How To Spiritually Deep Clean Your Home

Shalommm Hebrews 🙂

Our homes are our temples, and some days our battleground. And I don’t have to tell you that sometimes homes get messy. Sometimes they smell. Sometimes they fall apart. And sometimes, they just don’t feel like home.

But you’re there everyday, and while you’re there, you want it to be paradise. Where you can kick up your feet, enjoy the peace, and water your and your family’s growth with no strain.

Refreshing our home is vital, and not just in Spring. Truthfully, you can avoid spring cleaning with monthly attention to aspects that would otherwise go unconfronted until spring.

For each house is made of some man; [forsooth] he that made all things of nought is HaYah.

Hebrews 3:4

However, dirt isn’t just dust that collects, laundry that builds, scum that sticks or stains that…stain. Dirt is a spiritual residue, a clog in your abode’s pipes of Living Water, the baggage you leave unpacked after a long power struggle, the aftermath of silent emotional earthquakes, and the sweeping tsunami’s of discord.

Cleaning your home is about more than mopping, organizing, and keeping pet fur off the furniture. Especially when you have greater matters at hand, like a new baby, visitors, arguments, burglaries, insomnia, anxiety, and seasonal bugs/viruses, just to name a few.

I was blessed by HaYah with this 4 week schedule of home renewal, and I praise Him that it will be blessing you, too.

So many studies have been executed to determine the exact effect of sunlight, from bone strength, mental clarity, and energy boost. Since the beginning of time, literally, all of creation depends on the light. Plants, animals, and yes, spirits.

And guess what? Dark spirits HATE The Light. Yes, they hate The Messiah, but they also hate quite literally sunlight. It is hotter, faster, and more vibrant than any manmade lamp or bulb, and will shine brilliance into places a lamp cannot.

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View My Abba’s Vineyard, a 7 Day Devotional for Israelite Women

For week one, rise each day along with the sun, and spread the curtains (in every single room). If you have blinds, don’t just part them, but pull them alllllllll the way up. Embrace the Light! This will be especially cleansing if you have big or many windows.

You will see the difference in your family’s energy, serenity, and sleep.

Yes, sleep! Light is one of the most important determinants of good rest! It tells the special cells in our eyeballs what time it is– time to work, or time to rest. Bright light signals our brain to be active, to move, to exert, to live, and strive. Darkness tells our eye cells to tell our brain it is night time, so be restful, ly down, reduce heart rate (which in turn makes one lethargic and sleepy). The better the contrast, the easier it is for our brains to understand wakeup vs. bedtime!

So, if it’s always dark in your home, and no one is really sleeping quite like they should, dedicate the first week to shining that natural light to get everyone moving and vibrant when it’s time to move, and resting when it’s time to rest.

Look, sometimes there is disorder. Your husband gave you a task you didn’t complete. Your toddler in their terrible-twos has begun to love scissors and other (dangerous) shiny things. You guys missed your weekly Shabbat tradition (and if you need Shabbat traditions, I got you covered here).

Whatever it is, it happened. But that energy is not entitled to your space! It’s YOUR home. Reclaim it from negativity, gloom, and despair by taking out the trash.

Be in the business of preventative care when it comes to your spiritual health. That way cures don’t break the spiritual bank when it’s time to pay up!

By trash, I mean chaos. Chaos is anything that brings disorder to your home. It’s necessary to make time to confront and tackle any and all energy, dilemmas, and complications, without sweeping them under the rug to build up.

This is how week two of spiritually deep cleaning your home should go

•  Sunday – Write down all the hiccups you had, whether it was your kid being left at school because of confusion over who was going to pick them up, your favorite china being broken, or someone got sick. Take the WHOLE day to meditate on anything that has been bothering you or disrupting the peace you seek in your fortress.

Not rushing this part is crucial because The Word gives clear orders to us Hebrews about being slow to speak, guarding our lips, and using our tongue not to stir up strife (even accidentally). Meditating and thinking (and praying) about it first will give your anger and disappointment time to settle, and for you to find the time to outline how you actually feel past the primitve initial emotional reaction we call the human anger.

•  Monday – Pray over the list. Ask for guidance about the list. Seek Abba on the pain or fear or frustration it all has caused you. Give Him the list and submit your heart regarding it. This will truly set the precedent for when you choose to confront whatever is on it.

This is also the time to ask Him to show you what He may have wanted you to learn, notice, understand or experience from that event. Was he rebuking you? Was the event a sign of a deeper spiritual issue? Why does it seem to happen at the same time everyday/week/month?

He has answers. Just figure out the questions.

•  Tuesday – Outline ways it could have been prevented. You know, modern medicine only sells so well because people are invested in cures instead of prevention. Because we are not going to change our diet until that heart attack, or stop berating our man until he threatens to put you away. Be in the business of preventative care when it comes to your spiritual health. That way cures don’t break the spiritual bank when it’s time to pay up!

Could you have skipped that phone conversation with your friend that ultimately distracted you from the task your husband had given you? Or could you have scheduled it for another time? Could you have prepared a meal menu ahead of time to avoid last minute takeout that wasn’t so nice on the wallet? Could you have kept your thoughts to yourself in that heated conversation (or meditated on them until you could communicate them more effectively)? Could you have spent more time on Friday focusing on Shabbat instead of trying to squeeze in those last minute errands and chores?

Think about these things, and write them down, in the same order as your list. And, I know, everything isn’t your fault. You didn’t start the argument, you got distracted with other chores, and you didn’t know your now sick child has been eating with their unwashed hands after coming from the potty.

No, you aren’t super woman, and some things happen. Excuses are accepting that they happen, and justifying your lack of action in it. Accountability is accepting that it happened, but rebuking a lack of action on your behalf.

So even if it isn’t your fault, think of it as a responsibility that’s yours, and how you would have prevented it if you could.

Accountability is the perfect way to shift your thought process from: “Well, it happened because there was just so much other stuff going on, I didn’t know that was coming up, I thought I told so-and-so to make sure blah blah blah, etc.”

To: “I can be more attentive to this area. I need to work on my timing. I know so-and-so forgets things easily, so I can plan ahead to do it myself just in case.”

Wednesday – Try those things you just wrote down, if the opportunity presents itself.

If it’s one of those days you think your child will be left at school again, plan ahead to pick him/her up. If your friend calls you when you have an entire itinerary to complete before Shabbat, let them know you’ll make time for them after your priorities are handled. And if there’s so much going on that you don’t know where to start, start with the smallest, easiest tasks to build momentum.

Think about the difference this just made. Your accountability. Your initiative. Your decision to not be a passenger, but a driver in your home and marriage. Can you feel the trash being taken out yet?

Thursday – Pray again. Be thankful this time, instead, for the opportunity to make a difference where other members of your household fall short. The dryer lint trap– you cleaned because no one else would. Your mother-in-law’s medicine– she has it because you remembered while whoever forgot. Making contact with distant relatives who’ve been asking about the family for weeks– it’s done, because you realized a pocket of free time and decided to knock it out.

These are blessings to others, even at our own sacrifice. And trust your sacrifices are rewarded. Thank Abba for giving you the chance to be a redeemer for your family’s weaknesses. This is what a wife and mother is all about. AMEN!

You may even pray about your family’s gratitude towards you, especially if you feel overworked and underappreciated. Like I said, Abba has the remedies. Just outline your requests.

Friday – Mention not what brought disorder, but how you are going to do your part in attempting to prevent it moving forward.

Here’s a sample of what one might say:

“Honey, I know sometimes [circumstance he may use as an excuse] , so after praying about [what happened when he didn’t do it], I’ve been led to make extra time for [something he usually handles] just to make it a little easier on all of us. How do you feel about this?”

Key words— I know, which signals understanding. After praying, shows you went to The Father instead of your girlfriend or mom or Youtube. I’ve been led to, which communicates that you’ve practiced prudent thinking. To make it a little easier, says you care more about solutions than the blame game. Us, a clear indication that you truly are a team player. How do you feel, shows you are seeking your husband’s leadership– something that means everything to him!

Men, and humans in general (but especially men) can tell the difference between a talker and an actor. Or in this case, a helpmeet and a burden. And a woman who is all complaint and no aid is a burden indeed. But a helpmeet will not let her house fall apart just because everyone else has let go of the seams.

Saturday – Rest. You did what was in your capacity. You gave your all. And HaYah has seen your efforts. Even if the conversation didn’t go how you wanted it to go, you didn’t find any solutions at all, or it happened again out of your control– rest. Forgive. Forgive your family. Forgive your husband. Forgive yourself. Let. It. Go. Rest.

Stress and anxiety will not serve you in your endeavor to take out the spiritual trash. So if you tried everything to no avail (which will not happen with Abba YHWH), do not strain and bend any further. Continue to pray and trust in His Goodness to resolve what ails the peace in your home. And start the new week with a clean slate for everyone.

Fun, excitement, and engagement can revive and resurrect your home! It can strengthen your bond and cure the depression and lethargy in the atmosphere.

“He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast.”

Proverbs 15:15

The key to successful relationships, especially marriages, is not trust, not communication, is not sex, is not even quality time.

The key is diffusion points.

According to a study on what makes marriage last, psychologists realized couples who could laugh with one another, recognize fragility in one another, and forget about what just happened or what was just said were ten times more likely to stay together.

Hundreds of couples were selected to stay in the mock apartment, proceed with their regular lives, with cameras and microphones everywhere for one weekend each, over the course of twenty years.

Some argued. Some did not. Some bonded. Some did not. And some divorced years later when the study was complete. Some did not.

The common denominator in the couples who survived, was their ability to comfort one another with a smile, a goofy gesture, a corny joke, a little tickle, or a witty change of subject in the midst of tension. That is diffusion.

It wasn’t ‘talking it out’ or counseling, or even saying ‘I forgive you’.

It was actively fighting against the rising negative energy, combatting it with good energy.

Laugh, simply. Be playful. Invite creative energy into your home. The ideas are endless, but some simple starters may include:

arts and crafts
karaoke night
board games
miniature photo shoot (instant film cameras are extra fun for this)
TV show games (Family Feud, Jeopardy, Will of Fortune)
family sitcom
baking cookies together
family confession night (oooohhhh)
making a family handshake
looking at old family photos
discussing what everyone is thankful for
everyone tell their favorite jokes (and offer a prize for the best!)

Have a continual feast by having merry hearts, no matter what you guys are going through. This type of joyful energy will bring your home back to life, make memories to reflect upon forever, and diffuse any tense spirits around. Who can resist a laugh and cheerful countenance?

Leave the house. Yes, leave the house.

Find a park, a lake, a little pocket of nature. Go on a night-time family drive going nowhere. Bond outside the home. Grab ice cream with the family. Go see a movie. Pick some berries. Go (window) shopping. Attend a little league sports event. Visit the grandparents. Have a playdate with other kids. Get groomed together (hair cuts, pedis, facials, etc). And come back with fresh, renewed spirits.

Sometimes it’s good to get a break, see new scenery, and spend time in an unfamiliar environment.

Plus, maybe the blockage in the home is solely coming from within. Remove that energy by removing yourselves for a little while, and having fun while you do.

Waging war in week four entails leaving the battleground for a bit, and putting it back in YHWH’s hands! Pray over it while you’re away, while you’re focusing on something else, while you’re in the rapture of lighthearted quality time. Give your home a few hours this week to breathe! Maybe you guys just drive around the neighborhood for a while, have breakfast at your favorite diner, or camp in the yard. Whatever you do, focus on that and not on what takes place in the house.

When you finally do return inside, you may have a fresh eye and spot something you hadn’t seen before.

Similarly, cover every room, closet, piece of furniture, utensil and atom in your home with PRAYER!

Things you’ve never prayed for before. You could pray for your laundry appliances. I know it sounds silly, but it could potentially be the reason you won’t have to replace your dryer for a long time. Or your dishes, that they would be blessed, sturdy, and that you’re thankful to have them. Thankful for clothes. Thankful for beds. Thankful for curtains. Bless your home with gratitude and watch the abundance of Our Father overflow!

 Homes are temples, but inevitably turn into battlegrounds. To cleanse, renew, and revive your home in a way that bleach and dusting cannot, remember the four simple measures: Embrace the Light, Take Out the (Spiritual) Trash, Invite Creative Energy, and Wage War!

I pray these fundamental practices help you the way they’ve helped me.

Happy Cleansing!

Shalom!

Share this post if you know someone who’s home could use a revival.