Monday, August 9, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
THE LORD'S LAMP
Prov. 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
Our spirit is the Lord’s lamp and it gives Him access to the deep recesses of our heart, our inner being. 1 Cor. 2:11 says “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” Our spirit is the only entity that can truly know our thoughts. Our thoughts are more than the cerebral ruminations that come to our minds throughout the day. Our thoughts are also those things ponderings that takes place deep in our subconscious that we often do not have direct access to. These are the thoughts that create, recreate, and keep in motions many of our actions and most of our reaction. In order for change to take place we have to give God access those places.
Not only can others not know our thoughts, we cannot truly know our own thoughts. Jeremiah 17:9-10 say, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]? I the Lord search the mind, I try the heart, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” According to this scripture we can’t know our own heart and mind. Therefore the Lord has to search it and try it.
Since others cannot know our heart and because we our perception is off, understanding impaired, and knowledge is limited; we are better off allowing God to search our hearts. He has access to our spirit which shines light on places inaccessible to us, but very available to Him.
Let’s pray: Search my heart O Lord, search all the dark recesses of my being. Shed you light, love and healing to those areas. Then Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. AMEN
Our spirit is the Lord’s lamp and it gives Him access to the deep recesses of our heart, our inner being. 1 Cor. 2:11 says “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” Our spirit is the only entity that can truly know our thoughts. Our thoughts are more than the cerebral ruminations that come to our minds throughout the day. Our thoughts are also those things ponderings that takes place deep in our subconscious that we often do not have direct access to. These are the thoughts that create, recreate, and keep in motions many of our actions and most of our reaction. In order for change to take place we have to give God access those places.
Not only can others not know our thoughts, we cannot truly know our own thoughts. Jeremiah 17:9-10 say, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]? I the Lord search the mind, I try the heart, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” According to this scripture we can’t know our own heart and mind. Therefore the Lord has to search it and try it.
Since others cannot know our heart and because we our perception is off, understanding impaired, and knowledge is limited; we are better off allowing God to search our hearts. He has access to our spirit which shines light on places inaccessible to us, but very available to Him.
Let’s pray: Search my heart O Lord, search all the dark recesses of my being. Shed you light, love and healing to those areas. Then Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. AMEN
Thursday, August 5, 2010
SEARCH, KNOW, AND LEAD
Psam139:23-24 Search me, O 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.
The prayer is an invitation to God for Him to search us. This prayer invites God to investigate, rummage around, and hunt. It says to God there are no hidden places, no places that are off limits. It says to God you have free access to all of me, all that I am, think, or imagine. In allowing God the free access to search us, we also invite him to know our heart. This is a deep intimate knowing; this knowing knows the secret, hidden, un-confessed, and even unconscious issues of our being. This knowing reaches the deep, intimate recesses of our hearts. There are no hidden, concealed, veiled, buried, unknown, or covered areas in our heart. There are no areas that are out of sight or unseen; there are no areas that are hazy or shadowed, we are totally exposed and naked before God.
The invitation to test is an invitation to cross examine, check, assess, and analyze. This invitation opens us up to scrutiny. In that process of scrutiny God see our thoughts, our anxieties and fears, He sees motivation and intent. As He scrutinizes and analyze us He also becomes intimately acquainted with our anxious thoughts, He knows what we are truly about. He has access to and will reveal to us a clear picture of what we are all about. With this revelation we can no longer operate in self-deception. We can no longer hide from ourselves. We can no longer project on to others our stuff.
As God searches, test, and knows us He is the only one who can truly judge if there is any offensive, grievous, or hurtful ways in us. As God does his recognizance of us, He alone has the whole story. If we are open to His TRUTH, He will reveal to us all the ways that we have been an offense, grievous, and hurtful to others.
After God has investigated, examined, and known us thoroughly, even if we come up short, which we will, He is still able to heal us and the ones we have hurt. He is still able to deliver us and those who suffer the consequences of our grave, serious, heinous, dreadful and offensive ways. He heals and delivers by leading and guiding us on the road to everlasting life. This leading takes us to places of deliverance from ourselves. He guides us to places of surrender to Him. He also steers us to forgiveness of those we are offended by and to seek forgiveness of those we have offended. He also directs us on the path of reconciliation with Him, those we are estranged from, and ourselves. He takes us through the valley of circumstances that grooms and removes all our impurities and imperfection.
So let’s pray “Search me! Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life”(MSS). AMEN
The prayer is an invitation to God for Him to search us. This prayer invites God to investigate, rummage around, and hunt. It says to God there are no hidden places, no places that are off limits. It says to God you have free access to all of me, all that I am, think, or imagine. In allowing God the free access to search us, we also invite him to know our heart. This is a deep intimate knowing; this knowing knows the secret, hidden, un-confessed, and even unconscious issues of our being. This knowing reaches the deep, intimate recesses of our hearts. There are no hidden, concealed, veiled, buried, unknown, or covered areas in our heart. There are no areas that are out of sight or unseen; there are no areas that are hazy or shadowed, we are totally exposed and naked before God.
The invitation to test is an invitation to cross examine, check, assess, and analyze. This invitation opens us up to scrutiny. In that process of scrutiny God see our thoughts, our anxieties and fears, He sees motivation and intent. As He scrutinizes and analyze us He also becomes intimately acquainted with our anxious thoughts, He knows what we are truly about. He has access to and will reveal to us a clear picture of what we are all about. With this revelation we can no longer operate in self-deception. We can no longer hide from ourselves. We can no longer project on to others our stuff.
As God searches, test, and knows us He is the only one who can truly judge if there is any offensive, grievous, or hurtful ways in us. As God does his recognizance of us, He alone has the whole story. If we are open to His TRUTH, He will reveal to us all the ways that we have been an offense, grievous, and hurtful to others.
After God has investigated, examined, and known us thoroughly, even if we come up short, which we will, He is still able to heal us and the ones we have hurt. He is still able to deliver us and those who suffer the consequences of our grave, serious, heinous, dreadful and offensive ways. He heals and delivers by leading and guiding us on the road to everlasting life. This leading takes us to places of deliverance from ourselves. He guides us to places of surrender to Him. He also steers us to forgiveness of those we are offended by and to seek forgiveness of those we have offended. He also directs us on the path of reconciliation with Him, those we are estranged from, and ourselves. He takes us through the valley of circumstances that grooms and removes all our impurities and imperfection.
So let’s pray “Search me! Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life”(MSS). AMEN
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
SEARCH AND KNOW
Psam139:1-"You have searched me and known me". Since God has already searched us and knows us, would it not make sense to allow him to determine who we are? Not only does He know the deep, dark, and dastardly, He also knows the good, great, and Godly that is in you. He has already made the search, so why do we try to hide? Some of the ways that we hide is by putting on masks, sometimes it’s through isolation, then again, sometimes in by being overly active and engaged. How do you attempt to avoid the searching and knowing of God.
Psalms 139:1 in The Message Bible says, “GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.” Let us pray: Search me and know me O God.
Psalms 139:1 in The Message Bible says, “GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.” Let us pray: Search me and know me O God.
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