Just about every time I go to the gas station, I spend the time it takes to fill my tank cleaning out the floorboards and side pockets of my truck. Each time I do this I am surprised by how much gravel, dirt, and trash gets tracked in and dropped in the matter of a few hundred miles. In a similar fashion, I believe as we traverse through our daily lives, some of the clutter of this world gets tracked into our heart.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 to ““Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.” Paul’s words can teach believers to deal with the hurts, habits, and experiences before the enemy can exploit them for his purpose.

a. Deal with contaminates quickly.
Paul said, “Don’t let the sun set. ” Things that are not dealt with quickly have a way of piling up. It has been said that things you don’t deal with in 30 days will soon stop being visible. In other words, you stop smelling what is stinking up your life. You get used to it. Deal with things in your heart sooner rather than later.

b. Ask the Holy Spirit to expose what you look over.
Psalm 19:12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Most people are better at seeing faults in others than they are at seeing faults in themselves. Is it possible that you have grown so accustomed to how something is that you have stopped seeing it as an issue? Ask God to show you what you have allowed to make home in your heart that should have never been there in the first place.

c. Realize that small matters matter.
Ephesians 4:27 Paul says, “Do not give the devil a foothold.” The devil does not need a highway into your life; he just needs a window or an open door to bring havoc. What you define as small matters can be big deals if left unattended. If something is a big deal to the Holy Spirit then it must become a big deal to us no matter how trivial someone else may define it.

Today’s Challenge: Take a timeout and ask the Lord to do a check up and expose any worldly things that have become lodged in your heart. When He speaks to you, repent and release those things to Him.