DEEP CLEANSING AND PREPARING FOR TEMPTATION

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

II Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

I believe regular cleansing is imperative to defeating temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Steps to deep cleansing

1. Find a quiet place to sit alone – Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
2. Quiet your heart before the Lord
   Close your eyes and reflect on Him
   Remove all distractions – tv, phone, computer, people, job, etc
   Put all worries aside for a time. They are not going anywhere
   Matthew 6:25-33 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
3. Pray and thank God for allowing you to be at this place at this time Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
   Ask for courage to be honest before Him Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
   Ask for grace to help you as he reveals hidden things in your life.
   Commit to the Lord that your will pay the price necessary for total complete cleansing – Psalms 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
   Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
   Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
4. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal your specific sins to you Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
5. List everything He reveals to you.
   List everything, not just the easy ones
   Re-ask Him to reveal more
   Number them in order of difficulty
   Wait on Him – Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Psalms 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
6. Confess your sins one at a time – Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. – I John 1:9-10 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
7. Accept the fact that this will be a struggle in some areas of your life – Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
   You may well desire to stop because it is to personally hard
   This is the normal human response
   Give yourself time to properly get the job complete (could take more then one time alone) so make this a regular habit.
8. Make restitution if it is needed. Matthew 5: 23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
   You will have to expect you will be humbled – I Peter 5:5-9 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
   Commit to go to whomever you have sinned against and set it right.
   This is necessary for spiritual victory and freedom
9. Write done beside each sin you have confessed
   You are not done until you have confessed, made restitution, and received God’s complete cleansing of your sin
   When you have finished the list, burn it as a sign that it has been forgiven.
   10.Thank the Lord for His work in your life as your complete each one.
   Praise time now – praise Him for His faithfulness in forgiving and cleansing you.

Psalms 109:30  I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

Psalms 111:1  Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Psalms 135:1-3   Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.2  Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.