From the Edges – Cleaning Out Stuff – Morning Devotional

From the Edges – Morning Devotions

Cleaning Out Stuff –

Pastor Calvin Cook – August 26, 2024

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Since we moved last July to our new home, I have been working through an accumulation of stuff. After 27 years of marriage Gail and I have accumulated so much stuff, some of it good, some of it un-needed and un-usable, and much we ponder the question “why did I keep this”.  When we moved I set a goal to be down-sized of all this stuff in a year. A year has come and gone and I’m still dealing with it.  Still moving un-needed stuff to different locations, putting it in a hidden place in a tote or in a storage unit where at least I won’t have to look at it. I have made some progress but part of the problem, I haven’t set my mind to finishing it. This becomes a two-fold problem, just doing it and dealing with it and avoiding the distractions that keep me from doing it.  Regardless this stuff is still there.

I at the same time am thinking about the things in the depths of my soul that I need to get rid of. Fears, anguish, the haunting of past failures, addictions, animosity, anger, and all those things that are keeping me from my right relationship with Jesus. This is sin, it is keeping me and controlling me from moving forward, moving into what is called holiness. We all have them, but it has become so much easier just to stash it away and deal with it at another time. Just as I continue to do with this physical stuff, I am doing with the things that are unseen in my soul.

All of this begins with confession. I am confessing to you, I don’t have it all together with this physical stuff. I am going to need some help to get rid of this, some of the stuff I have is to heavy to move on my own, I’m going to need some help. For the removal of the sin and stuff in our life we have Jesus.

1 John 1:9 gives us clarity on how it’s a four step process –  1. Recognition – recognizing the sins in our life that we need to get rid of.  Self diagnosis is tough, admit that everything about is not right, you are not perfect, and you don’t have it all together.  2 – Confession – it is one thing to recognize, it is another thing to confess, there is a difference. Confession is freeing us and moves us to the step. 3. Forgiveness – Clean it out and I don’t want to go back to it again. This happens after we recognize our sinfulness and confess our sin to Jesus and then step 4 becomes Redemption – leaving the sin and never going back, allowing Jesus to take it away and making sure we don’t bring it back.

I am prayerfully thanking God for this teaching this morning inspired by the Holy Spirit, through some quiet time with the Lord, teaching from God’s Holy word and a desire to move forward as a follower of Jesus. I don’t like it, I am making excuses, I am choosing to delay, I can keep it hidden, are all things I am saying. The first sin I must clear out of my life is the sin of procrastination.  Again remember – Recognition, Confession, Forgiveness, and Redemption.