Deuteronomy 7 – Do You Need to Declutter?

Marie Kondo has given rise to the recent trend in decluttering our living spaces. Marie encourages people to get rid of anything that doesn’t give them joy.

We all have have things we don’t really need and no longer give us joy. We walk around the stuff, trip over the stuff, and eventually become blind to the stuff. Though it adds no value to us, we still hold onto this stuff.

The same thing can happen in our spiritual lives. We can accumulate things that clutter and steal our joy spiritually. They are things that add no spiritual value, but we continue to walk around, trip over, and hold onto them.

In Deuteronomy chapter 7, God tells the Children of Israel to completely destroy all the pagan influences in the land they conquer. The command to completely destroy everything and everybody seems harsh and cruel, but the principle behind the command is very clear. You can not be holy (which means separated and given to the Lord) if you’re still collecting and tripping over godless ways and practices.

We are to be holy and different. This means eradicating things from our life that are not adding value to our spiritual life. We’re to do this, not to be irritants, but rather icons; distinct and recognizable to the world around us. To do this, we must eliminate the clutter in our spiritual lives that keeps us from displaying a life of blessings and fulfillment.

Look at the life you’ve settled into. What’s there that shouldn’t be? What have you failed to remove that is actually tripping you up and keeping you from the blessing of living holy? Read Deuteronomy 7:26 and then ask God to help you declutter.