MR. CLEAN: THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

Hebrews 10:22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Whether we acknowledge it or not, our thoughts are the most reliable indicator of who we truly are. When we honestly examine our thoughts and motives, we are forced to admit that we fall short of the image we might try to project. We are not as good as we would have others to believe. God desires to transform us from the inside out, and He uses His Word to accomplish that. He seeks to change the way we think and act.

When we sin, it is because we have allowed wrong thoughts to take root in our hearts. Jesus spoke to this truth in Matthew 12:34-35: "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." This passage reminds us that our actions and words are a direct reflection of what resides in our hearts. If we want to change our actions, we must first allow God to cleanse and renew our hearts.

True cleansing comes when we allow Christ to wash away our sins. When we ask the Lord to purify us, He will change us. Imagine standing before a bucket filled with stale, stagnant water. The solution is not to throw the bucket away; rather, it is to empty it, clean it, and fill it with fresh, clean water. This is what Christ longs to do in us. He does not just want to remove our sins; He wants to fill us with His Spirit and His living water, constantly renewing our hearts and minds.

As we commit to living for Him and allow His Word to dwell richly in our hearts, He will continually refresh our souls. God will fill us with His truth, His mercy, His love, and His amazing grace. In this way, we are continually transformed.

Two conflicting forces cannot coexist; evil and good cannot flow from the same vessel. When hatred rules, love is pushed out. When fear takes over, faith is diminished. The amazing truth is that God is far better than Mr. Clean. While Mr. Clean may scrub surfaces, only God can cleanse the heart, washing away the dirt of sin and filling us with His purity.