Bringing Out The Bad
Search me, 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 (NIV)
I used to think I was hopeless, beyond changing, when “yucky” stuff would spew out of me when squeezed by trials or temptations… stuff like anger, bitterness, or resentment. But really, I was just fooling myself to think I was anything else in my own strength, whether it ever showed or not. I am human and my nature leans in the direction of sin. Knowing this truth has helped me with the guilt trip I give myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to be better…Christ like, but knowing I will remain human for the rest of my life on earth has helped me change the way I look at myself. When I am squeezed, something always tends to seep out of my heart, and identify what resides within.
God is in the process of revealing everything hidden there…good or bad. He wants to expose me and any misconceptions of myself. It is then that He can change me, and that is His goal – to make me a new creation in His Son Christ Jesus. When His light enters those dark places in my heart where I hide bad attitudes and habits, it exposes them for what they really are – sin. That is when I see them, acknowledge them, confess them, and repent. It is then that He can transform them, transform me…into the likeness of His Son. I know His plan over time is for more and more of His goodness to replace what is not good inside me, so that when I’m squeezed, I will reveal Christ in me.
I want so badly to have the changed heart He wants for me, but I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be. I know when I make a mistake or say something harsh, He will use it to “bring out the bad in me”…expose it, and replace it with something good, something like His Son. I am a work-in-progress.
How about you? Is there an area where you’re being squeezed? Let God bring out the bad in you…and replace it with something good.
Relying on His grace ~ Charlotte
Yes, there are areas where I’m being squeezed.. if I can remember the positive perspective- that He’s replacing the bad with the good- I think I can handle the squeezing process better. Amen?
wonderful post.
Thought provoking devotion, Charlotte. Oh yes, there are times that I am squeezed indeed and say things that I regret. Thank goodness for His grace. I do want to do better, but like you, I am a work in progress.