that spread too easily among Christians—sins like greed, gossip, grumbling and a graceless spirit, to name a few!

This should not be.

Until we go to live with the Lord in eternity future—where our righteous Judge has already declared us justified (Romans 8:33)—we will still struggle with temptations and the ugly presence of sin in our lives on earth.

We need to be working out the salvation that God has already worked in, in Christ (Philippians 2:12).

Think about it.

A hand sanitizer does nothing for us when it sits in our glove compartment, pocket or purse. We need to take it up and use it.

We need cleansing DAILY!

We need to wash our hearts every day with the "sanitizing" power of the Word of God—reading it, meditating on it, delighting in it and memorizing it (Psalm 51:10; Psalm 119:9-16).

The Holy Spirit—who moved on men to write God's Word (2 Peter 1:20-21)—will continue to use scripture to clean up and protect our thoughts, attitudes, conversations and behavior (1 Corinthians 2:9-16; John 16:12-13).

As we saturate our lives with God's Word, we begin to have the desire to live out in our lives practically what God has already declared positionally (2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 3:3). We learn to walk in "the light" (1 John 1:7), and the power of Jesus' sacrifice continues to cleanse us. We are increasingly transformed in our thinking and conduct (Romans 12:1-2).

God has provided for daily forgiveness as part of that cleansing (1 John 1:9), and the indwelling Holy Spirit teaches us (John 14:26) how to walk in the Word, will and ways of Father God.

Have you used your spiritual "sanitizer" today? If not, why not?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, at Revive Our Hearts, a blogger at TrueWoman.com, writes wiki-type posts at  Christianity.com, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Does Your Soul Need a Spring Cleaning?

I love Letitia Suk's intentionality. "Tish" goes right to the heart of matters and designs ways to make wise choices. In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she offers a fresh take on "spring cleaning."

“Just about all the magazines on the impulse rack by the check-out these days are targeted to get me in the clean-up and organize mode: aka "spring cleaning,'" Letitia says, “But I’m thinking 'Does my soul need a spring cleaning?'" 

When spring came, I (Dawn) used to dread spring cleaning. No fun. As I've matured, I realize what a blessing a cleaning "restart" can be. And Letitia asks an interesting question. Maybe my behavior shows I need a "restart" too.

Letitia continues . . .

Each magazine at the check-out features some sort of cover tease on a new technique to refresh my entire home, or my kitchen, or just my closet. I usually derive enough inspiration from the cover without ever buying the magazine!

My mom had the same intention for me, maybe fueled by the magazines of her time. I can easily call up vivid memories of the annual pulling all my bedroom furniture out into the hallway and going after the windows and floor boards. The best part of the day was the final rearranging of furniture for the new season.

When it was my turn to be the mom, we spent the first day of spring break surrounded by buckets and rags followed by pizza for lunch and fun the rest of the week. A disagreeable chore still talked about but with laughter now.

The kids are gone now, the house stays cleaner by itself or I occasionally hire some help with the big tasks.

The longing for “spring cleaning” still shows up though.

In this season of my life, the clutter of my soul shouts louder than the disarray in my closet.

After a long Midwest winter, I am ready for something new. A similar, but distinct version of the fresh start of the new year. Time to clear out the winter crud and plant some new seeds.

In my backyard garden yes, but in my soul first. For me this process needs an actual time and place.

If you are feeling that longing too, try this:

1. Get out of the house.

On your way out, grab a notebook if you are a paper-girl or have an electronic-something to record your plans.

A personal retreat is ideal, but a coffee shop can work just fine too.

2. Turn off your phone notifications and ask God to help you focus on your soul-cleaning.

A scary but effective prayer is right out of the Psalms:

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

Usually He points out something!

Over the winter, our souls can get dirty, cobwebby, cluttered with stuff that needs to go.

3. Once you’ve identified what needs to go, hand it over.

Like digging up weeds before planting seedlings.

• Too much internet or TV?
• Not enough intentionality to the day to day?
• More worrying than praying?

You usually already know what your gotta-go areas are. Picture the water of life wiping your soul clean after you go after the dirt.

4. Rearrange your inner life like your home by looking for fresh things to add and putting some items away for now.

• Can you rearrange or drop some of your optional commitments?
• Change up your winter readings for something new?
• Do your weekends need more fun instead of more work?
• How’s The concept of Sabbath going for you?

5. Once again invite God to help you keep your soul clean.

“Create in me a clean heart” (Psalm 53:10).

Done! Like your freshly cleaned kitchen floor, your soul won’t stay spotless for long but some “clean as you go” methods will likely keep the new sense of order in place.

When can you schedule your spring soul cleaning?

Letitia (Tish) Suk invites women to create an intentional life centered in Jesus. She is a blogger and author of Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat and Rhythms of Renewal. Tish is a speaker, personal retreat guide and life coach in the Chicago area. For more information about Letitia Suk, visit her webpage.

Graphic adapted, courtesty of Ben White at Unsplash.