It’s week two of Spring Cleaning for your heart and home here at Refocused Bible Study. Today we start the week cleaning our master bedroom and praying over our marriages.

It’s powerful to use the hours we clean our homes to pray as we go, thanking the Lord and asking His continued blessing on our families and homes.

Today’s Study

This week, we focus on this passage from Song of Solomon as we clean our bedrooms:

“The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”

‭‭The Song of Solomon‬ ‭

2:8-10, 12-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Today, we focus in on verse 8, when the young bride hears her man coming to her.

In the book, I focus in on hearing your husband & listening. The world grapples for our attention, focus, & time, drawing us apart in marriage and over time we can neglect to the person who means the most to us.

What’s on his heart?

How can I love him well this week?

When was the last time we sat face to face & chatted?

These are great places to start asking yourself if you are as connected to your man as you are perceive you are.

Start there and PRAY.

Pray for whatever is on your heart for your marriage.

Today’s Cleaning

The Master Bedroom

___ Dust the Headboard

___ Check the condition of your bedding

___ Clean out under your bed

Start there & the next few days, we will move on to the windows, walls, and light fixture.

I hope you’ll join us on this Spring Cleaning with Jesus Journey!

>>Want to join the Spring Cleaning with Jesus journey?  Buy the study here:  >>>

http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Cleaning-Your-Heart-Home/dp/1530583446/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460223096&sr=8-1&keywords=Spring+Cleaning+bible+study

OR

FREE scripture writing plan/cleaning schedule here.

🌸💗Join our FB Group for more Spring Cleaning Encouragement!

🌸💗Every Monday morning I send a Dear Daughter email devotion to help women walk like dearly loved daughters of God. Join the email list here . 💗

I pulled out the drawer in the middle of my kitchen, searching for a number 2 pencil WITH an eraser, with ten minutes to get into the minivan.  My hands began frantically rummaging to no avail; UNO cards, nail polish, hair clips, dozens of tiny rubber bands…no number 2 pencils, no pencils at all!  This is not good I thought.  The one thing that is supposed to be there isn’t, but every other thing under the sun is in there, taking up space and just junking up my drawer!

I know how this happened.  When I am tidying up I just toss things in there and close it up real quick instead of dealing with it and putting it

where it’s really supposed to go.

It works for the moment.  My counters are clear, and on the surface my kitchen looks really shiny and nice.  (Until a guest accidentally opens the drawer looking for a spoon to stir her coffee, right?) The same happens with our hearts.  We don’t put the real time or effort into prayer.  So we just toss up a general “Lord help me.”

Our outsides look great and tidy; but on the inside, we feel like our own junk drawer.

Cluttered.

This afternoon, I opened it up to clean it out.  I put my fingers in there and moved the junk all around, looking for things that were valuable enough to keep.  I set a few treasures on top of the counter that I deemed worthy.  There was still so much junk mixed in with the good stuff.  I spotted a handwoven necklace I had bought in Africa when we were there adopting my daughter that I definitely wanted to keep.

But I realized I only had a few minutes before I had to leave again to take my daughter to gymnastics!  (See why I wrote the “Why your house is messy” post?)  I shoved the UNO cards and other treasures back in and then took this picture:  (Your’e welcome, I try to keep it real here :))

I thought about how my heart felt all discombobulated like this messy drawer.  It had been such a busy morning with necessary activities that I could not cut out of our schedule.  I have been out of the habit of rising very early to pour my heart out to the Lord in prayer and so it felt just as cluttered as this drawer.  So many concerns were in there, nothing extremely heavy or pressing,  but just things I needed to talk to Jesus about, stuffed in there waiting to come out and set before him.

The only way to clear something so messy out is to dump it.  Let all the good things worth keeping and the clutter taking up space to come out, and be picked up and evaluated

one thing at a time.

It is the same with our prayer life.  We can’t feel light and free if we don’t sit at the feet of Jesus and lift up every concern separately

one care at a time.

He wants us to be specific, and ask.

“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” James 4:2

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

So in the spirit of Spring Cleaning, go pick a drawer or a closet.  Open it up and dump the clutter out.  As you pick up each thing to evaluate it, voice your concerns to the Lord.  Don’t let your mind wander into daydreaming.  Talk out loud to Jesus if that helps.  Feel your heart become so light and free as you let all the cares and worries be set upon the One on whom they are supposed to fall.

Then organize all the things that are left.  See the beauty you have created where there was once a mess.  Know that the things you lifted up to the Lord are being turned into something beautiful for eternity as well!  If you doubt,  just open up that drawer or closet and thank Him for working on the requests you laid at his feet.

I would love to hear from you if you are working through “Spring Cleaning for Your Heart and Home!”  Comment below and tell me how it’s going!  Praying for you all. Enjoy journeying through your home with Jesus, and look forward to a clean home and heart!

>>>If you would like to purchase the study, it’s available here on Amazon: >>>

WEEK 1 PRAYER PODCAST: Spring Cleaning Week 1 Prayer Podcast

“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:29-30 MSG

In the breath before this one, Jesus had just been explaining to the disciples how exactly to live this free life- in intimacy with the Father.  He is telling the disciples to watch him, and promising that he will teach them how to live life in this free and light way.

So we can’t literally see Jesus at the moment,  but as I have encouraged us in the book, we have invited him with us on the journey to a clean home and a clean heart.  If we haven’t done this, then we might as well forget this bible study and just grab our trash bags and our cleaning supplies and get the work done.

So, I sat down to write some quick tips to motivate us to get started.  And as he often does, Jesus rushed in as I called on him and he told me to encourage you with this:

Spring Clean the way Jesus would.  

Can’t you just see him now?  Like he did when he washed the disciples’ feet… wrapping a towel around his waist, eager to serve, a heart full of love; perfect love for the recipient of this work.

And sisters, this is EXACTLY what I encourage us to do in our homes in the month of April.  I am not a cleaning expert.  I am a girl wildly and madly in love with Jesus who has been given a home to make into his masterpiece.

I want you talking with Jesus the entire time you are on this journey,

thanking him for your clutter and excess,

asking him who to pass clothes on to,  

inviting your children to join in the work, and

praying for the people you are cleaning for.  

>>>Now a FREEBIE!  For those of you who are not going to buy the book, here is a passage reading/cleaning schedule so you can join in too!  >>>Click below to print, or screenshot the image to refer to on your phone! 🙂

Spring Cleaning for Your Heart and Home Reading_Cleaning Schedule

Write out one verse a day Monday- Friday, and focus on the areas in the “cleaning tasks” column that week. Think about and pray through the verses as you clean.

I’ll be sending out a few blogposts each week that coincide with the plan!

Want the full Spring Cleaning Bible Study Experience?  Buy the book at Amazon below:

http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Cleaning-Your-Heart-Home/dp/1530583446/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459774780&sr=8-1&keywords=Spring+Cleaning+bible+study

I will mostly be using this blog to communicate during this study so make sure you are signed up! If not, click below and receive emails when I post!

Praying for you,

Amy

“And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It’s the last day, day sixteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. If you missed out, you can scroll through all my previous posts while le you study on your own.

Today we are reading in chapter sixteen.  and I was mostly drawn to verses 1-8, focusing on verse six. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it or something similar in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here:

My verse: “And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Application: Live like He’s ALIVE and like you’re ALIVE in Him. Don’t live so temporarily. I needed this reminder. I get caught up in today, this week, month, and year. I forget that God has conquered death. But if I keep my  eyes fixed on Jesus, and the truth that he is alive, my heart and priorities are going to be set on things that are lasting. 

Review: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and Salome went with burial spices to Jesus’ tomb. It was open! The stone was rolled away! An angel was on the right side inside the tomb. He told them not to be alarmed, that Jesus had risen!

Kneel in prayer: Almighty Jesus, we praise you for your power that raised you from the dead. Thank you for giving us the same resurrection power (Romans 8:11). Resurrect dead, locked up parts of our souls and lives that need new life and hope in you. Help us continue to spread your message in love and power. Make us women of your Word, filled with truth and strength from you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

That’s the end of Mark! What did God show you through this book?

Have a blessed Resurrection Day worshipping our Risen Savior!

“And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”‭‭

Mark‬ ‭15:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s day fifteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. We’d love for you to join us! Tomorrow is the last day of the study!!!

Today we are reading in chapter fifteen and I was mostly drawn to verses 33-41. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here:
My verse: “And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Application: Enter into the Holy of Holies (the inner sanctuary) into the presence of God, because of what Jesus has done.

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”  Ephesians 3:12

Are we taking full advantage of the intimacy with Christ which he died to give us? There’s no way. We can always, always, go deeper into the inner sanctuary because of what Christ has done. Because of who he is, we can always keep asking him to take us into deeper intimacy with him. Let’s take the opportunity he died to give us seriously. Ask him to help you keep walking further into the Holy of Holies with him. There is no end to him. We can’t know him enough.

Review: When Jesus died, the curtain separating us from his presence was ripped open. We can now boldly approach the throne of God.

Kneel in prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the high price you paid to give us open access to our Creator. We can intimately know the One who knows how many hairs are on our head, how many days we have left on this earth, and who counts all of our tears. Thank you for going ahead of us to prepare our eternal home. Thank you for dying for us. We praise you, Jesus. Amen.

What did the Lord speak to you today? Only one day to go!