Day 3: The Man in the Mirror

Focus Area - REACH UP
Stretching Toward God

Scriptures: Psalm 24:3-6

Reflection: Change starts when we stop avoiding the mirror and let God deal with what we see.

Expanded Focus:
Michael Jackson might be the greatest entertainer ever. I’ll admit, a few of his songs are on my workout playlist—don’t judge me. One of them is “Man in the Mirror.” It’s not just about the beat; it preaches to me. Michael sings, “I am starting with the man in the mirror.” That’s Bible language all day. Why? Because nothing around us changes until something inside us does. Psalm 24 asks, “Who may stand in His holy place?” and answers, “The one with clean hands and a pure heart.” In other words, before we go to God, we need to look in the mirror.

Clean hands deal with conduct; how we treat people, handle resources, speak, respond when we are hurt, and steward our influence. Pure hearts, on the other hand, deal with character; what we hide, secretly resent, refuse to surrender, and protect even though it is poisoning us. God is not asking for performance. God wants our honesty.

This is only Day Three of The Stretch, but God is already starting to work on the inside. He is not enlarging our ministry before He examines our motives. You cannot carry Kingdom purpose with contaminated hands. You cannot ascend spiritual mountains while holding unforgiveness, pride, jealousy, or secret habits. God loves you too much to let you climb while weighed down.

But look at the promise: the one who pursues clean hands and pure hearts “will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God.” What if I told you, “blessing” does not begin with what we grab. I believe this text shows us that “blessing” begins with what we release.

Beulah, if we are going to REACH UP in 2026, we cannot play spiritual hide-and-seek. We cannot try to seek His face while covering what we do not want Him to touch. Let God search what you have tried to manage. Let God heal what you have tried to ignore. Let God clean what you have tried to justify. The mountain is high, but grace reaches higher.

Questions to Consider:
1. In what ways have I tried to look, act, or live like someone else instead of embracing who God designed me to be?
2. What unique gifts, strengths, or experiences has God given me that I have overlooked or undervalued?
3. Who in my life challenges, stretches, or inspires me because of their God-given uniqueness?