A few weeks ago, my cousin, Peter Kovach, spoke at church and shared the idea of a “spiritual yard sale.” It was an excellent thought, and God prompted me to really meditate on what that meant to declutter my own life. You see, every so often, I go through my house and hold a yard sale. I pull things out of closets and drawers that I’ve been holding on to for years—things I once loved, things that felt important at the time—and I ask myself: Does this still serve any real purpose in my life? More often than not, the answer is no. It’s just been taking up space. Peter made me realize that God wants me to do the exact same thing with my heart.
There are things we hold on to spiritually that we genuinely love—habits, relationships, mindsets, priorities, and comforts—that feel harmless enough on the surface but produce absolutely nothing of eternal value. They don’t advance God’s kingdom. They don’t reflect His glory. They simply clutter up space in my life—a life that was bought at an unthinkable price.
“For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Bought at a price. Not a bargain, not a discount—a premium. God paid the full, staggering cost of His own Son’s life to purchase me back to Himself. And I have to ask myself honestly: Does every compartment of my life reflect the magnitude of that price? Or am I still cluttering up the life He purchased with things that are a waste of my precious life, or worse yet, bring it shame? Moses gives us a picture of someone who understood this trade-off. He had every worldly comfort available to him, and he walked away from all of it to follow God.
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26)
Moses had the treasures of an entire empire in his hands; he assessed them against what God was offering—and he let go. He held his own spiritual yard sale, and he walked away lighter, freer, and infinitely more valuable in the hands of God. Jesus taught this same principle to His disciples in the most practical terms possible.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
I used to read that passage and think it was only about money. It isn’t. It’s about anything we cling to that moth, rust, or time will eventually consume anyway. Our reputation. Our comfort. Our looks. Our need to be right. Our grip on old grudges. Our entertainment habits. Our carefully protected schedules. None of it transfers into eternity. Yet we hold on to these things as though they’re priceless heirlooms, when in reality, they’re just clutter. Jesus made an almost unbelievable promise to those willing to let go of earthly attachments for the sake of His kingdom.
“So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Mark 10:29-30)
A hundredfold. That’s a 10,000% return—a rate of return Edward Jones can’t promise. When we release our grip on the things of this world and reinvest our time, our love, and our resources into what actually matters to God, we are not losing anything. We are trading temporary clutter for an eternal harvest. So, what does a genuine spiritual yard sale actually look like in daily life? Well, here are a few practical places God gave me to start:
- My time. If entertainment, scrolling, or busywork is consistently crowding out prayer, Scripture, and service, that’s clutter worth clearing.
- My grudges. Bitterness feels justified in the moment, but it produces nothing of kingdom value. Releasing it frees up space for forgiveness.
- My comforts. I need to ask God plainly if there’s a comfort I’m protecting more than I’m living in obedience to Him.
- My relationships. I need to examine relationships that need boundaries, because certain influences pull me away from Christ rather than toward Him.
- My speech and entertainment. If what fills my mind isn’t building gratitude or holiness, it’s worth asking whether it deserves the space it’s taking up!
Then…I must reinvest the time I release!
Every time I let go of something, I need to intentionally reinvest that time, energy, or resource into prayer, service, generosity, or discipleship. Decluttering without reinvestment just leaves an empty space. Decluttering for the kingdom fills that space with eternal investments.
God’s goal for us is NOT to have less, but rather to free us from worthless clutter so we have more space to live in the glorious purpose we have in Christ!
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the price You paid to bring me into Your family. Forgive me for the things I have clung to that never served Your kingdom and never brought You glory. Give me the courage of Moses to release the treasures of this world for the far greater reward found in You. Show me clearly what I need to let go of, and give me the willingness to actually release it. Help me reinvest everything You free up in me—my time, my heart, and my resources—into what truly matters for eternity. Let my life reflect the premium You paid for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
