Making Him my Home
“So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion[a] in the fear of God.
Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, taken advantage of no one. I don’t say this to condemn you, since I have already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am very frank with you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in all our afflictions.”
2 Corinthians 7:1-4 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
I’m not sure how God speaks to you because it can be very individual. God speaks to me in color, brush strokes and paint. Let me explain. I am a bible journaler. I take what I am learning, what God is speaking to me about and document it. Sometimes in my bible, sometimes in a journal and sometimes it comes out in another way. By doing this when I look back I can see the woven thread so to speak. I can see the journey much clearer. This morning my daughter Megan asked me if I would like to be a guest writer for Soul Deep Devotions. I immediately said yes because God has been so gracious to me most recently that I want to shout it from the mountaintops. My struggle is how to convey this to make sense to you. Well God brought me back to my journals and artwork and he showed me the thread. The journey he has had me on. He is so good.
In December I was doing a bible study on hymns and Christmas songs. On December 6, 2019, I was studying the lyrics to the song Make Room by Casting Crowns and Matt Maher. One particular line stuck out to me and made it into my journal “Is their room in your heart for God to write His story?” I really pondered on this. I’m very type A, VERY scheduled. I even schedule in my bible study and journaling times. But, is that really making room, leaving time in my day for God to interrupt my plan, my thoughts, my actions to write His story. No, it's not. I set out to be more intentional to be more in tune with the Holy Spirit asking him to interrupt my thoughts and have His way with my time.
I took it one step further and dug into scripture to find a reference for this song lyric. 2 Corinthians 7:2 says “make room for us in your hearts” — The verse prior Paul is telling us we have God's promises in us so let's cleanse ourselves of impurities of flesh and spirit and bring holiness to completion so we can MAKE ROOM for him to operate within us. Paul goes onto say he is overflowing with joy in all afflictions. I don’t think I fully understood what God was asking of me but I did know I want to be obedient to Him.
Around this time I was praying about my word for the year and honestly now looking back, I think this was a seed. In late January long after others had their word I was still searching. One morning in my quiet time the Lord gave me the word home. He said to me everything you need is at home. Take care of what you have. Clean, purge and MAKE ROOM a for me to give the increase and to move. I’d like to say at that point I remembered my prior studies on making room. But no I didn’t until today. Till I said yes to an opportunity to share my heart with you. Until I took the time to reread my journals and go back.
Since being given the word home and the message from the Lord to make room I have been doing just that. Cleaning, emptying and purging in the physical. While my body was doing the work it was my spirit that was getting the workout. God was teaching me about laying things down. Letting go of what I think is important. Looking at things and deciphering their purpose in my life. I cannot tell you how hard it is sometimes to give up the things that you think are important or valuable either emotionally or physically. Putting them in perspective and remembering it's not about me but about Him has really helped.
I want to tell you how faithful and incredible God is. Each thing I have been laying down He has given back to me in a way that I know in Him. The way He orchestrates things so you know a million pieces had to fall into place for it to happen. You sit back and say BUT GOD and you praise Him.
Friends I encourage you to the journal. Write down the whispers God puts on your heart. From time to time go back and re-read because He rarely gives the whole message at once. He wants to take you deeper. He wants you to know Him more and more. This is just one sweet way my Jesus chooses to speak to me. He is always talking to us but we need to make room to listen.
- Dawn Kelly, @livingfree994
