FRIDAY: EVICTION NOTICE

Sep 9, 2022
2 min read

Lord, today I want to evict everything in my heart that You don’t want there. Please help me concentrate on the things You want for me instead of my desires for myself.

1 Peter 1:22-2:3

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

To be pure, I need to obey: if no obedience, then no purity. A lack of purity leaves a foul-smelling, unclean heart. An unclean heart cannot produce sincere love.

To obtain a clean heart, I need to start with seeking God. Through seeking Him I can be born again. When I’m born again, He will plant an imperishable seed inside me: Himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit.

After God is implanted in my heart, I can feed my spirit with the living and enduring the Word of God. Without it, my glory is like withering grass and falling flowers. With it, I learn that I will endure forever because of Jesus’ glory in my life.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: I’d better get started cleaning house if I’m serious about making enough room for the Spirit of God in my heart. I want to rid myself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, and slander of every kind. No more lying. No more trying to be someone I’m not. No more hiding from God when I’m fearful or angry. The Holy Spirit will not get along with any of these inhabitants of my heart, so I need to ask God to evict them and surrender to Him if I’m serious about following Jesus.

Once the clutter is cleansed from my heart, it will be just like starting over. I won’t be able to eat real food until I have developed teeth to chew. Until then, like a newborn, I will crave pure spiritual milk which will help me to grow up in my salvation.

Lord, I have tasted that Your Word is good, and it is filling. Help me crave it and hunger for it like never before. Allow me to feast on it and devour it, so I can grow up in You. Please cleanse my heart today and allow me to be free from sinful desires!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman