"Spring Cleaning and The Frog"
Dear Friends and Family,
Today is a new day and a new season, spring is finally here. It’s time for us to do some spring house cleaning. It’s time to get rid of a lot of stuff that has collected over the winter months. You look around our homes and wonder just how did all this stuff creep in?
Isn’t that just how life is? Once we finally get everything together and in its place, we sit back just for awhile, then all of a sudden, stuff starts creeping back in.
You know it’s the same way with us as it is with our homes. It seems as if stuff starts creeping back in. And as it is with our homes, we also need a spring house cleaning within ourselves. Over the winter we find ourselves more set back and relaxed. We get discontented with the weather and the things around us. We often feel like we’re locked in with nothing to do. We turn to watching more TV and DVDs, and going out to the movies. Our minds start getting filled with all the wrong stuff. Then we get blind sided with all that stuff creeping back into our minds. We find ourselves not going to church as often and slowly falling away from Godly principles. The things that were wrong yesterday now seem to be alright today.
You’ve probably heard the story about the frog. If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling hot water, he will jump out quickly. But if you put the frog into a pot of warm water he will like it and stay in the pot. You can then slowly turn the heat up under the pot a little at a time and he won’t realize it is getting hotter, and he will slowly cook to death. That’s what has been happening with many of us. Over a period of time the things that were wrong seem to be creeping back into our lives. You don’t recognize it as being wrong anymore. You find yourselves saying, it isn’t really all that bad is it? Like the frog, you’ve just been cooked.
We have to be aware of what we allow into our natural house, because it will affect our spiritual house as well. We sometimes ask ourselves, why is there so much violence with children? You need to sit down with your children and watch what they are watching on TV and DVD’s, and the Video Games they play. We were over to some peoples home the other day and we were shocked at how violent the cartoons were that their child was watching. If this was all the child was watching and feeding his mind with, it’s no wonder children grow up with a violent nature. The cartoons have turned that way slowly over the years and you thought there isn’t anything wrong with them. Like the frog, you’ve just been cooked. Many adults watch and allow their children to watch so called adult cartoons displaying or insinuating sexual or violent acts as something comical, and you say it’s just a cartoon it can’t hurt anything. Like the frog, you’ve just been cooked.
Yes it is spring house cleaning time again. It’s time to look through your home and start throwing out allot of the things that crept into your home over the winter. The best way to do this is to set a day aside and ask God to reveal to you what you should get rid of. Then start going through your home a room at a time. Look everywhere in the room don’t over look anything. Then stop and ask God what in this room is there that I should get rid of? If you come across something that you have doubt about of getting rid of, remember when in doubt throw it out. Then go to the next room and do the same until you have gone through your entire house. Now take all those things and throw them into the trash. Spring House Cleaning is done.
Now that takes care of your natural house, but what about your spiritual house? Just like you cleaned your natural house, your spiritual house needs to be cleaned also. Again set aside a day and ask God to reveal to you what you should get rid of in your spiritual house. Go through every area (room) of you life. When you come across an area that needs to be cleaned up, ask God to forgive you and give you strength in that area. Then go to the next area (room) until you’ve gone through every area (room) of your spiritual house. If you know of anyone that has spiritual discernment in your church, ask them to come over to your home and help you. Many times they will see things that you may over look.
Remember with God all things are possible and you can do all things through Jesus who gives you strength to be an over comer. The closer you get to God the less likely you are going to get cooked like the frog.
We have found that one of the best cartoons for children are “Veggie Tales” by Big Idea Productions.
I realize that this news letter is somewhat different than our normal news letter, but as I began writing this news letter, the Lord started telling me what to write. I truly hope that this has been an encouragement to you and has given you some insight as to how to clean your natural and spiritual house.
Remember Jesus Loves You and We Love You Too.
Spreading The Good News!
Evangelists Dick and Lena McNees