Spiritual Housecleaning

Every year some folks do an activity called “spring cleaning.” People clean their houses from dirt accumulated during the winter and get rid of belongings they no longer need. Occasionally, the Lord has led me to downsize, especially before I do extensive traveling. It's a lot easier being mobile when you have fewer personal belongings.

There is also the necessity of spiritual housecleaning. If you have struggled with entering into God's presence in your home, it may be because of items causing spiritual pollution. Before becoming a Christian, you might have acquired accursed things. Examples include Ouija boards, good luck charms, hand-carved objects from Africa or the Orient, books, movies, and music associated with witchcraft, astrology, and the occult. 

The Lord once put it on my heart to erase cassette tapes of instrumental music I produced before my conversion. I was willing to do that but questioned if it was necessary. Then one night after a church service, I approached a pastor’s wife who wrote songs. Before I brought up the subject, she told me, “You need to be careful of the music you listen to...even instrumental music because of the minstrel behind it.” Knowing this was a confirmation, I erased those cassettes and felt at peace afterward. Soon I realized most of my old instrumentals triggered memories of sinful activities done around that time.


Recently I wrote a Facebook post about Joyce Meyer that generated a flood of comments. Some responded to heresy hunters who look for the worst in fellow believers. One friend stated, “I had someone not long ago try to say the butterflies on my wall meant something evil. We live in very strange times.” That reminded me of a story Joyce told. She once brought back African masks as souvenirs. Joyce soon perceived an evil presence in her home and felt more at peace after getting rid of those masks. 


Another friend wrote, “We inherited an antique ceramic cat from Egypt. We had it on a shelf in our living room and started experiencing a very unfamiliar, strange presence. We finally agreed that we had to not only remove the statue but break it. We took it outside and broke it inside of a big garbage bag. At that moment, we heard a loud cat screech. I assumed I stepped on my cat's tail, but she wasn’t there. She was inside. I don't know what happened. I had never heard an evil spirit with my natural ears before, but I think we did that evening.”


I’m not saying we should go on a witch hunt and look for a demon hiding behind every doorknob. Nor must we throw away everything without a Christian label on it. Still, it’s good to ask the Lord if there are things we possess that hinder our relationship with Him. As I’ve said many times before, God isn’t against us having things as long as the things don’t have us.


“The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”

- Psalm 24:1

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