Deep Clean: Getting Rid of Shame, Toxic Influences, and UnforgivenessSample

Deep Cleaning Our Hearts 

Think about the feeling you get after you deep clean your space. The clutter goes away, the surfaces get that gleaming, shiny look, and everything smells fresh and new. As you look around, you feel accomplished—like you can breathe again. 

We now have entire shows about people tidying up their homes, color-coding their pantries, and minimizing their stuff. But while we may be quick to get on board with getting rid of our junk, what about the internal work of deep cleaning our souls? 

Many of us are carrying around emotional baggage, and our mental clutter can be overwhelming. But instead of addressing it, we often ignore it. It’s easier to keep moving, stay busy, and distract ourselves with activity than to address the very real mental load we’re carrying. 

But just as we can’t clean our houses by shoving everything into a closet, we can’t shove our emotional junk into a filing cabinet in our brains. If we do, it eventually spills out, often leading to relational conflict, physical side effects, and resentment. 

We don’t have to wait until we’re at our breaking point to evaluate what’s broken. In fact, it’s a really healthy practice to regularly invite the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and clean our hearts. 

We see this practice modeled for us in Psalm 51. David—known as a man after God’s own heart—has messed up. Big time. He’s just committed adultery with Bathsheba, then he tries to cover it up by allowing her husband to get killed. 

He writes a plea for forgiveness, then he prays this prayer: 

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 NLT 

David turns his remorse into genuine repentance. He doesn’t just shove his emotions down or hide in his shame. He turns to God. He invites the Holy Spirit to do a cleansing work in his heart. 

Every day, we have the opportunity to do the same thing. 

When we’re overcome by guilt, shame, bitterness, rage, or unforgiveness, we can ask God to give us a clean heart. When we’re faced with temptation, we can ask God to purify us. Even on a normal day, we can ask God to cleanse our hearts and fix our thoughts on Him. 

It’s time to invest in our souls like we invest in our space. 

It’s important to note that deep cleaning our souls doesn’t just mean fixing our behavior. It’s deeper than that. Deep cleaning our souls starts by evaluating the state of our hearts. 

In Matthew 23, Jesus is talking to Pharisees who are careful to do the right thing on tiny details but missing the right motivations in their hearts. His words capture why it’s important not only to clean the surface of our lives, but to allow the Spirit to transform our hearts: 

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.” Matthew 23:25-26 NLT 

Over the next few days, we’ll talk about how to deep clean our souls from toxic influences, relationships, and bitterness. But today, take some time to pause and reflect: What areas of my soul might need a deep clean? 

Pray: God, create in me a clean heart. Reveal to me anything in me that is displeasing to You. Show me any areas where I might need to allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse me, and help me honor You with the way I live. In Jesus’ name, amen.