Swept Clean and Garnished

with the coming year to see to it that we are walking closer to the Lord than we are right now?

Well, first we need to sweep the house clean of all the dust, footprints, dead leaves and trash that has somehow entered into our hearts. With every evil wind that blows against us, if we are not very careful, some dirt and filth always enters in and settles in the crevices and corners of the heart.

I have been in some very fine homes around the country. Most of them were sealed against the wind and the rain. They had curtains over the windows, weather stripping and seals around the windows and doors. Many of them were even soundproofed to keep out exterior noises. But no matter how well they were built or how much they were sealed, there was always a little bit of dust that was settled onto the furniture. Though they were swept clean daily and cleansed thoroughly on a regular basis, the dirt was still there.

That’s how it is with you and me. Though we stay in a constant state of repentance and strive for a perfect walk with the Lord, there is always something that will get by and settle in. Some things, no matter how hard we try to rid ourselves of them, just hang on in spite of all our efforts to break free.

The only way to be truly clean is not by taking the broom of our tongue and the dustpan of our will power, using our own works of righteousness, but by trusting in, and allowing the Blood of Jesus to do the cleansing in us.

John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

So the first step is to be cleansed from all sin by the Blood of Jesus. That includes the sins of omission – where we simply fail to that which we know is good.

James 4:17, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

It also includes the sins of commission – where the rebellion and disobedience arises within us and we fail God intentionally, even if it’s only for a moment.

Being swept clean by the power of the Blood of Jesus is a wonderful feeling. Your load will be lighter and your way will be brighter and life will seem better in so many ways.

But being cleansed is only half the solution. There has to be a positive influence in your life, a power if you will, that will create a barrier that will prevent the entry of the filth of the world once again.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to see a particle of dust in the sunlight on a clean table? It’s much more noticeable than it would be on a dirty table that hasn’t been cleansed. That’s because the filth contrasts so much with its clean surroundings. It can’t blend in.

That’s the way the sin must manifest itself in your life. If your heart is truly right before God, then anything that becomes sin in your heart will glare out as the Holy Spirit shows it to you and reminds you of it.

But there is a way to keep that filth out in the first place. Let me explain it to you like this.

In the world of computers and in areas where very critical research is in progress there is such a thing as a Clean Room. How is a Clean Room created, and how is it kept clean?

The first thing is that the room must be completely, hermetically sealed and insulated from any possible means of outside entry other than the entry way that is designed and built to cleanse whatever or whoever enters through it. There is