Week One

Well, it has officially been one week of my “spiritual cleansing” month.


This is so much harder than I imagined it would be. But also exponentially better than I could have fathomed.

The Lord has been gracious enough to reveal certain needs with in me; some are sources of comfort that need to be purged, but most are comforts that simply need to be monitored and redeemed. For instance, keeping a check on my conversation and being cautious to avoid behaviors that I simply do to get attention- my pride needs to be purged. There’s no room for that in a child of God. That is sin; it is working for the glory of self, not the glory of God. Stealing glory from God is not a fruit of the Spirit, it is a fruit of the enemy.

However, make-up and coffee are things I think I can use in a redeemed way. They are not an idol in my life, they don’t harm my witness, and they are neutral items that can be used for good or evil. That means I must use them with caution. But I do think that they can be used by godly people, for the glory of God. I am still avoiding them for this month, simply for the sake of redeeming my use of them. I depended on them far more than I realized. It’s not that I feel ugly without make up, but I do want to put it on. To be honest, I want to put it on REALLY bad- just because it makes me feel prettier. I don’t find my identity in it, but I can be supplementing my identity with it- which is still sin. I must take this month to redeem my motives before I can properly redeem the use of these items.

God has proved to be so faithful throughout this month, and far more patient than I deserve. He has been gracious in exposing my sinful heart, the root sin of my behaviors, and enabling me by His Spirit to resist those sinful desires (most of the time). I’m sure that I still have huge blind spots, but the Lord has been faithful to give me what I can handle. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on this journey of cleansing through November, and let me know if I can encourage you in any way!