Sunday Words of Encouragement July 23, 2017

We had a continued Sunday School message on self-control. Then we had good worship, including communion.Pastor continued in his Dangerous Series with the Dangerous Prayer.

Pastor noted that there are many varieties of prayer: thankful, obligatory, eloquent, simple, desperate, careless, powerful, weak, casual, or nervous. Prayer can take various styles: loud, silent, emotional, rote, timid and over emphasized with extra syllables. But how many people measure the cost before they pray? Prayer can lead into a Danger Zone.

The Bible text Pastor directed us to is Psalm 139 (one of my very favorite Psalms), starting with the last verses and then moving to the beginning. Psalm 139:23-24.
Search Me.
Know Me.
Test Me.
Uncover Me.
Lead Me.

Praying these things is dangerous to status quo... staying the same. This is a prayer that leads to refining and intimacy. Most people don’t truly know us. We need relationship and intimacy to know and be known. But who knows us better than the God who created us? Psalm 139:1 -6. Who better than the one who knit us in our mother’s womb? Psalm 139:13-16. There is no hiding from God. Psalm 139:7-12. He is likely to go to the root of any problem rather than addressing small, easy ‘fruit’.
We can’t hide our motives from God. Jeremiah 17:9-10. Allowing Him to test us will show whether we are relying on Him or on ourselves. Allowing Him to uncover us and reveal internal problems gives Him permission to strip away the pretense and lies we may think we can hide behind.
Finally, we commit to allowing Him to lead. Earthly father’s come to a point where they push (or boot) their young from the nest, saying “now you are on your own”. But our heavenly Father never does that. He doesn’t want us to go through life on our own. He will always lead us. Psalm 139:7-10. And He loves us beyond any strength of love we can imagine.

The next step in our spiritual maturity is simple but not easy. Pray this dangerous prayer from Psalm 139:23-24.

I was lead to this song straight away today.

Verses For Today:
Psalm 139:23-24.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Lord, help me to pray this prayer every day so that I may stay on the narrow path of Your will.