The Ugliness Within…

The Lord never ceases to amaze me of how He so graciously illumintes His light upon the “ugliness” in our hearts.  Ever since the beginning of the year I’ve kept a journal (I’ve been a little slack as of late) BUT, I’ve kept a journal about all the things God is showing me in my life, things that need to go.  I entitled it, “the ugliness within” because generally it’s the thoughts, motives, and intents of the heart that no one else sees.  Sometimes even we don’t see it, but God always does!  Just last night I had to expose some selfish motives in my life, and I told Brooke about them, and it was very hard to share!  No one ever likes to share the faults and “dirty laundry”, but there is freedom in it! 

I shared in another blog about how God looks at our heart, and when He does He will bring to light those things that need to go, and then we have the choice to get rid of them, or try to cover them up!  I encourage you to have the guts to confess them and get rid of them!  After I shared these things with Brooke, I began to read Ps. 51 (David’s repentive psalm after he had messed up), and I was floored about how much I felt like those words were my words! 

Ps. 51:  “Have mercy upon me O God, according to Your lovingkindness, According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot our my transgressions, wash me thouroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” vs. 6. “Behold you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom (the fear of the Lord, which keeps me from sin.) Finally in vs. 10…: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.”

It has been an awesome journey of freedom as the Lord has shown me those deep, hidden, sometimes secret things that were in my heart that were not pleasing to Him.  It’s been a process getting them out, but how fun, in a wierd way, it has been!  The freedom is awesome, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! 

Dont’ wait another minute!  Begin to deal with those selfish motives, ambitions, secret sin, get it out and start living in freedom, not bondage! 

God Bless,

Rick