GO TAKE A BATH!!

“Go take a bath and don't forget to wash behind your ears. And while you are at it, be sure to scrub your dirty ankles too! And ALWAYS wear clean underwear on a daily basis because you never know if you’ll be in an accident and end up in the emergency room.”  Boy does that bring back memories of growing up. I can still hear Mom say it to me & my siblings. And of course; I sounded just like her while raising our three daughters.      

Let me share a little story about one of our daughters; who will remain nameless. She was around 11 or 12 years old and went thru a phase where she not only hated to take a bath but she fought against the idea of one every chance she got.  Regardless of the daily instruction I would give to her to “Go take a bath”; there seemed to always be a battle of the wills; hers & mine. Now get a picture of her stubborn attitude. In an attempt to convince me that a bath wasn’t necessary, she would actually smell her armpits and announce proudly, "I DON’T SMELL"!

And then one day…….”IT” HAPPENED!

When I was at work, I got a phone call and had to rush her to the emergency room with a possible appendicitis.  After a complete cat scan, we found out it was some type of viral infection that needed to run its course.  Unfortunately, she was so sick that they had no choice but to hospitalize her because she couldn’t stop vomiting & was extremely dehydrated.  It wasn’t until after she was placed in her hospital room, laying there practically lifeless that I noticed, not only was her ankles dirty, she was completely filthy and desperately needed a bath. Before you ask, let me just tell you….YES….I took time to bathe my weak, sick little girl right there in her hospital shower.  Why? Because as her Mom; I was having a hard time looking at my daughter in that filthy condition; I love her more than words could ever explain and I knew better than anyone else what was best for my little girl. 

The Lord does the same thing.  He loves us enough to tell us to bathe spiritually every day. And yet, I can’t count the number of times He would send His Holy Spirit to prompt me; take a bath Cyndy; use the scriptures I’ve provided to scrub the dirt and filth off of your mind and make sure you clean all the way around your heart too. Of course I would respond with the same stubborn attitude; denying I was doing anything wrong, finding ways to justify my sin and spiritually smell my armpits trying to convince the Lord that “I don’t smell”. 

And then one day…….”IT” HAPPENED!

Sin took its toll on me and I was becoming spiritually crippled; finding it difficult to focus on the road I had been traveling on.  My vision became blurry and I lost all sense of direction.  How could this have happened?  How could I have wondered so far away from the Lord?  And in desperation I cried out, “Where are you, Lord?  Your word tells me in Joshua 1:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And yet; when I look for You, I can’t see You.” As my dirty, lifeless “spiritual” body lay there all alone, the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that He is still exactly where I left Him; behind the path I chose to take.  My will won out; but at what price?  If only I had followed His will instead; where would I be and is it possible to get back to His will from here?  Then before I could utter another cry, the Holy Spirit ran a “spiritual cat scan” on me, located all my sin and immediately started mending my wounds; bathing me with His word; reminding me to not stray from His commands and to hide His word in my heart so that I wouldn’t continue sinning against Him.  (Psalm 119:10-11) 

Before I realized it, I slowly started to stand up again; attempting to walk according to God’s word; stumbling along the way and yet sensing the Holy Spirit pick me up as I moved forward; encouraging me to return to the Lord with all my heart; with fasting, weeping & mourning; taking off the “old spiritual” clothes I was wearing (Joel 12:12-13). 

The Holy Spirit also reminded me how important it was to clothe myself with Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

So there you have it; I have no more excuses.  The Lord loves me enough to remind me to take a bath, scrub the dirt and filth off of my mind and make sure I clean all the way around my heart.  Then all I have to do is get dressed in a fresh pair of “’spiritual” clothing He supplies for me on a daily basis.  And then it's up to me; I just need to pick it up and wear it.

Why did He do this for me? Because He is my Heavenly Father; He could not look at me covered in sin & filthy conditions; He loves me unconditionally; and He knows better than anyone else what is best for me; His little girl. 

What road are you on, “Your Will” located on Destruction Boulevard or “His Will” located on the corner of Favor & Blessing’s Highway?  It’s never too late to turn back to Him.  Can't you see?  He’s still where you left Him.

It’s that simple!

Be blessed my face book family & friends and walk in the Lord’s total favor!

Love you all,

Cyndy