[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=dryer&iid=162088″ src=”0158/a637e299-bac1-4c54-9089-9308ae4b0ecd.jpg?adImageId=12599585&imageId=162088″ width=”234″ height=”351″ /]After waiting a little too long, I finally asked Michelle to pick me up some new clothes. She did some great bargain hunting and arrived back home “mission accomplished.” The next day I wore one of my brand new polo shirts. I like the lightweight fabric and it fits well, but the shirt came adorned with some little fuzzies. There weren’t many, but one of the other older pieces of clothing must have become jealous while tumbling in the dryer the night before and had sloughed some hate on my new shirt. I spent a good fifteen minutes brushing fuzzies.

I believe many of us know this experience not only in our wardrobe but also in our spiritual life. God gives us something new but the old seeks to mar the gift we received. God blesses us with effective tools to brush these fuzzies out of our life. Here are but a few.

Strength not our own, but from the Lord.

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power .Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10–11, NLT)

Courage from the Lord.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14, NLT)

Resources from the Lord to give away.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”” (Luke 6:38, NLT)

Confidence in knowing what the God desires for me.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT)

Participation in God’s plan instead of my plan.

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:14–19, NLT)