It’s Time to Sweep
About four years ago, we hosted a Saturday opening of our first large space. The presence and joy of the Lord was thick. People of all ages had come, but the young adults under 35 struck my heart most. They were smiling, open, and very engaging with everyone, not even distracted by their phones. Everyone was eating, laughing, and fellowshipping with no agenda beyond celebrating what God had done and would do. During that moment, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper one word: sweep.
I began my inquiry and research and learned that some contracts contain a "sweep clause." It ensures that duties not spelled out in the contract are still fulfilled, based on the premise that agreeing to a service obligates you to do everything that service naturally requires.
The Lord shared with me a view of our kingdom calling to be fulfilled through our Midst community. Inadvertently, we continue to live in the bondage of a voided contract with the enemy after confession of salvation. Even though Christ has paid for our freedom, we hold on to the obligations of a contract that was satisfied with Christ's blood. And the enemy uses our ignorance or fear to keep us unaware of these contractual obligations that support deception in many areas of our lives. Our participation allows the enemy to operate in violation of our covenant through Jesus, requiring remedy.
Because I was not like the woman in Luke 15:8–10 (ESV), I delayed acting on what He had shown me for four years. The woman of Luke 15 lost one of her ten coins. With the use of a lamp, she swept the house and searched diligently, in obvious and hidden places, until she found it.
8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Rather, I considered what I had before I considered what I lost. When the Lord shared this passage with me, I saw my reasoning: "Well, I still have nine coins." Yet it was not about the leftovers; it was more important to understand the value of the missing one. Her wisdom was knowing the value of one. Settling for the nine coins reinforced my hesitation and my distraction in tending to other things. Where I heard God, my reasoning was stumped, asking, "What does this even look like?" And here affliction came to teach me, since I did not seek or trust Him. Faithfully, God kept speaking, teaching me that my thinking and resulting behavior were contrary to Him (Psalm 119:71).
When I surrendered my fear, the Lord reset us. I came to not only notice when one is missing but also embrace the value of each person who carries treasure belonging to God. The young adults from our first gathering brought something and were able to take something with them because we valued each one. Our reset revived "sweep," His original direction. As the Lord brought forth "Saturday Sweeps," I saw an evening of prayer, worship, and fellowship where we claim our rights under the sweep clause and break every hidden hold of bondage.
This past Saturday, October 3, 2026, we gathered in the land the Lord has given us, sweeping the house (Matthew 21:13). Now we know the value of the one, and here we will grow in faith, truth, and Spirit as we diligently find the one coin and the one sheep and bring them home to Jesus. Ignorance, deception, and fear were the terms of the old contract, and we are no longer bound to them. Surely, it's worth prompt consideration:
What unwritten or unexpressed obligatory action might you still be fulfilling toward a satisfied contract with the enemy?
Hallelujah for Saturday Sweeps! Whatever has been hidden or lost, we are sweeping the House of Prayer (corporate) and the Temple of the Holy Spirit (personal) for our treasure in Christ Jesus with great rejoicing.
Join us every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at our New Braunfels, Texas location. See you there!