A searching moral inventory is an
intense evaluation of the thoughts, words and actions in our life at any moment
of time. This is a very helpful practice, because it rids us of negative issues,
which plague our life.
We ask God to search us and to
examine our heart as if it is on trial, so that we can see if there are any
wicked intents in our thoughts, which God needs to heal and redirect (Psalm 139:23).
The cauldron filters silver and
the furnace refines gold in the same way that the Lord purifies the hearts of
His people (Proverbs 17:3). He sanctifies our soul, so that we can speak as one
approved and entrusted by God to share His Gospel message.
It is in our best interest to
walk uprightly before the Lord, blameless before Him and in our testimony to
the world (Job 31:6). We no longer need anyone else's approval, because God's
opinion of us is all that really matters (1 Thessalonians 2:4; Psalm 26:2).
We cannot always know our hidden
faults and failings, but God's Spirit will bring them to our attention if we
take the time to listen (Psalm 7:9, 19:12). A searching moral inventory reveals
negative emotions, thoughts of regret and revenge, as well as shameful deeds
for which we need to make amends.
It will relieve repressed stress
and it will cause new stress until we repent and surrender control of our life
to God. Once we fearlessly confront our issues and submit our self to God's
healing scalpel, we are free from the bondage in which the past held us captive
all of our life (Hebrews 4:12).
When we commit our ways to the
Lord, He judges us righteously, tests our heart and metes out vengeance on
those who misjudge us. He rewards each of us according to what our deeds
deserve (Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10, 20:12).
We confess the root cause of the
destructive behavior, which once dominated our life and God sets us free to
live in His victorious grace and love. We mend relationships and are ready to
face the future in the center of God's will - the happiest place on earth.
Prayer:
Father God, at times we are
afraid to search our heart too closely. We know that there are wicked thoughts,
desires and attitudes lurking in the dark corners of our soul. We are often
afraid of these emotions; preferring to ignore them rather than to ferret them
out, discover their cause and find a resolution to these unresolved conflicts.
Help us to bless those who hurt
and curse us, and to allow You to take vengeance on these ignorant people who
do not realize to whom we belong. You are the King of the galaxies and You ride
the wings of the wind to come to the aid of all of those who trust in You
(Psalm 104:3).
Thought for the Day:
Let us take a frequent searching
moral inventory of our soul, to repent of our sins, to return to the
everlasting arms of the Lord from which we strayed and to ensure His blessings
on our life both now and in eternity.
- Lamentations 3:40
