“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.“
Psalm 139:23-24
While you were reading this passage some time ago (you may or may not remember when, but God knows), have you said something like this to Him? If you asked God to reveal something to you about yourself and what you need to work on spiritually, this is a request that is guaranteed to be answered and almost always at times when you least expect it, like a pop quiz. I find that the quiz does not actually end the moment the failure – character flaws or basically ‘any wicked way’ is laid out before you. The quiz result is highly contingent on how you respond to the failure.
Are you going to let it keep defeating you for hours, days, weeks, months, or years? Or are you going to let the Holy Spirit complete His sanctifying work in you and cooperate? The quiz can end the moment you react in such a way that shows your willingness to stay within the bounds of righteousness and do what needs to be done to get right with God. The quicker you respond the right way, the quicker you grow in your faith (James 1:2-4) and what better time to grow than now (the end times).
You asked God to show you what you need to get rid of so don’t throw a fit! Whenever this may end for you, the Lord expects you to strengthen your brethren when you come out victorious. Your testimony has power. It holds your relational experience with the One who dwells in you.
“Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”
Daniel 12:10