LOOK INTO THE CHAMBER ROOMS OF YOUR HEART

Faith Filled Thoughts
July 31st, 2008
By Connie Ciccone
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Faith Filled thoughts released (mon –fri)

LOOK INTO THE CHAMBER ROOMS OF YOUR HEART

Scripture: II Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down imaginations ..."

Have you ever tried to clean a room, closet, or garage but found that your determination to do so was met with conflict by your own desires and actions? Your efforts were met with struggle, as you found it hard to get rid of the old junk. You looked at your broken items, declared that you still intended to fix them, and dreamed of having the time to master this feat. Even though you had items that were taking valuable space and that you had not used in years, you were afraid to throw them away because you thought that you might need them later. You didn't want to get rid of the clothes in your closet that are too small because you had hopes of getting back down to that size again. By the time you had finished your cleaning project, you ended up only discarding a few items and straightening the rest of the clutter. Everything left will continue to irritate you and eventually will have to be dealt with again.

Like our physical spaces, we have spaces within our hearts that desperately need to be cleaned out. I had some hurtful things in the past that I found hard to give up. My mind continually wanted to dwell on these disturbing thoughts that only revived the pain. One day when I began to recall the events and talk about the bitter pain of those days, my friend Erin said, don't go to that room." When she said those words, I began to realize that I had a spiritual room within my soul where I was harboring all the evil memories from the days gone by. Most of the time, I would visit this room alone, but sometimes I would invite a close friend to look inside my heart as I expressed my hurt. The therapy did help and their words usually comforted me, but my heart stayed cluttered. My soul was in total disarray, for I was surrounded by mental darkness and confusion because I could not understand why? As I began to look into this chamber within my heart, I saw that there was a spirit of bitterness on one shelf because I felt that part of my life had been stolen from me. On another shelf there was pain because I had been deceived by someone who I thought cared for me, and for that reason, I found it hard to trust others. There was a space that was full of hopelessness because I could not let go of the past and move towards the future. All of the other feelings such as self-pity, anger, and shame were also crammed into this space that should have been storing the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Just like the clutter in my physical closet, all of this spiritual baggage and junk was my stuff and I had to deal with it personally. No one could let go of the past for me or resist the spirit of anger or self-pity that was inside of me. I had to repent and seek God's forgiveness. I had to forgive those who had wronged me and also forgive myself for being deceived and making bad choices. I had to learn to consciously let go and cast down all of the painful memories of the past. I realized that if I wanted total deliverance, I couldn't just shut the door to the room, I needed to clean it thoroughly and then replace every negative thought with God's word or something good and peaceable. Memories remain, but I do not allow them to surround me with pain. I choose instead to learn from them and I look to the future with hope and trust God to restore the years that were stolen from me. I disallow myself to store up spiritual clutter. This is a continuing process in my life, for things are still being revealed to me.

I encourage you today to allow God to shine His light upon your heart and show you the things that you are harboring within your spirit that are contrary to His will and then begin to work towards removing them. If it is too heavy, the Lord will help you lift it. If it is too high, He will help you reach it. If it is too difficult to bear, He will carry it for you. If it is too hard for you to let go, then allow Him to take it from you. Allow the winds of His Holy Spirit to sweep through your spirit and let His precious blood wash you clean. Begin to cast down all of the imaginations that keep you from walking in the freedom and towards the destiny that God has ordained for you. The Lord is eager to help you get rid of weights that hinder you from being able to run the race that He has set before you. He is waiting for you to ask Him to help you clean your spiritual closet. Make a commitment to work with Him and enjoy your new day of beginnings!

LOOK INTO THE CHAMBER ROOMS OF YOUR HEART

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie