Spring Cleaning!

I am not messing around this year. I am on a cleaning spree and stripping our house top to bottom of all the things that are not necessity and are just laying around. I'm tired of the clutter and of things not having a designated spot. Even the kids toys feel out of control.

We are going to have a garage sale. Make that several garage sales, because we have too much stuff to put it all out for just one. Sad, I know. All the money we make is going towards the last bit of debt we have. Our goal is to be debt free as soon as possible, including our mortgage. Yep, you heard me correctly! We want to be free from all monetary bondage! And free to use the money we make however the Lord leads us to use it, to further His Kingdom.

I am really feeling motivated and I know it's from the Lord. I have been telling Him how I'm just sick and tired in the stuff lifestyle we are saturated in by this world. And I want to live so much more simply. I just feel so tired everyday. There is so much that I want to do but I just can't do it on my own. I want to be a good steward of all that He provides for us, including our income and the abundance that He gives us to give to help others and share the love of Jesus!

So this morning, I forewent {whoa, didn't know if that was a real word, but I guess it is!} my scheduled training work out and spent my energy deep cleaning and gutting out our bedrooms. It was such a great feeling to eliminate all the excess and finally have a place for each thing that we need and/or that we actually use {so long half used bottles of lotion from five years ago and crusty dried out nail polish!}.

I plan on using the rest of this week {and probably next week too} to eventually hit every single spot/corner/closet/drawer/storage container until I get rid of everything we don't need or use and everything that is left has a place. Today was bedrooms, tomorrow is living room and kitchen!

Oh, and I'm also planning on starting this challenge for myself tomorrow. I can't wait to get my devotion time back to, well devotion to my Jesus! Will you join us?

Isaiah study

"I will meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways"

Psalm 119:15

I mentioned before that I'm doing my first precepts* study and I would really like to share what God is showing me personally. I figure if I don't have my testimony of the Lord's work in me, what do I have? And if I don't share that testimony, what am I doing? I pray that if nothing else, if you are reading this, that you see how gracious, patient, merciful, loving and kind God is if He will take the time to show Himself faithful, in even the littlest things, in a sinner's life such as mine.

*a precept is: a commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct. God's word is His commandment, direction, instructions to us! Studying His precepts is to meditate on these and really know them. If we know them then we will know Him.

We completed chapters 1 and 2 of Isaiah last week and I learned so much! I learned the context of history and the state of the people who Isaiah was speaking to. Lots of history. Lots of sin. Lots of idolotry.

One of the things I desire from this study is to be cautious of gaining head knowledge that never travels to and transforms my heart. I have seen God's faithfulness in answering my prayers on this because as we go through th history and the context of this book, He has made it about the similarities of my life, my choices and my sin, rather then focusing on what the Isrealites were doing, how they were disobedient. As if I'm uncapable of the same sins as they were committing.

Instead He has been faithful to answer my prayer and prepare my heart to see how I am the same. Capable of idol and mindless worship, to go through ritual actions but lack the true heart of sacrifice and praise that God really wants from me. Oh, I am so guilty.

But He is ready, waiting to forgive. Every time.

"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.

Isaiah 1:11

Of course, we don't offer these kind of sacrifices any more. That was replaced by the ultimate sacrifice, the pure blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. But we are called to lay our lives down, pick up our cross and follow in Christ's footsteps. {Luke 9:23} Loving a life of sacrifice to others unto the Lord. 

But our sacrifices can be come empty or for man's approval and praise instead purely unto the Lord. I am afraid that many of mine have. God is showing me this but I know He won't stop at that. Just as in Isaiah He gives the Israelites the opportunity to turn back to Him and He'll forgive them and make them new! He does the same  for me.

"Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them."

Isaiah 1:14 {emphasis mine}

I'm going to be honest, this one stings. I know God had this verse for me right now. The way that He says "your" to these activities that the people where doing and calling them worship. They weren't from God. He never asked them to do them. Disobeying God isn't just doing what He told us not to do, but also doing what He never intended us to do in the first place.

After reading this and hearing Him speak right to my heart, I have to stop and think how much of my time is filled with activities or desires that He never intended for me. I'll tell you, it's stopped me dead in my tracks and makes me want to get on my face, repent of my actions and ask Him to teach me, show me just what to cut out, what to keep and what to add.

Time is short. Jesus is coming back to judge and to reign this earth. When we don't know, but He will return, that is certain. What will He find me doing? Furthering my kingdom or His?