The self you do not know
Key Scripture to memorize: Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Within each of us is the ability to be a hero or something we would never be proud of. Life brings pressure in unexpected ways and when it’s least expected. What is within us and who we are will be tested through life time and again. We need to do everything within our power to make sure there are no hidden surprises and secrets that can be a detriment to us and those around us.
Don’t live your life hoping it never surfaces, or trying to ignore issues that are deep seated in our hearts and minds, deal with it while you can.
Volcanoes erupt when pressure is applied due to a build up of gases and 2 plates under the earths surface and they are pulled apart allowing the upward push of magma and gases which becomes lava when it erupts. The pressure is so intense it will push through hundreds and thousands of feet of rock and layers of dirt until it explodes into the sky.
Some small volcanoes affect just a local area but some are so huge that it affects massive areas of land, they can be lethal, and can even disrupt air traffic in whole continents for a period of time. The after-affects can change the landscape drastically, and leave death and destruction in it’s wake.
People who allow things to lay dormant within them, sometimes for years, and when pressure is applied to their life, they react in ways that leave hurt, destruction, altered friendships, and many times it causes fallout with others that is never repaired. That is why King David prayed this prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:”
Our heart is deceitful and even wicked and only God can truly know our hearts.
Things people go through in life leaves long-term damage and under pressure is it truly revealed and it can be spiritually fatal, and can leave much damage to adults, and to children. Verbal, physical, and sexual abuses can many times cause hidden insecurities and when pressure in a marriage and life happens to them, they explode with pent up frustrations and hurts and they in turn hurt those around them.
That part of you that you don’t realize is lurking there and dealing with hurts, pain and things in life that people go through will spare you from the “volcanoes” in life that will happen when things are left to build up...
Financial crisis, marital struggles and differences in upbringing and baggage from your past, when sickness is part of your life, and other life events, and stress, the pressure will begin to build and if you are not careful, it will overwhelm you and the things that get pushed to the surface many times will overwhelm you and can destroy your marriage or your walk with God.
Don’t wait until a crisis to try and deal with your inconsistencies, that is when it can get the best of you and destroy your walk with God.
Many go astray because they never deal with the self they didn’t even know exists in them. Only God can dig out of us the things that will destroy us over time.
(ISV) Examine me, God, and know my mind, test me, and know my thoughts.
Pray deep and long enough to allow God to deal with the hidden corners of your heart. Don’t be scared to deal with it and let God help you fix it. Allow Him to touch the hurts of the past, and deal with the anger towards someone who violated you as a child in your innocence or a friend, someone kin to you, or a parent you blame for what happened to you.
Don’t pull back when you feel vulnerable and ashamed, allow God to examine your heart and help you. Let Him do a work in you that will begin the healing process and remove the core things that keep coming back to hinder your walk with God and even hinder your relationships with other people.
What are some real life examples of those who under pressure reacted horribly? Marital problems, too busy in Church or life, letting insecurities affect how you are towards others.
Family discussion: It’s good to inspect our hearts, and see if there is anything in us that could be a key to possibly one day destroying us due to the pressures of life.
- Is there anything in my life that might potentially surface that could cause me to lose out with God?
- Potential problems: Verbally abusive background, physically abusive past, sexually abused? Unloving parent and it caused deep resentment and insecurities and bitterness. Repeating that pattern in your own life.
- Don’t let your past dictate what your future can be when God is the difference maker.
- Deal with it BEFORE situations in life happen to bring it to the surface.
Jdg 1:28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
What you don't deal with, will eventually deal with you. ~ Simon Bailey ~
Key points to pray about:
Inspect my heart and ask God to search it and show me anything that might be a
detriment later on.
Begin a daily prayer life and Bible reading and ask God to take out anything that is
not pleasing to Him.
Be accountable to my spouse, pastor, parent and to God most importantly.
Pray that I can forgive others that may have hurt me, and release it to God and
leave it there.