Cleaning Up the Inside

You know when you go to the cabinet and pull out a cup? It looks clean, but then you look inside and realize it's dirty. My guess is you throw back into the sink or dishwasher to clean it up properly. Jesus addresses this issue with the Pharisees in Luke 11:37-41. They get upset with Jesus when he comes to dinner because he didn't wash his hands like the rest of them. Jesus rebukes them saying "you Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy..." He also points out that God made the inside as well as the outside, and he encourages them to clean both.

So, what does a "dirty cup" look like in us?

• When we are dirty on this inside, the fruit produced is not from God. The filth might come out in the form of greed, doubt, blame, victimization, anger, anxiety, depression, hatred, worthlessness, shame, etc. When you notice this fruit in your life, be alerted to the fact that you need a Jesus bath.
• A clean cup produces good fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control. Light radiates from us because the love of God shines brightly.

How did I get dirty?

• There are lots of ways to become dirty on the inside. The most common is being offended by someone or something. When we are offended by someone/thing, we emotionally identify with hurtful events. At emotionally vulnerable times, "hitchhikers" attach themselves to our emotions and create turmoil in our minds and hearts. Another might come in the form of believing a lie, or identifying with a negative thought and taking it on as truth. One more contributor comes from making bad choices and not repenting of those sins.
• An outworking of offenses, lies and sin can be physical pain. For example, when stress takes hold of our lives, the outworking of stress can be stomach pain, neck pain, acne and backaches. In the absence of a physical accident, these painful things are physical signs of spiritual activity (anxiety/fear). 

How do I get clean?

• There's only one way to get clean...and that's through Jesus.
• Step one: You're alerted to the dirt in the cup, so to speak.
• Step two: Ask Jesus to reveal the moment you "got dirty."
• Step three: Ask Jesus to show you the feelings associated with the moment, and what you identified with in that moment. (fear, anxiety, worthlessness, doubt, blame, etc).
• Step four: In Jesus' name, get rid of the thing you identified with or lie you believed. If it's a sin you committed, ask for forgiveness.
• Step five: Now there's an open space so ask Jesus to fill it with the opposite of whatever was there. If it's a sin you've been forgiven of, ask for strength to say no next time. 
• Step six: Close up your prayer, and REJOICE IN YOUR FREEDOM! You're free! Celebrate and keep going.

Find freedom in all areas of your life and watch God move freely throughout you so you can be a light in the world. Let him clean out the darkness and fill it with love and light and watch mindsets change, sickness vanish, and healing take place.