“God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road to everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:23-24
I once confessed a most embarrassing sin to one of my leaders thinking about the verse in James 5:16.
The next day, in church, one of my other leaders came to me to warn me to never confess anything to that leader again because he had shared it with all of our leaders.
It was “anxious thoughts” that led to the original sin and it was this leader’s indiscretion that led to my freedom from it forever.
As I read these verses, it was as if the Holy Spirit bolded and highlighted the words, “any bad thing in me.”
The fear and “anxious thoughts” in me of trying to impress this new leader and feeling like I was failing him every day, led to my failing myself. David said to God: “Examine me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
What are your “anxious thoughts”?
Allow the Lord to remove them and, from there, lead you on the road to everlasting life.
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“Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. Do what you learned and received from me, what I told you, and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9
