The following lyrics have been the beat of my heart for the past few days;
“I will make room for you to do whatever you want to.”
As these words have lingered, it has become food for my soul and stimulation for my mind. As this cry infiltrated my heart, I had an impression run through my mind. I was sitting in my basement, a place designed for people to encounter the presence of God; I immediately imagined the room being filled with storage boxes of all the stuff that resides in my home. I realized that as the room became more filled with clutter as a means to store what I considered precious, the purpose of the space disintegrated. Suddenly, there was no room; there was no space for people to gather and encounter God’s presence.
The Lord spoke clearly saying, “This is what often happens in the hearts of my people. They clutter it with things they think are precious, but it ends up leaving no room for my presence to come and dwell.” I responded by asking him, “What is it filled with?” God responded immediately, saying, “Defilement and distraction.” He quickly shone his light into my heart, showing me the distractions and defilements that have infiltrated my affections, cluttering the space God wants to consume, but can’t because of me (see Eph. 4:27).
I believe these two words, though simple, if genuinely evaluated and repented of amongst God’s people, can have a profound impact, clearing the space that is meant to be hosted by God’s presence.
Defilement
Defilement is the epitome of impurity. It desecrates what is meant to be consecrated. You and I are meant to be set apart, vessels that God can redeem and transform to be solely for himself. Defilement is more than the inherent wicked sin we are all familiar with. It’s the pursuit we have for false worship, allowing our affections to be given to many lovers.
What ends up happening when we live in defilement is that others are affected by our junk. We become an aroma of death that provokes people to follow a path that leads them astray. While many things defile, bitterness and unforgiveness are at the top of the list. There are a plethora of passages we could reference to depict this truth but Matthew 6:14-15, Hebrews 12:14-15, and James 5:15-16 are atop the list:
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” - Matt. 6:14-15
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” - Heb. 12:14-15
“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:15-16
The defilement in our heart often is the bitterness we have toward God and others. Unless confessed and turned from, we will continue to stay enslaved to a stronghold that holds us captive, blooming into a tree of destruction rather than one of blessing. Suddenly, not only will we be destroyed, but rather we will become an aroma that defiles many others. Our sickness that is the fruit of Satan’s grip on our life will become others’ as well.
Distraction
Distraction in Christianity at the core is a blindedness to what Jesus values most. When we busy ourselves with a thousand things we deem important but actually keep us from giving to Jesus what he wants the most, we have filled the space in our heart and the time in our lives with something that lacks value to God and is ultimately unproductive for him. We have to start humbly admitting that many of the good strategies, programs, and plans we have are rooted in human wisdom rather than the Father's affections.
We have to admit our Matha ministry before we can give to Jesus Mary-like love. If you are offended right now, God is convicting you. You aren’t offended because these words are wrong, but because they violate your current Christian lifestyle and what feels comfortable to you. You have two options if this is you.
1. You can stay offended. Justify your offense and defend your preference.
OR
2. You can repent, turn to God, and CHANGE what you are doing.
Let the following passages lead you, not me.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:41-42
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” - Revelation 2:4-5
It is time to return to the simple gospel. One that is lavished with love and free from yokes of self-righteousness and constantly having to prove our worth through what we do. Jesus is not nearly as concerned with our duties for him as we think he is. What he desires most is our affection. Our worship and praise. Our love and devotion. And our unity with one another. The boards we run, the programs we value, and the many other things we place as preeminent in our Christian walk are “taking up space.” They are cluttering the room that is meant to be consecrated to affection with boxes of “to-do lists” and an unnecessary excess of worry and stress that Jesus told Martha to let go of.
I want you to ponder today the following question, “Jesus, what distractions exist within my heart that take up space from your presence filling my life?” Rather than resist what he reveals, embrace it. Let go of the Martha-like lifestyle and embrace a journey toward becoming like Mary.
The invitation today is simple - clean house. Clean up the clutter of busyness done in the name of God and so create space for God to come and dwell in your midst. Let him uproot your bitterness so that forgiveness can be your response to injustice rather than vengeance. If you do, he will sweep through and fill the space of your affections, and even in your weakness he will ignite your soul with His sweetness.
