Search me, O God, and know my heart!
~Psalm 139:23-24
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
The condition of your innermost being is extremely important to the Lord. The biggest battle that most people face is internal. The thoughts, assumptions, and inner ruminations that fill our minds and hearts on a daily basis. God is not only concerned about your actions and your words, but also the innermost being. God watches and examines us, inside out.
Because he loves us.
Some might have speculated that God watches the innermost thoughts of our hearts so that he can catch us in the act! Nothing could be farther from his motives. He simply knows something that Jesus himself said out loud in Marks’ Gospel:
And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
~Mark 7:18-20
You see, it is possible to transform our innermost thoughts into something more God-honoring than it may currently be. God wants his word to transform us, not condemn us. We are invited by the Apostle Paul, to “put on the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:5-6). This would make so sense if it were not possible.
You mean I don’t have to live with a constant, never-ending stream of disturbing thoughts and negative images? That’s right. You don’t.
Where do we get started?
You know this one already. Confession, repentance, and the involvement of a trusted, Christian community. This is one reason I strongly recommend starting or maintaining a daily Bible reading habit. My wife and I benefit greatly from the Alpha Course app, Bible in One Year. You don’t need to take on the entire Bible on one year (though it really only takes about 25 minutes a day). But regular, thoughtful, prayerful engagement with God’s word, the Bible, can work wonders for shaping what you ruminate on. Just like negative media can send you into a downward spiral, the scriptures can fill your heart and mind with what is good and trustworthy.
Confessing that your current heart might need some renovation is that starting point. The Lord loves it when one of his children turn to him in contrition and seeks his help. Repentance in this case might simply mean being more selective about what you watch on TV or online and replacing some of it with time reading and thinking about (ruminating/meditating) his word.
Turning to a trusted church member to share this change or heart (or the desire to have a change of heart) and inviting them to hold you accountable for maintaining better habits, is really the lynchpin to the whole thing. You see, we were not meant to struggle by ourselves. The Lord built his church to be a body. Bodies have many parts and all the parts have a place. One of the key places of every body part is working together for the good of everyone.
See you in worship!
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