Heart Hoarding

Authentic outside change starts with an inside work of God

We live in a very aesthetic focused world.  The world is fixated on the outside.  The gospel of Jesus is just the opposite. We are in need of rescue, not from the outside, but from the inside. You see, the trouble is you can make the outside look good while the inside is dead.

Matthew 23:27 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

Authentic outside change starts with an inside work of God

When I lived in California, not only was I a pastor, but also I was a paint contractor. I had one particular property that had 680 units to take care of. When people would move out, I would clean the carpet, clean all the inside, and paint the unit fresh for the next tenant.

All the units looked the same from the outside. All the doors were red with a doorknocker and a peephole. You could pick any hallway and walk it, and every apartment would appear the same.

However, they were not all the same on the inside. I would often find some crazy stuff on the inside once I was allowed access.  I was once called to take care of a unit, and when I stepped inside I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The entire three-bedroom apartment was a foot deep in trash. One of the bathrooms was unusable because it had trash all the way to the ceiling. There were only a few paths that went from room to room. I was completely blown away by what I was seeing.

The apartment manager had asked the man how it got this way and he replied, “Little by little I made a choice not to get rid of what I didn’t need.” From outside, the unit looked like all the others, but inside it was a mess.

So what about you? Is there something on the inside you have not surrendered to God? Do you truly understand that we are spirit, soul, and body according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23?

Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We should never come to God and give him just our outside to clean up.  We must give him all of ourselves.  Otherwise, we are seeking a religious God and not a relationship God.

Authentic outside change starts with an inside work of God.

What would happen today if you would let him have every area of the inside of you heart? All Growth in Christ demands surrender. If there is a mess inside the apartment of your heart, I would ask you to allow Him in. He will clean it all up so you can truly live free.

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