What Does It Mean to Declutter Your Spiritual Life?

In our fast-paced world, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by physical clutter in our homes and offices. But what about the clutter in our hearts and spiritual lives? Just as physical clutter competes for our attention and affects our ability to focus, spiritual clutter can hinder our relationship with God and prevent us from living the abundant life He has planned for us.

The Hidden Impact of Life's Clutter

Research from Princeton University shows that clutter in our environments significantly impacts our ability to focus. It's always competing for our attention, even when we try to ignore it. The same principle applies to our spiritual lives.

Consider these signs of a cluttered life: constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed, always rushing from task to task, difficulty focusing, neglecting self-care, struggling to find time for meaningful relationships, frequently missing deadlines, lacking enjoyment in daily activities, and difficulty saying no to additional responsibilities.

Perhaps most telling is the neglect of important spiritual practices and the constant sense of urgency that leaves no room for reflection or personal growth.

What Does the Bible Say About Spiritual Decluttering?

The writer of Hebrews provides clear guidance on this matter: "'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith'" - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT).

This passage reveals two categories of things we need to address: the sin that entangles us and the weight that holds us down.

Identifying What Entangles You

Galatians 5 gives us insight into the sins that can entangle us: "'When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these'" - Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT).

Some of these sins seem obvious and terrible, but others hit closer to home - jealousy, anger, selfish ambition. These everyday sins can entangle us just as effectively as the more dramatic ones.

Four Categories for Spiritual Decluttering

When decluttering our spiritual lives, we can organize everything into four categories:

The Trash Box: Sin That Must Go

This includes the obvious sins - pride, lust, anger, the way we speak to our spouse, how we treat our children, our behavior toward coworkers. These are things that simply don't belong in the life of a follower of Jesus.

The Release Box: Good Things That Weigh Us Down

These aren't necessarily sins, but they're weighing us down and preventing us from focusing on Jesus. Maybe it's an overpacked schedule, an obsession with work, or even good hobbies that have become consuming distractions.

As A.W. Tozer observed, "Many people are so busy doing religious things that they have no time for God." Sometimes we're not stuck because we're doing bad things - we're stuck because we're doing too many things.

The Keep Box: What God Wants in Our Lives

These are the good things that draw us closer to God and align with His will for our lives. Unlike Marie Kondo's question of "Does it spark joy?", the standard for what we keep isn't our opinion but God's.

The Question Mark Box: Seasonal Considerations

Some things aren't inherently bad but may be hindering us in particular seasons. Maybe it's your phone, television, exercise routine, or other habits that, while not sinful, are keeping you from a deeper relationship with God during this time.

How Do You Actually Remove Spiritual Clutter?

Identifying clutter isn't enough - we must actually remove it. The Hebrew word used in Hebrews 12 means to ridicule, remove, cut out, or put to death. This isn't about managing sin; it's about eliminating it.

"'So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world'" - Colossians 3:5 (NLT).

Stop Organizing Trash

Many of us try to organize our spiritual trash rather than remove it. We think we can manage sin, keep it under control, or hide it in a corner where no one will see. But clutter must be removed, not managed.

When we try to recycle or reuse what God is trying to replace, we prevent ourselves from being filled with the right things. Our hearts are finite spaces - to make room for what God wants to give us, we must remove what doesn't belong.

Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?

Even when we know something needs to go, letting go can be the hardest part. We often have emotional attachments to our spiritual clutter. We make excuses: "I need this because no one else gives me this," or "You don't understand my upbringing."

The truth is, God has already forgiven and removed our sin through Jesus. "'But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness'" - 1 John 1:9 (NLT).

The problem isn't that God hasn't forgiven us - it's that we won't let it go. We keep going back to pick up the trash that Jesus has already taken away.

What Comes After Decluttering?

Once we've removed the clutter, we must refocus. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Decluttering isn't just about what you remove - it's about what you do with the space that's left.

When driving, you go toward whatever you're looking at. If we want to run our spiritual race effectively, we must fix our eyes on Jesus rather than on the things we've removed or the distractions around us.

Is This About Earning God's Approval?

This spiritual spring cleaning isn't about working to be good enough for God. None of us are good enough on our own. Jesus is the one who cleans us, but we must be willing to identify and remove the things that hinder our relationship with Him.

"'And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns'" - Philippians 1:6 (NLT).

God does the cleaning, but we must stop holding onto the clutter.

Life Application

This week, take time to honestly assess what's cluttering your spiritual life. Ask God to search your heart and show you what needs to go. Don't just identify the clutter - take action to remove it.

Start with the obvious sins in your "trash box," then consider what good things might be weighing you down in this season. Remember, it's hard to run your race when your hands are full of things you should have released.

Jesus didn't die so you could manage your sin - He died so you could be free from it. Stop picking up what He's already taken away, and fix your eyes on Him.

Questions for Reflection:

• What sins are currently entangling you that need to go in the trash box?


• What good things might be weighing you down and preventing you from focusing on Jesus?


• What are you holding onto that Jesus has already taken care of?


• How can you better fix your eyes on Jesus this week after removing the spiritual clutter?