Spiritual Elbow Grease

We’ve been having mold problems in our bathroom shower. One of the reasons is because the bathroom is so small, it doesn’t have great ventilation, so it has constant moisture in there (two people can fit in the bathroom side by side and that’s pretty much it). The other reason: well, laziness to be honest. It seems like whenever we try to get to the bottom of the mold problem, it creeps back in. Other things in life get in the way, and before we know it, it just doesn’t seem as important anymore. We push it off to the side. We’re tired of putting in the elbow grease with no reward. We assume our spouse will take care of it. Until one day we’re both looking at it with complete disgust, wondering how things got so out of control.

And than my husband said something that I thought was worth repeating: “I am so sick of my spiritual life looking like the corners of our bathroom shower.” Yikes!

Let me tell you, I’ve been there! In fact, right now I am fighting putting in the elbow grease of feeding my spirit verses the flesh. I have gotten lazy putting in the work of spiritual warfare. Sometimes I don’t feel like reading my Bible. And phewieee, when I am annoyed, stressed, and frustrated, the last thing I want to do is go into worship!

But God tells me: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

Wow, I know, that’s a lot—but so important. The devil wants us to get lazy and to not put in the work of feeding our Spirit. He preys on the weak, and the less time we spend with God and taking the time to hear from Him, the more susceptible we are to his tricks, lies, and schemes. But God has given us a manual instruction book, His Word, to help us! The verse above tells us what we can do, everyday, so that we are prepared for what God has for us and what the devil has against us.

God is teaching me how important it is to put on the full armor of God and the power of spiritual warfare against Satan. Lately, I have been feeling this overwhelming cloud of sadness that threatens to attack randomly throughout my day. Me being a Joyce Meyer junkie, her words ring inside my mind often—-though really it’s God’s words being spoken through her:

Happiness is not a feeling, it is a choice. To be happy, one must choose to be happy, not respond to a circumstance that now controls your happiness.

Your mouth is a powerful tool, either for God or for the enemy…you can either speak positive, uplifting, encouraging things into existence in your life or produce negative, gloomy and discouraging things…the mouth can be used for blessing or destruction, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others.

Where the mind goes, the man follows.

So how has your spiritual life been looking like lately? You may need to get your scrub brush and Clorox spray and start scrubbing the corners of your life that has become a little moldy, left to the wayside for a little too long. You may need to get in a better habit of prayer. Maybe you haven’t been giving God the time He truly deserves each day, and you know deep down that having church once a week isn’t enough. Maybe you need to clean up your language and start glorifying God with your tongue. Perhaps you’ve been stringent with your finances and you need to give more. Maybe you need to go on a social media fast and focus on your priorities. Perhaps forgiveness for a friend is calling your name.

Whatever it is, not one of us is perfect, and we all have a little grime in the corners of our showers. Be encouraged that whatever it is, God is there and He is more than able to walk with you through this process!