What is the first thing you do to get ready for your shower? Well, you need to take off all your clothes. Ok, before you think I’m a crazy Californian wanting to talk about getting naked during a short devotional message, just bear with me. We’re actually going to talk about taking a spiritual shower. I felt so grateful to be asked to share this message a couple of months ago at a Ladies Luncheon at my church. The community here in Arkansas has welcomed my husband and me with such warmth and we’re glad to be here.
Regardless of where you are and at what life stage you are in right now, I hope this brief devotional refreshes and challenges you. Every time you take a shower, you can be reminded that our heart needs a good wash too!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljAa9e_WYi8&w=560&h=315]
Key Points to Remember:
- Open yourself to God. (Get naked)
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
- Be cleansed. (Take a shower)
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your
salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
- Train your heart. (Get dressed)
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.“
At home:
- Read the whole chapter to soak in the full context of the verses above. Savor the words by reading them out loud, memorizing a verse or passage that caught your attention, or writing them out in your journal.
- Take a spiritual shower. For those of you who have put your trust in Christ, go through these steps in prayer, letting the Holy Spirit highlight areas that aren’t right and need cleansing. Let Him teach you ways that you can train your heart to willingly submit to Him.
- For those of you haven’t taken that first step of faith in Jesus: taking a spiritual “heart shower” is a great place to start.