“Show me if I am doing anything that offends or hurts your heart.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel, from his book, Dangerous Prayers, Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

This is another part of the dangerous prayer that David prayed.

Craig says, “David was called ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (see 1 Sam. 13:14 and Acts 13:22). He was devoted to God’s will and worshiped passionately, gave extravagantly, and led courageously. Yet he still made mistakes—big ones. Like you and like me, he was tempted to sin and didn’t always make the right choice. Even after he knew the goodness of God and had walked with him for most of his life, David still blew it. And that’s why he prayed this dangerous portion of the prayer: ‘Search me, God . . . know my anxious thoughts. . . . See if there is any offensive way in me’ (Ps. 139:23–24).

“Show me if I am doing anything that offends or hurts your heart.”

Craig goes on, “Hearing God’s response to this portion of the prayer can be challenging. It’s not easy because most of us are masters at rationalizing our wrong actions. If you’re like me, you’re good at accusing others and equally good at excusing yourself. I can point out your faults but have a perfectly good explanation as to why I do anything that you might consider inappropriate. I’m good at doing what Jesus warned against in Matthew 7. I can point out the speck of sawdust in your eye all the while ignoring the log in my own eye.

“How do you hear from God about any offensive way in you?”

He says, “First, consider what others have told you about you. Is there an area of your life, your habits, your relationships, or your actions that others have suggested needs to change? Is there some area of your life that is challenged by others? Have loved ones expressed concern for you, or asked you to consider getting help?

He then says, “When I was in seminary and took a counseling class, my professor taught us a principle I’ll never forget. She suggested that if more than two people that you love and trust suggest you have a problem, you should recognize that you have a problem and deal with it immediately.

“Her wisdom stuck with me through the years. As you ask God to show you if you have any offensive ways, start with what others have mentioned to you. Is there something about your life that loved ones suggest is unhealthy or unwise?”

That is a great place to start, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!

Comments

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog