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Sunday, February 4, 2018

Decluttering my Soul - A New Tradition



After our family time at the beginning of the year, I needed to refocus and take advantage of the quietness of each day.

I know I have a lot of things that needs to be accomplished, especially that we will be in our 4th quarter of our homeschooling year plus the demand of managing our home, If I am in a mess our whole household is in a mess too. It is contagious and bringing ugly results. I have realized that I needed to prepare my heart so I can be equipped.

We were so grateful for the gifts we received last Christmas. It was overflowing and we realized that our house is full.

Full of memories from our recent family time and full of new things. Yet my heart is still full of the unnecessary. I know it is the best time to declutter, not just with things unused in our home but also with the things that hinders me to be more intimate with my Savior.

I know I needed more time to be still in the quietness of God's embrace. If I have a lot of trash in my heart, God's love will not be able to conquer my heart. And God is telling me that I need to declutter for Him, for my family, so His grace can surpass all of my shortcomings.

By decluttering my soul, I gain more strength to overcome from the One who redeems my soul each time I fall.

It was so timely because it was our praying and fasting week in our church. The devotions that I read and listened to spoke to me and God was so near. I did not have fasting with food but I really focused on my Quiet Times with Him.

Starting with doing our daily devotions in our prayer and fasting booklet and then I started to use my Prayer and Character Journal.

In our prayer and fasting week, we focused on this verse " Be still and know that I am God" - Psalm 46:10


Oh one of my life verses. It speaks to me each time I remember and read it. The topic on my Prayer Journal was about having a Rested Heart, which was so helpful to me as I ask God to declutter my soul. For most of the trash are anxieties ( what ifs and the like) that hinders me from my restedness.


While my Character Journal focuses on having a Grateful Heart. I have realized how God's grace was also sufficient for me each day, enabling me with all that is needed to do.


At the same time, I also started with Bible Journaling which really helped me as I journal and do art on how God speaks to me.


It was also so timely that I was blessed with NIVs Homeschool Mom Bible. The devotions were based from life experiences from a homeschool mom which were all uplifting and encouraging. It reminds me each day that I was called by God to homeschool because this is His purpose for me and He is the source of my strength.

These Bibles and Journals are available online through Books for Wisdom and Journaling. You may check it on Facebook.




With all of these provisions that God gave me and all undeserved favor I really wanted to be faithful with my Quiet time and it soothes my needs when the time requires.

I wanted to declutter but I cannot do it alone. I needed God's presence and grace. I needed to commune with Him daily. I need my spirit to meet God's spirit and be awakened by His presence. I needed to rest my heart in Him. Through this, all of the unnecessaries in my heart will be broken.

And as I go through each day, God gave me the grace to read His Word in the morning and have a short devotion from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

As half of the day goes by, I have learned to share quiet moments with the Lord as I read my Homeschool Mom Bible after Lunch and start with Bible Journaling.

Before I sleep, I review our day and I write to my Prayer and Character Journal. I was also writing my Love Letters to God that I send thru email to myself to commune with the Lord before I sleep. The instrumental worship songs helps me to feel the quietness as I journal. Each art stroke that I do in the Bible reminds me to pray and meditate with His Word. I felt how God was speaking to me. His voice was clear.

As I was reading through my journals and the book of Corinthians, God helped me to declutter my soul and drew strength from Him, by His assurance from His Words.

The1st three weeks of the year passed by and God revealed to me that with His grace I can be Strong and Brave with the days ahead. It helped me to hear as I removed the distractions from my heart and along came spiritual healing.

" I will never be shaken" - Psalm 62:2

I was encouraged by this verse and felt God's assurance to me. That He is sufficient and I can never be shaken because He is my God and my Savior in anyway that I need.

All of the anxieties, brokenness and fears were overcomed through grace alone.

Brokenness is beautiful because it is how God will work in and through you to find courage and strength drawn from His love.

In His hands I found rest.

It is easy for our hearts to be filled up by things that are not needed in our Christian walk. Time and time again we need to declutter. Alllowing God to remove the unneccesarry so He can fill it with all of His love.

God also prompted me to have a Cleaning Day each month. A major overhaul not just with our home but with my spiritual life.

I am grateful on how my gracious God stitched all of the provisions and abounding grace that I needed to declutter and have a rested heart.

His grace is always sufficient for those who call upon Him and ask for it.

"Some actions like telling half truths, laziness and overindulging in shopping or eating may appear acceptable in your eyes at first, but if unconfessed for too long they may begin to make a total mess of your daily walk with God" - Janet Tatman

Does your spiritual life need a major clean up? Isn't it time to clean up your actions and reorganize your spiritual walk with Bible Study and Prayer?

"Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness of reverence for God" 2 Corinthians 7:11

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

19 comments:

  1. This is so beautiful sis!! It's also what I'm going through right now, decluttering physically [so much stuff :(] and spiritually. May our Abba bless and keep you this 2018!

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  2. Thank you! Praise God! Will be praying for you :)

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  3. This is very beautiful and really inspiring. I started a gratitude journal this year and we're getting along just fine (kidding) I would like to start this, thanks to your blog. More gratitude towards God.

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  4. Haven't tried it yet but this is something I would love to try. I think once in a while I should to spend time alone with God, reassess myself and leave all my worries to God. Thanks for sharing this. God bless!

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  5. I love it! I've been slacking on my devotional time because of my super hectic schedule, but I know it shouldn't be the case. God should be my (and our) number 1 priority. Thanks for the reminder! PS: I was planning to buy those prayer journals! :D

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  6. Ang gaganda ng journals mo, Mommy. I want to start reading tue bible again. For 2 mos now, nagbabasa ako online, sa Our Daily Bread and yun ang nilalagay ko sa journal ko. By next month I will change my praying routine na :)

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  7. I need these inspirational things in my life. We are considering to homeschool my son this next school year too.

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  8. I need to really develop a relationship with the Lord. I used to be religious and but now, struggles and challenges change me to be tough to the point of not anymore praying to God. This post makes me realize the empty life i am living.

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  9. The homeschool mom’s bible is interesting — I wonder how it differs from the usual?

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  10. This is new. De-cluttering has always been associated with physical cleaning. This is the first time i've heard it this way.

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  11. This is a new concept for me. We usually de-clutter physical, tangible things, but not really our "soul." I have to try this too :)

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  12. Your post made me realize that I haven't had a quiet time for myself for years now. Will try to this year if I can plan a solo trip for myself. We do need this.

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  13. I'm doing journaling now but bible jour naling is something I should try next. I need to find some quiet time with God also. :)

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  14. I need this too. About journal-ling / planner'ing, IDK pero laging hanggang month of may lang ako nakakapagsulat :P #lazyMe

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  15. I could definitely use the Homeschool Mom's Bible. The 4th Quarter is stressing me out because there's a lot of things to prepare, while I'm also busy with other responsibilities. My One Word for 2018 is actually "Declutter". I've been doing good decluttering stuff in our house but like you I want to declutter my soul as well. That one is the hardest one to do.

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  16. It's a blogger's dilemma talaga and we all need to declutter. I am glad you found what's best for you. Good thing for me, my husband helps me in decluttering by sharing unused good stuff sa charity.

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  17. Parang need ko din mag-declutter my mind with a lot of things. Sometimes I forgot to ask guidance from HIM kaya minsan parang lost ako.

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  18. I want to have that Homeschool Mom Bible, too! Thanks for sharing! ❤️

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