Spring Cleaning of the Heart
As a young Christian teenager I remember reading the tract, “My Heart Christ’s Home“. The thrust of this tract was allowing Christ to penetrate each level of your heart until you have done a complete personal inventory. The author strove to illustrate the how of Jesus Christ dealing with hurts and fears as He brought them to mind. Like walking through a home, the author addressed each area.
Then in the end he referred to a drawer or closet which was locked and inaccessible. The author pinpointed this locked area as the place where we hide the worst thoughts and deepest hurts in our lives. The Christian in the scenario did not want to let Christ into that area. But Jesus continued to point to that door until the Christian was willing to humble himself, open it up, and deal with the issues.
Healing cannot come to our hearts until we are willing to face the issue, deal with it, and then turn it over to the Lord. We are instructed in I Peter 5:7 to cast our cares on Jesus. “Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you” I Peter 5:7. Christ will continue to work on our hearts until we are willing to allow him to open that padlock. He will always provide the strength to face these issues and promises the victory to those who are just willing. Freedom from some situation can take years to work through, but through Jesus Christ we can do it. Phil 4:13. Some issues traverse the very quick of our deepest soul.
Beware if someone states you can have instant freedom– other than in salvation. Once we are forgiven we are free, but that does not mean that our situation changes over night. Scarring from years and years takes time to work through. A wounded spirit must learn to trust again, hope again, and rest in Christ. Instead be realistic and realize that some issues which are deeply rooted in our lives may take years to totally gain victory over. There is no shame in that! It can be so devastating to a believer when someone tells them they are fine since they got their heart right about an issue, but then the believer continues to struggle with it. Staying under good consistent counsel, drawing close to another sister or brother in Christ (Note: men should always counsel men and women should always counsel women), and a steady diet of Bible reading and prayer will yield that victory.
The result of leaving issues unresolved can be detrimental to our spiritual walk and even our physical well being. Grudges are a type of issue, almost a sickness, that can rear its ugly head and distract us from Christ. Physically worry and anxiety can lead to physical problems too. So dealing with situations and getting the help you need, is vital to us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I once heard a guest pastor at our church preach about a grudge that he had been carrying for years. He said that whenever he thought about the situation and dwelt on it the bitterness would well up inside of him. After attending a Prayer Retreat weekend some of the messages began to work on this ‘locked drawer’ that was buried very deep in his heart. At an invitation he surrendered this area to Christ. He felt God’s deep healing water sweep over his soul and had a release from the power of this grudge.
If there are issues that you would like help with and through perhaps some private counseling with Pastor Mike and his wife would be helpful. The first step in achieving the victory that you so deeply need and desire is to admit you need help and then reach out to someone. In times of trial God gives us other believers to lean on, but if we are not willing to seek help, others may never know of our needs. So don’t let Satan have the victory and let the hurt control your life. Instead let the Balm of Gilead touch your heart and the Rose of Sharon blossom in the darkest reaches of your heart.
~Please note that it appears that this booklet is now out of print but some copies are still listed for sale on Amazon.