Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12
Romans 13:11-12
Advent of the Heart
If you are like me, I am still getting ready for the holidays when they are over. They come and go in the blink of an eye, and I always have these amazing plans in my mind about how I want everything to go - most of which never happen. I love the Christmas season, both the secular side and the religious aspect. But with every passing year, I am drawn more to the real reason for Christmas being Jesus Christ coming to earth in human form, so He could save us all. More and more, I am aware of how desperately I need Him and how nothing but Him will do.
If you are like me, I am still getting ready for the holidays when they are over. They come and go in the blink of an eye, and I always have these amazing plans in my mind about how I want everything to go - most of which never happen. I love the Christmas season, both the secular side and the religious aspect. But with every passing year, I am drawn more to the real reason for Christmas being Jesus Christ coming to earth in human form, so He could save us all. More and more, I am aware of how desperately I need Him and how nothing but Him will do.
In our church, Advent kicks off the Christmas season. Advent – a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and the return of Jesus at the second coming. A time of preparation. A time to get ready. A time to make room.
We fill our hearts and lives with so much stuff that shouldn’t really be there. We fill the void that is only intended for Jesus with all kinds of things that take up space meant only for Him, and therefore they don’t even satisfy. I look at Advent as a time to personally prepare my heart for Christmas and to focus on why we celebrate Christmas and exactly what it means for us as Christians. Not only has He already come in the form of a tiny baby, He is coming again. But even before that, He is waiting now. He is waiting for you to make room for Him in your heart.
What have you filled your heart with in place of God? Clear your heart of every idol you have replaced Him with. Clear out every single thing that isn’t supposed to be there to make a place for Him. Eliminate all that does not satisfy because the ONLY one who can satisfy is coming. He is coming. Get ready and wait with expectation. Wait with anticipation.
Lord, please purge my heart of every single thing that isn’t supposed to be there. Please sweep out every wrong desire that is taking up the space that is only for you. Please cleanse my heart and rid it of every false God and idol I have embraced. Lord I want you to fill my heart with you and only you, not just at Christmas, but every day.
Scripture to Claim:
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. – Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. – Psalm 130:5-6
