No one likes to drink out of a dirty glass. Can you imagine picking up a glass that has lip smudges on it and funky looking crusty stuff on the bottom and then using it to get a fresh drink of water? That is not your idea of a cool refreshing drink when you are parched and thirsty. And so it is with vision. To have vision means I need to be refreshed, clean, and pure in order for me to clearly see God’s vision in my life. “Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act.”[i] Wow! What a verse! It lays it all out on the line. Clean-mindedness invokes thoughts of purity, honesty, and holiness to name a few. On the other hand, those who are not clean-minded leave their filthy fingerprints on every thought and act of their life and no matter how hard they try to clean it up, they just can’t. There is a legendary story of such a young man who was at one time clean-minded, but that all changed in one moment.
Personal cleansing is about a choice to love God and put Him first in your life. When the opportunity for personal cleansing presents itself, which is often, you are faced with a decision that must be made. It may come during a worship service where you are challenged and touched by the message or music. It may happen as God speaks to you through a convicting passage of scripture or it may happen at a time in your life when you are struggling in your relationship with your spouse, children, employer or other special people in your life. Many times the opportunity presents itself when you are struggling in your faith walk. When it does happen you will need to make a decision.
You will decide if you want and are willing for personal cleansing to take place. The cleansing might be for the purpose of removing a sinful habit, erasing doubt and discouragement or feelings that are destructive to relationships. Mark these words; pride will keep you from the cleansing you desperately need. Be very careful. Pride will tell you that everything in your life is fine and that you need to make minor adjustments. It will say that you are a pretty good person aren’t you? You pay your taxes, pay your bills, run an honest business, don’t disturb the neighbors and you try to live by the golden rule. Sounds like a fine, upstanding member of society to me. Truth is you have a secret and all is not perfect. You are at the edge of the abyss, ready to fall in never to recover. You haven’t told your secret to anyone, but deep down you know someone knows. The One that knows your secret is the One who created the dream that you are pursuing. He is the one who wants to transform that dream into a vision that will bring pleasure to you and glory to Him.
[i] Titus 1:15 (MSG)