The Searcher of My Heart

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9, 10 (New King James Version)

Today’s passage gives the basis behind David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23, 24 where he wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Because we can so easily be deceived by our own hearts, it is imperative that we ask God to do the searching, testing, evaluating, and exposing of that which motivates and drives us. Even the best of actions and wisest of decisions can fall victim to wrong agendas and faulty reasoning. Depending on the needs and longings of our heart, even the aspects of service and the carrying out of God’s kingdom work can become distorted and off base.

I am acutely aware of my ever present need for approval and acceptance. The best thing about that aspect of my life is that it continually reminds me of how much I need God and how much I need to direct my needs toward Him. The answer is not to stop doing the things I am doing until the right motives are in place. The answer is to continually ask God to purify my motives as they are exposed and brought out in the light.

Something as necessary as simply asking another individual to pray for me can be affected by the deceitfulness of my heart. This morning I am questioning the motives of my own prayer requests. The needs are real but the desire for attention is just as real. It can cloud and color any form of asking for help, whether that help is in the form of prayer, counsel, or even friendship. Like Paul, when he battled his flesh, I am torn between my actions and the motives that drive those actions. Ever questioning. Ever wondering.

This is the point whereby I need to discern between truth and the workings of the enemy. Doubt, shame, hiding, denying, withdrawal, and fear are his calling cards. He would want nothing more than to see me stop everything and hibernate spiritually and emotionally until I deem myself strong enough to continue on. Yet God’s Word encourages me to serve Him and seek the prayer support of others. As long as I am aware that things in me need to be brought to Him for correction I can proceed at fully living the Christian life. Now more than ever I need to be in constant communication with the One who can truly search me.

Father, may faith (not fear) be the deciding factor for all aspects of my life. I desire to know the truth about what lies below the surface of my actions. Yours is the only heart I can truly trust. Amen.

Potter's Hand - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSKe-gSXjAs&videos=IIKyyugBipo&playnext_from=TL&playnext=1

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.