Clutter-Free Day 2: I align my thoughts with God’s

Welcome back to Day Two in our Clutter-Free Challenge.  I’m so glad you are here.

Today we are going to start in the command center of our de-cluttering journey – our minds.

It’s not usually a lack of energy that holds us back.  It’s not too-small cabinets.  It’s not a lack of a garage that keeps us from being able to make decisions about what to do with our stuff.  It’s our minds, our thoughts, our mental processing.  Let me give you examples of what I mean.

• I’ve looked at a to-do list that is waaaaaay too long, felt overwhelmed and made a decision to turn on the TV.  What a self-defeating decision.
•  I’ve looked at an overflowing closet and thought “Maybe those too-small shoes won’t hurt me next time I wear them.”  Not logical.  They will.
•  I’ve held on to a gift I will never use, in order to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.  That seems like a nice thing to do, but I’m being controlled by my assumptions and fear of rejection.

In each of those decisions (and so many more), my thoughts directed me to something not in my best interest. And in each instance, I never once asked God what He would want me to do.

As Christians we have a hotline to God’s wisdom (James 1:5).  Plus, we have the Holy Spirit living in us who is our counselor (John 14:26), and the Bible tells us we have “the mind of Christ”  (1 Cor. 2:16).  That’s a powerhouse of help!  But we don’t tap into this  source of help .   Or maybe we do, but if the truth be told,  we don’t really expect God to answer us.   Others, those super-spiritual types, may hear from God.  But not me, we think.

And so we struggle with problem-solving. We are frustrated at our circumstances, confused about what to do, discouraged and defeated.  It’s a downward cycle.

For years, I never even thought to ask God for help making little decisions.  Maybe I’d bring Him in on the big decisions, but the little ones I figured I could handle myself.  Oh, how I missed out on so much clarity and focus.

On day two of the Clutter-Free Challenge, I invite you to make your first step in any de-cluttering project to ask God to clear your mind and direct your decision-making.  Then trust He is doing just that.  Once you ask God to speak to you – then expect it to happen.  This expectation is crucial to hearing from God.

Here what James 1:5-8 says:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

If you do start to doubt, then take that thought captive and choose to trust that God has spoken.  Listening and trusting are important parts of prayer.  Prayer is not always to get God to move.  Many times, prayer positions us to hear God’s direction on how we should move.  Through prayer, we align our hearts to God’s heart, and things become clearer.

Is the clutter in your mind making it hard to think clearly?  Perhaps one of the problems is you’re trying to figure things out on your own.  You have been given the mind of Christ and you are offered the wisdom of God.  Ask and receive.  Here’s a summary:

When I’m overwhelmed:

• I position myself in a place to receive, and ask for God’s help.
• I quiet myself in order to hear God’s voice.
• I expect God to answer and direct me.
• I trust that my thoughts are from Him, and I don’t doubt.

When you first start asking God for direction, it’s hard to know if you are hearing from God or if it’s just your own thoughts.  So long as those thoughts aren’t directing you to do something wrong or self-defeating, then listen to them.  Each time you practice asking, listening and obeying, you’ll grow more confident that it’s God.  It will be like fine-tuning an FM dial to the right station.  The static will decrease as you tune in to God’s voice.

Tomorrow, I’ll share another tip on de-cluttering your thoughts, and give you some insight into why it’s so hard to focus.   Until then …

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis

Lord, You know how hard it is for me to focus sometimes.  It’s hard to figure out what needs to be done.  I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged.  I know You aren’t a God of confusion, so I ask for Your wisdom and clarity to help bring order to my chaotic mind.  In Jesus name, Amen.

If you want more encouragement and tips on how to bring order to your mind, schedule and home, I hope you’ll consider purchasing my book, “I Used to Be So Organized.”  It’s available through Proverbs 31 Ministries, Amazon, or wherever books are sold.  Thank you.