Jesus answered him, "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you." For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, "You are not all clean." John 13:8-11 WEB.

After spending most of my Saturday detailing our car, it looked great. I washed, waxed, vacuumed, leather conditioned, and gave it the works inside and out. Then after a week of sitting there, even though it had not been driven, it started to become dirty again. A cat walked across the hood. Though it was white, it began to turn green with pollen. Soon the car needed washing again because that's the natural course. It's the path of least resistance.

So it is with us. We tend to lay our burdens and bondages down but slowly pick them back up again. Our "feet" get dirty once more. So be quick to repent of things you know you did wrong, or the enemy will use that as a foothold to mess with your life. He will gradually cause the sin to grow into bondage or a heavy burden again.

When we take our saddles off, the enemy will try and put them back on and take us out for a ride. God already knows about our sins, but it will do you good to get it off your chest. Sin is not a popular subject these days, but the Bible has a fair bit to say about it. And it is always bad.

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don't tell the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:5–8 WEB).

Religion without morality is just an illusion. Willful sin will always be a barrier to intimate fellowship with God, or satan and God would still be friends (Psalms 5:4; 66:18; Isaiah 59:1–2). What fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Just as with our cars, it is not once clean, always clean. Peter wrote, "But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog turns to his own vomit again, and the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:22). Is your life different than it was before you met Jesus, or did you slowly return to the ways of the past?

In this scripture, the dog got rid of the bad things inside them but then returned to it. While the sow was clean on the outside but then returned to wallow in the mud. God underwrites a person's deliberate choice with: "As you wish." You can have it your way.

The good news is that nothing you have ever done can separate you from God when you repent. Jesus will wash us clean. Repentance means to turn away from it, to say that you are sorry, to try and not do it anymore. Keep a shortlist with the Lord, and the enemy will not be able to use it against you. Jesus will give us a fresh start if we only take a moment to ask.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for forgiveness, and I am sorry for what I have done wrong. Please wash me, and I will be clean. Deliver me, and I will be free. Guide me, and I will follow You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.