“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30, NKJV). As absurd as it sounds, I have attempted at times to manipulate God while praying. In classic Wizard of Oz fashion, praying with a sincere need while silently hoping that He would “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Well, it doesn’t work like that, His attention is precisely upon the man behind the curtain. Nailed. He, who has no pretense whatsoever, is intolerant of it in His children and no obfuscation of the truth is allowed. We must own our failures and turn away from them, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NKJV). If we are genuinely repentant we will make a serious commitment reverse direction. Father, forgive my insolence. I love Your truth and want to walk fully in it. Strip away all falsehood in me that I may come before You with clean hands and a clean heart.
A serious pursuit of godliness requires an equally serious renunciation of worldliness. Too often, we measure spirituality with false scales. While being wisely selective with our public vices we are less so with our private attitudes and perspectives. In reality, it is the thoughts and intents of the heart where the greatest battles must be waged; our actions will ultimately align with the condition of our hearts. Lord God, You know me inside out, You are not fooled by human facades. Plow my heart with Your Word and Spirit and leave nothing unturned. Refresh my inward man that I may outwardly glorify You in all places at all times.
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