I have been helping a friend paint and freshen up his older home. After years of living with broken pieces of trim, holes in a few walls, paint that was dirty and faded, etc., he decided to go ahead and do a major overhaul. We are far enough along now to be encouraged with what it will look like finished and know that the end is in sight.

However, to have a good-looking finished product, a lot of prep work needed to be done. I think we went through a case of caulk, filling cracks and sealing areas that at one time looked just fine. We had to replace quite a bit of the wood trim that had gotten damaged and broken over the years. Patching holes in the walls properly so that the final paint coat would look good took careful scrutiny with enough light to really see just how smooth we had gotten these holes and imperfections. Choosing paint colors that are appropriate for the location and his tastes can be a challenge but in order to have lasting results that he can live with for a number of years, taking the time to put some samples on the walls was well worth the extra effort (a one-inch paint chip can be hard to visualize in a whole room).

I think from time to time we need to take the time to freshen up our personal lives and our relationship with the Lord. We must begin by asking the Lord to “search us” or examine our hearts and shine His light of conviction upon anything that may be in need of “repair, replacement, repentance and refreshing.” Taking some time to “come aside” as Psalm 23 exhorts us to do (“He leads me besides the still waters and restores my soul”) will help us to access what we may need to do. Are there things we need to eliminate altogether in this season? Are there things that need to change in our schedules and priorities? Are there relationships that need to be eliminated, terminated or put in a different perspective?

This is a season where many people are feeling the call to do just that. In order to really benefit fully in this process, an open, humble, contrite heart will help to make sure that the Lord has the ability to speak and we have the ability to hear what He is saying to us.

Most of us are creatures of habit and we are uncomfortable with the process of change, but in order to have different results or outcomes to our current lifestyle, we must embrace the things that have to be adjusted or even eliminated.

Isaiah did not realize he needed his lips cleansed until he was in the light of God’s glory. Job did not really know God’s true nature and greatness, until he was put in a difficult situation that none of his friends has the answers for. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached a sermon proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, after he showed them that it was they, themselves who had crucified Him and that they needed to repent.

Many people are just content to live in a home that needs to be repaired and repainted, not willing to pay the price nor take the time it would take, to do what needs to be done. There are many spiritually lazy people who are unwilling to “pay the price” to allow God to “remodel” their lives for His glory. They continue year after year to keep bad habits, compromise in areas that they really have come under conviction about and live lower lives than they are called to live.

The process is tedious sometimes. It can be messy. It usually takes longer than you originally planned. You must make the decision at the beginning that you are going to complete the project, otherwise, it would be easy to get bogged down and just not finish. I have been in homes where it is very obvious a remodeling was started some time before but that it had come to a standstill.

The scriptures talk about taking the time to count the cost before going to war or to build. The same is true if you are going to allow the Lord to change you and make you more like Himself, so that you can fulfill your destiny in the most complete way, bringing Him the most honor. Allow Him to be in charge of this “remodeling” job and then invite Him to begin without further delay.