Search Me

"When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." Psalm 4:4b
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

As the day wears on, I find myself running low on energy - and
steadfastness. I make compromises and I let things slide by. I find
myself becoming more focused on myself and my own needs rather than the
needs of others. This also happens in our Christian walk. We start off
with a heart that is just wanting to please God and to do His will.
However, as the time goes on we begin to lose some of our
steadfastness. There is a compromise here and we let something slide by
there and all of a sudden we are more focused on ourselves than we are
on what the Lord is doing. We start thinking about our own needs and
rights rather than the Lord. Our attitude is no longer humble and our
motivation smacks of selfishness.
How did I end up here? This is the question we ask only when we are far
from where we started. Sometimes we don't even ask the question because
we don't see where we are. But the Bible provides us with good advice
to keep us from this condition.
Psalm 4:4 says, When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be
silent." There are three important steps to be taken here:
1. When you are on your beds - this implies that this is the time at the
end of the day when you have stopped working and are resting. You are
not busy.
2. Search your heart - the word used here is SEARCH- don't just skim
over the information. This is looking for something, an intentional effort.
3. And be silent - NO EXCUSES, NO RATIONALIZATIONS. Search your heart
and then accept responsibility for what you find there.
What are you looking for? We are looking at our attitudes and
motivations . God says in 1 Samuel that he is not interested in the
outward appearance, but rather he is looking at the heart. It should be
the same for our actions. God is not so concerned with what we do as he
is concerned with why we do it. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the
real attitudes and motivations that are in your heart. It may surprise
you to realize the truth about some of the things you believe or do.
But after we have searched and taken responsibility for what we find,
what then? Do we beat ourselves up for our wrong attitudes or selfish
motivation? Psalm 51:10 should be the cry of our heart after a night of
searching. "Create in me a pure heart, O Lord, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me." Each morning we need a new heart. Not just a band
aid on the heart of yesterday, but a whole new one, created and designed
for a new day. We need a heart that is free from the distractions or
the compromises of yesterday. Along with that, we need a renewed
steadfastness to stay the course and run the race! I recommend trying
this every day and you will experience the joy of a heart that is in
tune with God and his true purposes.