As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to be more careful about what I eat and drink. Certain foods—though I really like them—don’t agree with me the way they used to. In some cases, they make me feel downright sick.

You’d think I would heed wisdom and avoid those things. But more than once, stubbornness has gotten the best of me, and I’ve paid for it. The days that follow usually require lots of water and a determined effort to flush that mess out of my system before I start feeling better.

The funny thing is, I know I’m not alone in this. Most of us have learned—at some point—that certain things aren’t good for us, yet we refuse to let them go. We fall into a familiar cycle: restraint, lapse, then detox… restraint, lapse, detox. And all the while, we keep making ourselves sick because of a lack of discipline.

Repentance is a lot like a spiritual detox. And like any detox, it comes with discomfort—grief, guilt, sorrow, and pain. Repentance and faith do work. They grant us grace—the grace to get up and try again. Thank God for grace! But at some point, we ought to begin learning to do better.

And doing better requires something deeper than behavior modification. It requires an inner transformation—a change in our hearts and minds that begins to reshape our actions, attitudes, and outlook. Get it?

It’s not enough to diet, to abstain, or to set physical limits on ourselves—though those things may work for a season. Lasting transformation comes from an inner change, a yielding of our hearts and minds to the will of God. We need to get clean on the inside.

• Getting clean on the inside means unseating anything—or anyone—that has taken up residence on the throne of our hearts and undermines our relationship with God and our spiritual well-being.
• Getting clean on the inside means decluttering our hearts and minds, turning down the noise, and creating space to hear the voice of the Spirit more clearly.
• Getting clean on the inside means allowing God to cleanse us through the washing of the Word (John 17:17).
• Getting clean on the inside means receiving a spiritual, mental, and emotional detox from the things that make our souls sick, steal our joy, or disrupt our peace.

Paul put it this way:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

Are you ready to get clean on the inside?

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam