Purify My Heart

It feels like a million years since I've been here. Sitting in front of my computer with my Blogger dashboard open is like coming home to my writer's soul.

Through an anointed teaching on Saturday evening (we were at the Breakforth conference), God spoke to my heart. He affirmed my desire to make this a year of consecration - a year dedicated to purifying myself to bring greater glory to His name. Anne Graham Lotz taught on her book, "I Saw the Lord" in which she relates a journey of repentance that the Lord took her on.

I realized that any effort I make to sanctify certain parts of my life will be wasted until my heart is fully right with the Lord. It's not necessarily that I feel that I am wrong with the Lord so much as I know that it's been a long time since He and I have had a soul-cleansing purge.

Therefore, my morning times will be spent getting things right with Him. I am asking God to reveal to me the unconfessed sins in my life, and one by one I am writing them down. I am not only writing down what my sins are, but the true name by which God calls those sins. For example, what I call overeating is - in God's Word - called gluttony; I also see it as disobedience (for I know that He has called me to stop my destructive eating habits) and as desecrating His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Once each sin is confessed, I commit to repent (turn away) and ask the Lord to help me and guide me in my new path. Then I read the words of Isaiah 6:1-8 and envision a searing hot coal removing that stain from my life.

It has been two grueling mornings thus far, and my list has 5 areas of sin. I suspect there will be a few more mornings yet (like a million!). But I know that it will be worth it.

For I cannot go out into this world, being salt and light, inspiring my children and others that I encounter to pursue Jesus, if I remain unholy, immoral, sinful, and stained. No, I don't aspire for perfection. I don't want to be "holier than thou" (I know how unappealing that can be). But if I am to grow in Christ, to bring Him pleasure, to bring glory to His name, and to be more like Him, I cannot continue where I am now.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:14

This post has been linked up to Kingdom Twindom's Bold Blogging Challenge. Thanks to Kingdom Mama for hosting us and encouraging us to seek boldly after the Kingdom of God!