Root It Out, Lord!

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

This passage perfectly sums up some of my personal prayers from this week. As I have searched my heart with the Lord He reveled to me - or reminded me - that anxious thoughts are most often rooted in fear. And anxiety can lead to offensive, or defensive behavior, or a downtrodden spirit. When I deal with the fear through prayer, the anxiety goes away.

Lord Jesus, I confess I have been struggling with the fear of _______________(name the fear). I have believed _______________ (state the lie). I choose to renounce that lie and believe Your truth that says _______________ (state a promise from God's Word). I confess that my anxiety and fear have led me to compromise my witness for You by _______________ (list any and all ways believing this lie or living in fear has held you back or kept you from serving Him). I choose now to live by faith in You and stand on the truth of Your Word, trusting You to heal my heart, guide my steps and protect me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Anxiety and fear are not the only reasons to ask the Lord to search your heart though. Whenever I am in the wrong, I want God to reveal it to me so that I can strive to walk blameless and upright before Him. It has been said that a good man (or woman) desires to know the worst of himself, I believe, so that he/she can make every effort to live above reproach. The believer truly concerned about his/her own heart would want the Lord to root out anything wicked, anything corrupt, selfish or not of God, so that he/she can walk in a way most pleasing to God and profitable for themselves.

Lord, I ask You to look deep into my heart today, to the places I cannot even see, and reveal to me the things that are not glorifying to You. Things that hinder my service to You. Things that keep me from loving others well, especially my family. Root it out, Lord! Show me what to do with those things so that I can walk upright, with clean hands and a pure heart before a Holy and Righteous God. In Jesus' name, amen.