6 Steps to Spring Cleaning of the Soul

I look forward to Spring Cleaning! I am one of those people that LOVES to organize and purge this time of year. There is such a sense of accomplishment when I open my cabinets and closets to see everything in the proper place. I also love “to-do’ lists. My taskmaster personality enjoys focusing on and getting things done.

In the midst of my Spring Cleaning, God showed me spring is also a good time to tackle Soul Cleaning.

My Spring Cleaning “to-do” list:

Step 1: We have to see the “dirt” before we can clean it

We need to cleanse our hearts to become spiritually healthy, but we usually can’t completely see the dirt in our hearts by ourselves. Instead, we must draw near to God and ask Him to do the revealing and renewing.

Step 2: Clean up what comes out of our mouth 

As our heart gets clean, so should what comes out of our mouth.

Do you notice yourself saying negative things about neighbors, friends, co-workers, even family? When we catch ourselves gossiping, it helps to stop and notice how we feel. Are we angry at this person? Do we feel unforgiveness or resentment toward him/her? We need to learn to be honest about how we are feeling. This includes the challenge to stop complaining.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the t, of his heart, his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

Step 3: Dust off our thinking

We need to renew our minds and take out the garbage. What are the habitual patterns of thinking we want to change? Do we criticize ourselves often?
Do we have a hard time focusing when something needs to get done?

We can start by choosing one thing that needs to be dusted off of us.  

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is””his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  

Romans 12:2

Step 4: Repent for hidden sin and clean out our spiritual closets

Hidden sin destroys life; our peace, and our health. The Bible says to confess our sin, tell someone, and reach out to someone we trust for help. When our spiritual closets are clean, the heaviness from hidden sin will lift.

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Psalm 32:3-5

Step 5: Cleanse our heart

Release bitterness and move toward forgiveness by getting rid of old baggage.
Is there someone we haven’t forgiven? We can look in our past, or focus on something that just happened during the winter. What emotion has built up inside of us that we are ready to clear out?

Sin weighs us down and long-held bitterness is like old baggage in the attic we just can’t seem to part with.

“Therefore : let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.”

Hebrews 12:1

Step 6: Polish

Once we have cleared out the dirt that’s accumulated, we are ready to shine!
If we involve Jesus in our daily life we will be encouraged and the Son will shine in.

“For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

Psalm 56:13

Soul Cleansing has an Eternal Impact

While cleaning out closets and sweeping under furniture, think about this…Spring cleaning, while worth the effort, will only last for a season, but soul-cleansing will have an eternal impact.

We don’t need to just dust behind those bookshelves, instead, we can dust off our favorite Bible and get ready for a cleaning of our soul.

How about you? Have you started spring cleaning? Have you found ways to achieve spring cleaning of the soul?

Read more about how I discovered spiritual renewal: Controlled Burn