中文請點擊這裡
MTC 2012 will be a time of revelation, connection, and promotion in the Kingdom. Please register by clicking here. Please also click here for the 4th week MTC prasyer guide as we continue to intercede for this yearly gathering of Kingdom laborers.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
– Psalm 139:23-24
Last week, we saw how the Lord will call us to offer up our “Isaacs” to clear us of our selfish ambitions. As we see from the case of Lucifer, selfish ambition leads to “disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16) and can corrupt even the highest angel vested with the greatest access to God and incredible kingdom authority. So as we strive to come closer to God’s throne and become stewards of greater kingdom authority, we must expect to go through a process of overcoming the contradictions of giving up the very promises of God, to cleanse our Kingdom call of selfish ambitions.
In Psalm 139, King David revealed a powerful principle for processing the contradictions. It is to turn our focus away from trying to make sense of the external circumstances to an inward focus of honestly examining our hearts.
God is taking me through that very process today. In this 10,500 Kingdom pursuit, I constantly find myself working through the tensions of reconciling the contradictions – where God provides clear confirmation for an opportunity or partnership, only to ask me to give it up later. To try to figure out the all complexities of God’s ways is beyond any of us. God did not design our minds with that capacity nor does He expect us to achieve success by always making sound decisions. God’s capacity for covering our mistakes is as great as His Fatherly love. I know that as a father, I would do everything to help my three daughters to succeed if they tried their best to please me, even if they fall short in their abilities. How much more for our Father in Heaven? God’s favor ultimately lies with our hearts and turning towards that inwardly focus is the only way we can use contradictions to help us defeat selfish ambition.
The process of overcoming the contradictions is confusing and has caused many gifted people to fall short of their destiny potential. By exercising King David’s principle to cleanse our conscience to the “way everlasting”, we can be liberated from the fear of failure that often arises when God asks us to offer up our “Isaacs”. It elevates us out of the burden to reconcile contradictions by making our hearts, not circumstances, the central issue.
Seeing the cross in the contradictions is not about resolving the seeming inconsistencies. But it is all about examining our hearts – to let go of that selfish ambition from a place well within our reach.
Market Place Reflection and Prayer
As I am called to offer up my “Isaac”…search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
