Fuller's Soap

During the spring, many become busy with "spring cleaning" endeavors. After a year of purchasing, collecting, and piling on goods, many things become dusty, broken or clutter to the home. Once the newness of spring time appears on the earth, people want things new in their surroundings. This is a desire God puts in us both in the natural and the supernatural. The problem is that sometimes it is difficult to know where to start. Once one cupboard or closet is opened, the contents can spill out into the rest of the home and make a mess! It takes time and effort to categorize the items and organize in such a way that the necessities are stored and the excess is thrown out. At the same time, people do not just want to remove clutter, but they want to remove dirt, fat, and unhealthy foods from the house to begin the new year on the right track.

Some time ago I wanted God to clean some areas of my heart and I did not know where to start. I actually began cleaning in the physical realm as a demonstration of what I wanted Jesus to do inside of me (just like the prophets of old would do physical acts like breaking jars or laying on their side to show the people something). I literally got rid of everything except for some personal items, clothes and dishes! Out went the bedroom set, My living room couch, the bookcases and knick-nacks. I had seen a model home at a new apartment complex down the road and instead of paying double rent to get a new place, I decided I was going to make my place new! It felt so good to see my friends whole truck bed full of my junk delivered to the goodwill. I felt so free. My rooms looked so big and clean. Slowly I created a stylish and clean living space meticulously placing every picture and chair. I now have the model home, and I pray the same happened spiritually as I unloaded my heart of sins and cares through repentant prayer and asked God to give me His nature in the empty now cleaned space of my heart. I do have to stay on guard in both realms though that I do not overbuy and end up just as crowded and cumbered as before.

Cleansing spiritually is just as vital as the physical cleaning. Just as we would clean our house in order to entertain and bless guests, we need to have this same approach when coming to God. We should come to Him with clean hands and clean hearts so that He will feel welcome inside of us. Psalm 24 describes the people that should be permitted in God's presence when it says:

3Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols

and never tell lies.

5They will receive the LORD’s blessing

and have a right relationship with God their savior.

6Such people may seek you

and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

When we come into God's presence for devotions or into His house in prayer, do we have our mind on distractions? Have we been giving our attention or devotion to other things? Have we been speaking half-truths to get the upper hand? These are all things the Lord hates and that can block us from true encounter with Him. It is important to prepare ourselves and pray for God to remove hindrances by the acceptable blood of Jesus before we come into His presence.


Removing Clutter-
Clutter is that which takes up space in my life but has little usefulness or long term value. This is like the papers and knick nacks and notions we collect in our junk drawer or garage that takes up space. Often we cannot find the items of value that we need when they are surrounded by clutter. Clutter also clouds and creates chaos in our mind so we cannot focus on what matters. People often go out into nature or take a retreat in an immaculate hotel room in order to clear their minds or feel restful.

In a spiritual sense, clutter can reek the same havoc in the life of a believer. Over time we can collect activities, pastimes and things that distract us from focusing on what is truly important which is spending time with the Lord and bringing people to Him. These are often not bad things, but they are unnecessary things. The western society is one of the busiest on earth. Families often have children in multiple activities, work multiple jobs, spend so much time on social media, but all this is spinning us to nowhere.

The mission of John the Baptist was to get people ready to meet Jesus and make a pathway in their hearts so He could come straight in. In Jesus' day many people were caught up in servitude to Rome or the religious rites of the temple or the daily struggle to survive. John the Baptist wanted all the business that hindered the people from receiving Christ to be out of the way so when He came, they would be receptive and ready.He would bring people into the wilderness to tell them about the things of God to help them focus on what was important. When he was asked who he was in John 1: 

23John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Clear the way for the LORD’s coming!’”^j

People devoted to the Lord's service in monastic communities would get rid of earthly things in order to have more time and attention to focus on the Lord. The took the example of the early church in Acts 2 literally when it said:

42All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supperⁱ), and to prayer.

43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 

It is not sinful to have things, but if we are not careful, we can spend so much time decorating, maintaining, and taking care of things that we overlook what matters which is Jesus and bringing people to Him. Let us remove the physical and spiritual clutter that keeps us from giving Jesus our full attention. Let us find our true contentment in Christ alone as Paul instructs in 1 Timothy 6:

6Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

Removing Dirt:
Dirt is different than clutter. Dirt is that which darkens, hides and pollutes spoiling ones original beauty and shine. Often dirt and mold is accompanied by a putrid odor. Over time, usually unknowingly, we let attitudes, mindsets, worries, fear, lusts, pride, unforgiveness and other fleshly sins cloud our hearts. These thought patterns keep us from concentrating on what really matters and brings confusion so we cannot hear clearly what God is saying. They are often not the obvious sins that bring the most harm, but the daily piling on of dust mites over time.

Those who prepare the way for the Lord's coming instruct the people to repent and get right with God so that He will find a place to rest that is clean. Our hearts should be in a state of readiness to let His Spirit do the cleansing work within us. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, instructs the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. The presence of God Himself is a cleansing agent. When He comes, His fire burns out all impurities and His soap cleansing washes away the dirt that the sin stains leave on us. God was compared to soap in Malachi 3:2-4 where it states:

2“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD. 4Then once more the LORD will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.

Jesus warns about simply repenting of sin without taking corrective action of following after Christ in Luke 11. We must not just clean our spiritual hearts but fill it with Christ so that the evil that once held us does not come back in a stronger form. He said:

24“When an evil^h spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ 25So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. 26Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

 Paul further instructs us on how to remove spiritual impurities by throwing off sin and fixing our eyes on Christ when He says in Hebrews 12: 

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

David, after he had sinned, prayed a prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 where he asked God to "create in me a clean heart" and "wash me and I will be whiter than snow." He revealed the key was being pure in the inward heart attitudes and mindsets when he said "You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom."
Jesus further emphasized inward mindsets in Matthew 5 where sin was shown to be not just outward transgressions like murder and adultery but in the thought-life of hate and lust. He chided the Pharisees in Matthew 23 for being good at cleaning the outward body before men but having dead man's bones inside from all the people they deceived and damaged through their pride and control.
Let us be so near to God that even our thought-life and emotions are transformed to carry the love, joy and peace of the Holy Ghost, and His fire.

Removing Darkness

In the house dirt loves to hide in dusty corners where spiders make their nest and closets and drawers can collect dirt. This is in the dark where it cannot be seen. When I have dim lighting, much of the dust and cobwebs are hidden, but when a bright light comes on, these are obvious and dealt with immediately. Light doesn't only expose dirt but it kills some germs and microorganisms. Niels Finsen was given the 1903 Nobel Prize when he discovered UV light could fight tuberculosis. Today hospitals still use this light to keep rooms sterile. I also found there is a UV light that kills germs on the cell phone without hurting it. Cell phones grow lots of bacteria because they stay warm. Websites such as phonesoap.com offer services to clean electronics with light.

In John 3 Jesus talks about spiritual darkness.  He shows how people in sin who do not want to be cleaned will stay in dark, hidden deception so that their sin is not found out and they can continue in their action, but those who want to be purified will come to the light who is Jesus to have their sins shown in order to be cleansed. He said:
19And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.20All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.^g”
As believers, even our presence brings conviction to people around us without us saying a word because our lights shine on people around us and they can see their need for God and where they need cleansing. We should not hide our light under a basket in fear or darken our light by adopting the words and actions of the world but we should live brightly like Christ so others can see the way. Philippians 2 instructs:

14Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Removing Fat

Not only should we keep our homes clean and free of dirt and clutter, but we should also keep our bodies clean by eating healthy, nutritious food.  One way to do this is to eat lean meats and stay away from high fatty foods. Fatty foods causes plaque to build on the arteries which are the channels needed for blood flow and this keeps the body from preforming at full capacity. When the plaque hardens, it causes heart disease. It is amazing that the dietary rules God outlines in the Old Testament are good for the body. God instructed the people in Leviticus 7 to stay away from fat. 

22Then the LORD said to Moses, 23“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. You must never eat fat, whether from cattle, sheep, or goats.

Removing Junk Food Daniel and his friends followed a strict vegetable diet when they went to the King's palace. They could have indulged in all the fancy food available to them but in Daniel 1:8 it says;

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 

The chief of staff allowed Daniel and his friends to keep the dietary rules God had set on the condition that their health would not wane. To his surprise, after ten days the Hebrew children appeared healthier and more fit than the rest of the captives. In fact, after time it became apparent that these godly men were ten times wiser than all the scholars and magicians of the day. God honored the Israelites because they honored Him by keeping their bodies clean with healthy foods according to His law.

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Removing Alcohol/Addictive Substances The scriptures warn of the dangers of alcohol. In Proverbs 23, it says: 

29Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?

Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?

Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,

trying out new drinks.

31Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,

how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.

32For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;

it stings like a viper.

33You will see hallucinations,

and you will say crazy things.

34You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,

clinging to a swaying mast.

35And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.

I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.

When will I wake up

so I can look for another drink?”

Addictive substances can alter a person's mind and nature.This isn't limited to alcohol but could include nicotine, drugs, caffeine and sugar.  Mind altering substances can bring high and low mood swings leading to anger, depression and aggression. Personalities can be affected by drinking too much. When people are out of character their inhibitions are lowered so they cannot feel pain even when they need to and they lose motivation for healthy, productive activity because they are focused on getting another fix. Addictive substances are sweet to taste but too much of them can bring sickness as it says in Proverbs 

25: 16Do you like honey?

Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!

Those with self-control can limit what they taste so they stay healthy.

Jesus was so set on staying focused on His mission that he did not even accept a swig of wine when he was in suffering on the cross. We need to keep our body clean of addictive substances so we can focus on our mission to serve the Lord. As believers we have a healthy alternative to the world's "spirits" and that is the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with Him there is a joy and intoxicating pleasure that is out of this world! As it says in Ephesians 5:

15So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,

Spring cleaning and New Years resolutions to maintain a healthy diet are good and well but they should be paired with their spiritual counterpart of removing busyness, sinful attitudes and actions, and distancing oneself from proclaimed believers in sin. Often a person's physical appearance and home is a picture of an interior reflection. Other times, a person is very good at the physical outside but are a mess inside. We see examples of this everywhere in the media. We also see people very close to the Lord who may struggle with their physical body or home.

God wants us to be successful both inside and outside! He cares about the whole person! He wants us to be good stewards of our home and body so we can be like Daniel and favored above all our peers but he also wants to impart to us the spiritual blessing like Daniel who became a key adviser in government and had close revelations from God because of His submission to Him. Let us throw aside distractions and sins that would dirty us and spend time before the Lord so He can expose and clean us in every area so we can shine brighter for Him, be more productive and effective for Him and have more time for what really matters--God and people!