Cleaning Up the Attic!

Have you ever given your attic a good cleaning? You work all day organizing, wiping out the dust, cleaning out the cobwebs; yet, you climb back up tomorrow only to discover the dust and cobwebs are right back. Keeping your attic clean and in order, involves a commitment to cleaning it up on a regular basis.

Keeping our hearts and minds clean is similar to cleaning up that attic. We spend time praying, confessing our faults and sins, reading GOD’s Word, living according to GOD’s standard; yet, we discover the worldly thoughts and the grime of the world have returned soon after. Discouragement can easily set in which can easily lead to complacency and a desire to just give up.

It seems it would be easier to just go back to living the old life at times. Yet, we know in our hearts that is not the answer. GOD has brought us too far to return to the old life and ways. We need to recognize that the attic of our mind simply needs a daily purging of the cobwebs and washing down by the truth of the Word. The heart needs to cleansed by the power of GOD’s Spirit.

Paul instructs us to: “not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 HCSB). Cleaning up the attic of our mind involves two things according to Paul—determining to not be conformed to the ways of this world and determining to be transformed by the ongoing process of mind renewal.

Like cleaning up the attic, mind transformation and renewal is an ongoing process. Paul recognized this fact in his life and determined to continue moving forward. We can learn to do likewise by considering his instruction found in Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (HCSB).

Begin to decide today that your heart and mind are not where they should be. Decide you are going forward nevertheless. As you consider the prize of heaven, forget your past and its ways and keep pressing on to the prize ahead. Allow the Word of GOD to purge your heart and mind of this world’s ways as you continue to clean up the attic of your mind.