Declutter Your Soul: The Faith Move That Changes Everything
Lessons from Legends
Pastor Johnathan begins an exciting new sermon series called "Lessons from Legends," emphasizing that the heroes of faith we read about in Scripture didn't become legends overnight. They had to build their faith, endure trials, and overcome obstacles just like we do today. These Biblical figures grew into their heroic status through perseverance and obedience to God through difficult circumstances.
The pastor opens with a compelling personal story from his three years working in pest control. He describes visiting a home where the owners complained about ants, spiders, scorpions, and roaches, but when he arrived, he discovered they were living in a 3,000 square foot house packed floor-to-ceiling with collected items. The homeowners had to walk through narrow pathways and couldn't even see their hoarding problem because it had developed gradually over time. Pastor Johnathan uses this as a powerful metaphor for how Christians often spiritually "hoard" negative emotions and attitudes—collecting a little worry here, some anger there, jealousy, bitterness, and doubt—until we can barely move freely in our own spiritual lives.
The main Biblical text comes from 1 Kings 17, focusing on the prophet Elijah during a three-year drought. Elijah's name means "Yahweh is my God," and his declaration of drought was a dramatic demonstration against the pagan God Baal, showing that the God of Israel was greater than the supposed weather God. God led Elijah step by step—first to Cherith Brook where ravens fed him bread and meat daily, then to Zarephath when the brook dried up. Pastor Johnathan emphasizes that God didn't tell Elijah to collect water but to trust Him daily, living completely dependent on divine provision.
The story shifts to the widow of Zarephath, a Gentile woman who was gathering sticks for what she believed would be her final meal before she and her son died. When Elijah asked for bread, she explained she only had a handful of flour and a little oil left. Yet Elijah told her to make him bread first, promising that her flour and oil would not run out until the drought ended. This widow was "one decision away from creating a permanent mess for others to clean up," but instead chose to obey. Pastor Johnathan notes that God often uses "highly unlikely people in highly unlikely places to do highly unlikely things to end up with a highly unlikely result."
The central message revolves around living with a "right here, right now" mentality rather than a "then and there" approach. Pastor Johnathan shares personal testimony about tithing even when he and his wife were broke, mowing grass for twenty dollars and still giving to God because they chose to obey in their current circumstances rather than waiting for better times. He emphasizes Psalm 55:22: "Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you," and challenges the congregation to stop making excuses based on their limitations.
The pastor outlines a five-step "de-junking process" for spiritual decluttering: First, recognize that there is a mess—awareness awakens us to our accountability to God. Second, start with what's in front of you—address the obvious issues like anger, trust problems, or rejection. Third, let things go—stop holding onto past hurts and negative patterns that divide us from God. Fourth, choose how to live—decide whether to live in failure mode, survival mode, or to thrive in God's presence. Finally, prioritize the presence of Christ in our lives above all else.
Pastor Johnathan concludes by highlighting that the real hero of the story isn't just Elijah, but the widow who obeyed God despite not even knowing Him well. Every time she reached into her containers, flour and oil appeared—a daily miracle of God's provision. He challenges the congregation not to devalue what's in their hands right now, reminding them that God is the God of multiplication who can perform miracle after miracle when we simply obey. The message ends with a powerful call to action: stop waiting for better circumstances and start decluttering spiritually "right here, right now," trusting that "there will always be enough" of God's provision for those who walk in obedience.