Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”
Our Bible verse for today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Seek both correction and affirmation from God.”
What do you do when people are critical of you or if they disagree with you on some important matter? This question is especially important if it pertains to an issue of morality and righteousness. What do you do if a person is challenging you in that area?
The first thing we should do in such cases is go God in prayer and ask Him to reveal to us if there is any truth in what the other person is saying. When we do that, sometimes (and much to our surprise), we discover that there is some element of truth to the criticism or challenge.
Maybe what the other person is saying about us isn’t entirely accurate, but many times there’s at least a grain of truth to it. If so, we need to see it and make the necessary adjustments. If what the other person is critical of me about has even an element of truth in it, I need to know that, I need to acknowledge it, and I need to correct it. King David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 can be very helpful in such cases.
But also, not only will such a prayer help us to see when we’re wrong, it can also help us to see when we’re right too. This prayer invites God to help us re-examine our position on the issue. Then, upon examination, if you find that your position is correct and justified, you have the boldness and the confidence to stand by it and defend it.
Unfortunately, far too frequently Christians just automatically assume that they’re right and the other side is wrong, and they don’t even make any serious attempt to let God speak to them about it.
What King David’s prayer does for us is it helps us to acknowledge that we are not always right and sometimes we do not see things clearly, but God is always right and He does always see things clearly. So we invite Him to search us and reveal to us any attitude or position that needs to be corrected or adjusted – or to affirm for us that we are indeed correct, and that then gives us permission and boldness to stand our ground.
I encourage you to develop the habit of always seeking both correction and affirmation from God.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 