Search Me & Change Me

[hldude33]

“Search Me & Change Me”
By Zach Wood
Psalm 139:23-24
“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.”

What a powerful passage and psalm from David! This is a deep cry out to God and a longing that he expresses to his Father to know him and turn him away from any way that does that please the Father. As I read this verse, I thought about the sermon a couple weeks ago regarding our motives for the things we do and say to others. Sometimes, our motives are hidden and we can fool many people. But, we can never fool God. He knows us and wants us to be led in His way. He knows we are human and we will chase after what our flesh desires. However, we must realize that our flesh desires will not bring any eternal peace.

What’s your motive? If God searched your heart and your thoughts, would He find selfish motives or would He find a servant’s attitude and desire in all that you do? I’m often fighting selfish desires within. I find myself knowing I need to be a good minister for my congregation, a good husband to my wife and a good father to my children. However, so often, my motives aren’t pure and right. I want what I want and that’s how it is! In these times, I desperately need to ask God to cleanse me from these ways and thoughts and seek him in all I do. My desire should be to serve Him by serving others and being the role model He has called me to be.

We would most likely all agree that we desire for God to change us and make us more like Him, but the actual change sometimes is a great challenge for us to accept. The change is usually never easy, but the growth it brings to our lives is wonderful.

Have you asked God to search your mind and heart lately? Have you asked Him to show you what ways you need to change to follow Him more passionately? If we pray that way, we need to be ready and willing to change to follow Him with more commitment.

 

[RANDOR]

Hey hldude... Nice post....Ya hit it on the head...PASSION FOR CHRIST.

I have a great passion for Christ......but I've come to discover over the 26 years that I've been saved. Sometimes more than most....this passion is a threat, intimidation to the luke warm Christians. I've even seen it here on the forums... I've even been put on ignore here from someone who after reading their posts thought they were on fire for Christ...and yet they put me on ignore

Let me try to explain......lets take a man who is in his eighties (Bob) and has been going to church all his life even since birth and has never missed a Sunday. That's it...only church...never asked Jesus for anything....just a good thing to do..go to church.

Lets take another man (John) who is also in his eighties and just got saved two weeks ago. Since then, he has been born again, forgiven of all his sins, recieved the Holy Ghost and now can't stop talking, praising, dancing for what God has done in his life.

Bob thinks John is nuts!!!

My passion is to lead these Christians who haven't....have that same Damascus experience Paul had.

Anyway...nice post....didn't mean to ramble on

I'm out

 

[JPPT1974]

We need to have God control us. And need the Lord to lead us. Give it all to Him. As we need to be changed inside out. From Him as only He can do. Knowing He is in control. And is in charge of us!

 

[williemac]

We need to have God control us. And need the Lord to lead us. Give it all to Him. As we need to be changed inside out. From Him as only He can do. Knowing He is in control. And is in charge of us!

God is not interested in controlling us. He wants to lead us. There is a difference. I have seen people give over control and wind up barking like a dog or dropping to the ground suddenly, only to give an embarrassed look and shrug that these are manifestations of the Spirit....I say, NOT.
I have seen the same manifestations at a hypnotist show, followed by the same embarrassed expression. Giving over control is not what God is asking of us. It opens the door for the power of suggestion can be followed by any and all kinds of useless manifestations.

Our minds are to be fully engaged in our relationship with God. But alas, I trust you were using the word 'control' in a figurative sense rather than a literal one.

One of the fruits of the spirit is 'self control'. We are in charge of ourselves concerning our behavior and our actions. The influencing factor is in our nature and our self perception. God has already changed us. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The renewing of the mind includes becoming acquainted with our new man, who was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph.4:24). As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. How we see ourselves is paramount to our success in bearing fruit. It is our understanding of the truth that changes us (our behavior) and sets us free, as opposed to some kind of pseudo mind control. Real change eliminates the need for outside source control.

In fact, the behavior of even the atheist can be controlled by things such as law. We can even change the behavior of dogs through training and discipline. But if we can cause a dog to cease from barking and chasing cars, its offspring will not have the same training. This is because the dog is still a dog, and his genes still rule. The same goes for man. Controlling us will not change our nature, but merely our behavior.

In terms of our nature, the change has already occurred by way of the new birth. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (2Cor.4:7). The subduing of our old man and the walking in our new man is not for the purpose of changing us (that is who and what we are) but simply to bear the fruit of the change that has already been accomplished in us. In light of this, control is not the correct word to be using in regards to God's dealing with us.