God's Holy Flashlight

“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.”
Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

Entering the garden today is a bit intimidating. You see, today I come with a purpose. I need to spend time with the Master Gardner and allow him to search my heart. Sometimes this process can be painful. It may require confession or it may require surrender. So before I sit with the Gardner I will spend a little time walking in the garden. When I drink in the wonders of his creation it always gives me the courage to know the Master Gardner has a grand design for my life and his design will never be anything less than perfect.

Walking among the fragrant day lilies, admiring the ruby red Rhododendrons, feeling the cool breeze of the morning kiss my cheeks, and walking the winding pathways brings comfort and assurance to my spirit because I know the Master Gardner will graciously deal with me in love, as he shines his examining flashlight into the deepest crevices of my heart.

The fact is, just like the Psalmist, David; I know God already knows everything there is to know about my life. This truth stirs feelings within me reminding me of Adam and Eve in Eden. Like Adam and Eve, fear of God’s exposure can have me running to hide the bushes. However, there is another option. I can choose to be like David, who found the thought that God knew everything about him, to be a real comfort. David found this knowledge worthy of praise!

David tells us, “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

In Psalm 139 David quickly looks to God, who is the one he trusts and asks him to search his heart and show him how to keep his life on track. He asks God to show him the way that lasts forever.

So today I will willingly choose to sit and allow the Gardner to shine his holy flashlight deep into my heart and reveal to me my anxieties and my wicked ways. I will be still and listen as he reveals the damaging sin in my life. During this time I may have to answer some tough questions. Paula, what are you anxious about? What are you afraid of? Why is there anger in your heart? How are you spending your time and energy? Paula, are you creating your own “Christian” assignments? Have you asked me if what you are spending your time and energy on is my assignment for you or your assignment? Are you serving me with gladness or out of duty? Why do you take on so many activities that have no eternal significance? Do you have something against another child of mine? Are you being honest with your answers or are you denying that many of your activities, thoughts, emotions and feelings may be sin? Has your busy work crowded me out? Are your responsibilities stuffing me to the bottom of your life? Are you making good use of your time? Are you being a good steward of the finances that I have entrusted you with? Are you sweet coating your bad choices as mistakes or do you admit that it is sin to put other gods before me? Do you see your disobedience and lack of trust as failure or do to recognize that those things are sin?

In my life I have learned there is always a need for personal renewal. David struggled with his sinful thoughts and attitudes just like I do. David had Saul chasing him; he had battles to win and men to supervise. It must have been really easy for David to let life distract him, causing him to loose his focus. David knew his own heart. He knew he was capable of lust, jealousy, pride, anger, fear, and trying to control his own life. David admitted that he had nothing but hatred for his enemies. (vs. 22) David learned there was forgiveness, renewal and hope. You see, David, on his own was a major screw-up, yet God made him a King!

Questions:

1. Have you ever sat before God and allowed him to shine his holy flashlight into your heart for examination?

2. What was the result?

3. How frequently does your heart need to be examined?

4. What are the benefits to daily examinations?

5. Do you relate to running ahead of God and choosing how you spend your time?

6. Would you agree that sometimes even good things have to go so you will have time to seek God and his wisdom?

7. Are you allowing God to change you from the inside out for his holy purposes?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Today I confess that one of my greatest sins is trying to orchestrate my own life. At times I see that I am still trying to gain your favor and approval by the amount of work I do for you. So today I want to bring my works before you. What would you have me do? What jobs and activities would you have me set aside? God, how would you have me spend my days? Search me and know my heart. What are the things in my life that are making me anxious? What is offensive to you? What thoughts and attitudes have me in bondage? God, I pray that you would lead and direct me in your ways that are everlasting. I desire to do the work you have for me to do. I desire to live free of emotional, and mental bondage that physically cripples me and mentally defeats me. Help me Lord to know that sometimes I even have to say “no” to good things so I can better serve you. I must learn to surrender my fears to you and know that even if the worst case scenario happens, I am still loved and will be cared for by you. You are and always will be more than enough! Search me O Lord and know my heart today.

In your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

Why Is the Garden of My Heart So Important?

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.

May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I Thessalonians 5:23 NIV

Today I am thinking about spending time in the garden of my heart and why the garden of my heart is so important. Why do I regularly need to be there? For me the answer is found in I Thessalonians 5:23. The garden of my heart is important because it is the place that I receive God’s love, comfort and peace. The garden of my heart is where I offer up to God my sacrifice of praise and worship. The garden is where God and I resolve my personal struggles and identify my sinful blame. Jesus is coming again and it is important that when he arrives I am found blameless in his sight.

It is assuring to know that if I confess my sin to God he is faithful to forgive me. The free gift of salvation is mine for all eternity. When I stand before God he will have no reason to let me into heaven other than the fact that I have accepted the free sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the only acceptable payment for my sin. At that point God does not see my sin; he only sees that I have been redeemed by Jesus.

Even though as a believer I have been forgiven, I still have a major concern. I must be acutely aware that every day I live offers new possibilities for me to sin. It is not the sin that separates me from God but it is the sin that can cause me to loose part of my heavenly reward. Each believer will be held accountable and judged for what he has or has not done. The garden is the place that I can allow God to search my heart and see if there be any offensive way in me. Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

“…each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” I Corinthians 3:13-15 NKJV

So God, what is it in my life that needs to be searched and examined? “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:23 NIV

When we stand before God he will look at our soul. The soul is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. The soul never dies. It is the place where God changes me. The soul is where my emotions fluctuate between all time highs and lows. It is from deep within my soul that I hear the call of God. The soul is where thoughts both good and bad float around waiting for us to either embrace and obey the good or banish the bad. This is why God has commanded us to “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5 KJV

God will also look at our spirit. Our spirit is the core of who we are. It is where our sin nature resides. Our spirit is the part of our life that Jesus covers with his blood when we accept him as our Savior. When we accept Christ the Holy Spirit enters our spirit and remains there to be our comforter, our strength, our peace, and our guide. The Holy Spirit also convicts us regarding the sin in our life. The recognition of our sin offers us opportunity to confess our sin and keep our hearts blameless. If we choose to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit that rejection also becomes sin. The more we nurture our sin the farther away from God we walk. There is a huge danger that we can begin to love our sin more than we love God. We will also loose our influence for Jesus Christ. Although the Holy Spirit remains in us he is deeply grieved. Our heart becomes hard and conviction is often buried so far that we no longer feel it and we become a person who justifies our sins to fit our pleasures.

Our body is the shell that houses both the spirit and the soul. We are also warned not to abuse our body and we are told to protect our body. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
I Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

Abiding in the garden offers opportunity for God to bring about eternal changes in my life that will bring him glory. It is now pretty obvious to me that the formula for bringing more glory to God, is less personal blame! I know that I am weak and frail. I know that I am selfish and prideful. I know I am prone to anger and I often fight for control. I also know that I have a deep need for the Holy Spirit of God to continue his sanctification process in my life every day until the day I die. This is a daily struggle between my will and God's will for me. It is only the Holiness of God that takes away my blame. I must allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of my sin. I must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help me change my behavior when I cannot do in my own strength. I am pretty sure that I will not get it perfect in this life but I also know that spending time in the garden of my heart is where transformation happens. God may not expect perfection in this life but I do believe that he wants to see continual progress!


Questions:

When was the last time that you asked God to examine your heart?

Does it concern you that your heart may not be blameless?

Are you surprised to know that you are accountable for what you do and do not do after you become a believer?

What life changes are you willing to make in order to be found blameless before God?

Are you strengthened to realize that God has given you his Holy Spirit to help you in all your times of need by giving you the power to reject sin and the power to choose to respond like Jesus?

Do you find joy in knowing that Jesus is with you in this effort so that you may be presented holy and spotless without even one sinful wrinkle when you stand before the Father?


Prayer:

Dear God,

I stand amazed knowing that you love me so very much! It is your heart of love that reaches out to me every day. God I know that you do not want to withhold any good thing from those you love. It is because you love me that you do not want to see me suffer loss of reward when I stand before you. Thank you that you continue to call me to come higher. Search me God and show me the sinfulness in my heart. God I know that I have many opportunities to sin daily in word, in thought, and in deed. I pray that your Holy Spirit will continue to call and convict me of my sin each and every day. Forgive me this day for the times that I have grieved your Holy Spirit by ignoring his promptings. Forgive me for all that is in my life that does not honor you. Help me to remember that the choices I make in this life do count for eternity. Thank you for reminding me that my choices will be examined when I stand before you. God, I pray that you will daily take away my blame and replace it with the spotless glory of your love, mercy, and grace. For it is only selfless work, poured out in love, and bathed in your mercy and grace that will stand blameless before you.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.