“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

So over the past week I’ve been on “vacation.” But due to the not-so- lovely weather that rolled through most of the country, I was unable to go anywhere and no one could come for a visit. But I did get to spend some amazing time with Jesus, write a ton, and clean like the dickens! I cleaned out my closets, my old purses, under my bed, my storage containers, and under my bathroom sink.

My cleaning journey led to the discovery of many interesting things . . . like three bottles of makeup that I didn’t know I had (I recently purchased a new bottle because I thought I was out of it). I also found some makeup remover wipes I thought I was out of . . . as well as two separate packs of razors (just like the ones I had just purchased). I found old letters, photos, journals, books . . . things I didn’t know I possessed and some things I had tucked away and forgotten about.

How many of us have hidden things within us that we’ve forgotten about? Things we put away for a rainy day? Things God spoke that we put in the vault, never to be heard from again? Things that may be of use today—for such a time as this?

Could it be that the thing you’ve been needing in your life, you’ve had inside all along?

Have you had dreams in your heart that you tucked away because you didn’t have faith that God could make them a reality?

The Bible says, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us” (Ephesians 3:20-21 The Message).

Are you afraid to pursue your dreams because of what others will say? “You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Afraid you don’t have the strength to do what God’s called you to do? “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible).

So what do you have hidden away inside you? What have you been holding back from the rest of us? Maybe its time to share it. Maybe its time to wake up and see your dreams in God become reality.  —submitted by Amanda Harman, US