Psalm 139:23-24 "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."
Galatians 5:22-23 "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Another part of the prayer I pray in the morning is for the Lord to take my life and do with my and build with me what He will.
Do you ever notice that we ask the Lord in song or in verse or in just talking to Him to search us, know us, test us with our anxious thoughts; to see if there is any sin in us and to lead us.... but the HE ACTUALLY DOES IT???
If you are anything like me when He starts messing around with that heart area, I'm like, "God, WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" I was going to tone that down a bit, but that's really what I and I think others actually think or say. He comes back and says, "Only what you asked me to". Oh, really?? Like I asked you to bring all this junk from the past back up into my life - like I really asked to be turned inside out to where my heart doesn't even feel like it's where it supposed to be physically!! I asked for that?? He says, "Fortunately, yes."
I get mad at Him! Like He's doing something to me and exposing my vulnerabilities and defenses and self-protection.... oh, well.... I guess He is.... and well, He's right, I asked Him out of my love for Him and my desire to give Him more of me so can have more of Him to do just that.
WHAT WAS I THINKING??????
I was thinking about Jesus and how much He gave for me, and how much I want to love Him in the same way He loves me.
To build with me and to do with me - in me - what He wills. I think of letting Him lead my day and to build in me the fruit of the Spirit. To build in me love towards others and myself - joy, that is my strength - peace, that guards my heart and my mind - forbearance, patience with people around me who act like... well, you know - kindness, doing something nice for someone, even smiling - goodness, having a purity of thought and deed - faithfulness, know Jesus is our center and following His Voice alone - gentleness, showing compassion to those who need it, but also learning to be gentle in reproof - self-control or temperance (don't particularly like the word self-control - it implies we are doing it ourselves, when in fact we need Jesus for everything), keeping ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit away from sin and doing what's not sinful in moderation.
Just my belief of what He wants to build in us... along with the various gifts He wants to pour out on us. When we act in accordance with the Spirit, nothing can harm us. Think about it.
Search Me - Know Me - Travis Cottrell
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