Parallels: Home and Spiritual Renovation—Some Demolition Required

This is part 3 of a series on what I learned through the process of renovating our home and the parallels to a life yielded to and experiencing God’s work in renovating our life and spirit)

Step Three: Some Demolition is Required

 The third step in finishing the lower level of our house was to uncover and evaluate the framing underneath the existing walls and ceiling. This required removing the temporary drywall and insulation the original builders installed. The old material had to be removed and demolished so I could evaluate and then plan structurally sound new walls, hallways, and doors. This was a time-consuming process that was both tedious and necessary. At the end of the process, I had a clear picture of what needed to be done to tie the new work to the existing, solid house framing. Because there would be several building inspections to come, this had to be done right: there could be no guesswork or leaving old things uncovered.

I have found that God does the same in my life. He is the Master Builder of my soul, heart, mind, and being who desires only the best and strongest spiritual framework for me. At times, this requires exposing and tearing down destructive, corrosive, or sinful areas of my life. He is gentle and firm in this process, just as I was with our lower level. God’s intent is not to destroy us recklessly or haphazardly but to surgically remove the harmful and even deadly things so He can build something brand new and glorious within us. This is part of an incredible end plan that God is doing within and through us, as the author and apostle Paul wrote:

 “ … He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

When we go through times that feel like God is removing things inside us that we’ve hung onto too long, it’s important to remember that He is for us and not against us. Don’t be fooled by your feelings, or defined by your circumstances.

In my book “The Isaiah Encounter: Living An Everyday Life of Worship,” I wrote about the false agreements we make in life. These are the things that we’ve heard, read, accepted, and adopted as true and accurate in our lives—even though they’re not! These agreements may be recent or may have been within us since our childhood. Still, either way, they rail against God’s goodness and our own spiritual, emotional, and even physical health.

 As we walk in deep fellowship with God, He gently asks us to surrender those dark areas as He exposes them to our hearts and consciousness. Even though there will be some pain in the tearing down those areas, the result of God’s work is and will be beautiful beyond comprehension.

(Next blog: Foundations)

God bless you!

Chris Atkins