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(Presented by Lisa Bishop)
Are you desiring transformation in your life? Spiritual renewal and growth in your walk as a follower of Jesus?
This is one of my favorite prayers from Psalm 139:
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24).
I love this prayer of David. He invites God to investigate his life, to put his life and actions to the test. He asks God to know his every thought, examining not just his outward conduct, but what he thinks about.
If God were to examine your thoughts, what would he find? What passes through your mind; what occupies your imagination and memory; what thoughts do you dwell on? Anxious thoughts? Fearful thoughts? Self-defeating thoughts? Sinful thoughts? Most of us let our thoughts run wild when God tells us to hold our thoughts captive to him. Which essentially means, our thoughts should align with God’s thoughts. Philippians 4:8 gives us guidance on the thoughts to entertain: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. The mind is super powerful. It has been said that the directions of your thoughts determine the direction of your life. And David gives God an open invitation to try his thoughts to ultimately see if they stand the godly test.
David invites God to test him. You can hear the desire in David’s words. He wants his life to reflect that of a man following hard after him. To rid himself of anything that is offensive to God and walk in integrity as a man after God’s heart. And if you know the story of David you know he did not live a perfect life, and neither do we. If we are honest, there are parts of our lives that we let God into and other parts that have a “do not disturb” sign.
Yet here is David, inviting God into every nook and cranny of his life because his ultimate desire was to live a life fully pleasing to God. That is the kind of life that will ultimately bring us the greatest joy and fulfillment.
If you want to experience transformation in your life and a greater intimacy with God, invite the Holy Spirit to lovingly point out things in your life that are hindering you from living life to the fullest in Jesus, one that honors and pleases him.
When you do you will be led not in the way of sin and evil but in the way of godliness and everlasting life in Christ.
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