TAKE A BATH

Has there ever been a time you haven’t taken a bath or shower for at least two weeks?  I can almost see you cringing as you shake your head no.  I once asked this rhetorically to a congregation and was surprised to have a few war vets put up there hands.  Okay, so aside from being in the middle of a war, have you ever gone weeks without a bath?  The hopeful answer today would be, “No!  God forbid it to be so!”  

Your body needs a lot of hygienic maintenance to be sure.  If you're one of the few that think you don't need it, you're most likely the guy the rest of us are all praying gets a quick revelation that you stink.  In this case, the truth will set us all free!      

When I was a young boy I broke both bones in my forearm playing soccer.  The doctor put a cast on my arm that went from my fingers right up to my armpit, and I had to wear the first one for six weeks.  When the technician removed my cast there was a horrific oder released.  I wrinkled up my nose and asked, What's that?  He laughed and said That's you.  Wow!  I was disgusted with myself.  How could an arm hid away from all the dirt of a 12 year-old boy's life for a month and half come to stink so terrible?      

Your mind and heart are similar to your body in that they need daily cleansing, except it needs to be spiritual soap action.  Why would we tolerate stink in our thought life that we would never tolerate with our body?  It's because we often don't realize our soul needs even more attention then our physical being.  The Bible says in Proverbs that as we think so are we.  That should concern some of us deeply, but let me give you a few spiritual bars of soap and some high power shampoo guaranteed to deliver your heart and mind of that secret stink.  

Here, try a dose of Ephesians 4:23 and 24.  It says to “be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], And put on the new nature created in God’s image, in true righteousness and holiness.”  Put that on.  It has disinfecting power.  It has renewing power.  You might ask, how do I put on God’s Word?  Easy, just pray it like this:  Lord I believe You are renewing me in the spirit of my mind with a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.  I put on the new nature created in Your image in righteousness and holiness.  Amen!  

You see?  That was a spiritual bath and that wasn’t hard at all.  Now how about applying some shampoo for the day ahead?  You want to have your head clean, clear, and without compromised thoughts.  Philippians 4:8 is amazing for refreshing your mind.  

Pray like this:  God thank You for helping me to think on whatever things are true, noble, whatever is just, pure, lovely, whatever things are admirable.  If there’s excellence and anything worthy of praise— Lord help me focus and meditate on these things, in Jesus Name … Amen.  

Praise God!  You just discovered a whole new, fresh perspective is yours when you simply take a bath … a spiritual bath.