Test Me: Am I Authentic?


Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 
And see if there be any hurtful way in me, 
And lead me in the everlasting way. 
(Psalms 139:23-24 NASB)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 
Do not cast me away from Your presence 
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation 
And sustain me with a willing spirit. 
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, 
And sinners will be converted to You. 
(Psalms 51:10-13 NASB)

Examine me, O LORD, and try me; 
Test my mind and my heart. 
(Psalms 26:2 NASB)

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test? 
(2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB)


(This is the first installment in the series 'Spiritual Tests'.)


     For as long as I can remember, from the moment I wake up I begin my day praying Psalm 139:23-24 and Psalm 51:10-13.  By God's grace this has become more than a rote and lifeless habit, but the cry of a heart that needs confession, repentance, cleansing, renewal, and sustenance from the Lord.  As I begin the day with Him in His word, I know that He will not hear me (Psalm 66:18, others) nor will I hear Him (John 14:21, others) unless necessary confession takes place.  That's not legalism, that's just spiritual reality.  I remind our children that this 'heart preparation' is necessary for our hearts to be the fertile soil God intends for His word to change us (James 1:21).  In addition, what a wonderful way to get into a rhythm of answered prayer!  He is always faithful to point out those sinful ways in my heart and start the process of confession, repentance, cleansing, renewal, and sustenance.  I find it takes a good 15 minutes or so to work through these things with the Lord, and some days it is the majority of my time with Him!


     Throughout the day, I believe God would have us periodically invite Him to examine and test us anew (Psalm 26:2).  In Psalm 26 we see the example of King David eagerly seeking righteousness; Psalm 51 is an example of him seeking it following perhaps the worst failure of His life - and God was faithful to answer.


     Throughout our lives, I believe God would have us periodically test ourselves regarding the authenticity of our faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).  Lord willing we will explore this in future blogs, but suffice to say the primary 'fruit' of the 'tree' of our lives is the character of Christ.  1 John reminds us that this isn't primarily a matter of the perfection of our lives, but of the direction of our lives (more on this later).


Next time, Lord willing, we'll discuss the nature, benefits, and examples of the Lord's testing on our lives.  I believe you may find both the pain and the blessings to be far greater than you may have originally thought!


In His Grip,


Mark




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