Declutter
Spring Cleaning • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsOrganizingmoms.com reported that “According to a Princeton University study, clutter in our environments has a huge impact on our ability to focus. You can try to ignore the clutter, but it’s always competing for your attention.” According to Prevagen, a memory loss supplement supplier, “Researchers have looked closely at the effects of clutter. . . They found that clearing away clutter at work and at home improved focus. It also increased productivity and made it easier for the brain to process information. Clutter has negative effects on your mental and physical health, too. It can leave you feeling anxious, stressed, or even depressed.”
Notes
Transcript
Sermon series Spring Cleaning:
Some researchers trace spring cleaning origins back in history to the ancient Jewish custom of thoroughly cleaning the house in preparation for the springtime feast of Passover (usually around April).
One of the first steps to spring cleaning is to declutter.
Sermon Title: Declutter
Declutter Def: to remove things you do not need or want from a place, in order to make it more pleasant and more useful.
Organizingmoms.com reported that “According to a Princeton University study, clutter in our environments has a huge impact on our ability to focus. You can try to ignore the clutter, but it’s always competing for your attention.”
According to Prevagen, a memory loss supplement supplier, “Researchers have looked closely at the effects of clutter. . . They found that clearing away clutter at work and at home improved focus. It also increased productivity and made it easier for the brain to process information. Clutter has negative effects on your mental and physical health, too. It can leave you feeling anxious, stressed, or even depressed.”
Marie Kondo has a best selling book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," Netflix show Tidying Up.
Konmari Clean-up Method: Declutter a clothing closet. Hold the articular of clothing in your hand and ask “Does this bring me joy?” If it does you keep it, if it doesn't you thank it for it’s service and send it on it’s way to fulfill its purpose elsewhere like goodwill or the dumpster.
What if we were to take this same practice and look at some things that are hindering our life and our walk with God and begin to declutter them?
1. Declutter busyness.
"Many people are so busy doing religious things that they have no time for God." - A.W. Tozer
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
They did not even have a chance to eat.
Come with me / quite place / get some rest.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
He Makes me lie down / He refreshes my soul.
"Our busyness often keeps us from encountering God's presence, but it is in His presence that we find true rest and peace." - Timothy Keller
The most alarming part about busyness?
36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
"Our worth is not measured by how much we accomplish, but by our relationship with God and our love for others." - Brennan Manning
The busyness test:
1. Constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
2. Always rushing from one task to another without taking breaks.
3. Difficulty focusing and being easily distracted.
4. Neglecting self-care activities such as exercise, proper nutrition, and sleep.
5. Struggling to find time for meaningful relationships and social interactions.
6. Frequently missing deadlines or forgetting important commitments.
7. Lack of enjoyment or satisfaction in your daily activities.
8. Frequently multitasking and feeling like you're never fully present in the moment.
9. Declining physical and mental health, such as increased fatigue, anxiety, or irritability.
10. Difficulty saying "no" and taking on more responsibilities than you can handle.
11. Neglecting important aspects of your life, such as hobbies, personal interests, or spiritual practices.
12. Feeling a constant sense of urgency and an inability to relax or unwind.
13. Frequently relying on caffeine or other stimulants to keep up with your schedule.
14. Struggling to maintain a work-life balance and feeling guilty when you're not working.
15. Frequently feeling a sense of dissatisfaction or emptiness despite accomplishing tasks.
16. Losing sight of your long-term goals and focusing only on immediate demands.
17. Ignoring warning signs of burnout, such as chronic exhaustion or cynicism.
18. Difficulty delegating tasks and feeling like you have to do everything yourself.
19. Frequently running late or feeling rushed in your daily routines.
20. Lack of time for reflection, self-reflection, or personal growth.
2. Declutter being hurried.
3 mile an hour Jesus: Did Jesus rush anywhere? Was he ever rushed?
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Mahatma Gandhi
Our relationships with others becomes very shallow when we are living a hurried life.
Bill Hybles: Autobahn experience. Germany is the only country in Europe to not have a general speed limit. Instead, it has a “recommended speed limit” of 80 miles per hour. You can choose to drive faster than this - it's not illegal, but it's not recommended.
3. Declutter unhealthy relationships.
You are who you hang with.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn
20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Think back when you were younger and made a bad choice. Who were you with?
Replace unhealthy with healthy relationships.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Not giving up meeting together
4. Declutter unhealthy habits.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
How do we declutter unhealthy habits?
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Confess and turn.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Steps to declutter:
1. Make a commitment to declutter. Visualize how you want your ideal life and relationship with Jesus to look and feel like.
2. Start the decluttering process by being honest about where you are.
3. Start small. Pick three area’s of your life you would like to declutter.
1. Spiritual 2. Relational 3. Unhealthy habit
4. What next steps will you take for each?
5. What are three healthy things you will replace them with?
6. Maintain your ideal life: Establish habits to keep your life decluttered. Implement daily or weekly routines to ensure you stay on track.
7. Enjoy the transformation: Embrace the positive changes in your life and appreciate the benefits of a God honoring clutter-free, life.