Devotionals
When we desire to be open and honest with the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be willing to pour out our soul to Him. It is sometimes even hard for us to remember that the Lord already knows our thoughts. He even knows them afar off. Sometimes we may allow things to creep in and stay there too long, thinking we can indulge it without detection.
The firewall and anti-virus software on my computer immediately detects suspicious behavior from a foreign source that would seek to harm my computer. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ's detection methods far exceed any firewall or anti-virus software and He will not only detect, but He will immediately notify our hearts with conviction and eagerly await our response of confession, forsaking, and repentance.
Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good.” (NKJV)
Many times, we think that we do not have to acknowledge to the Lord what He already knows. However, many of us make this crucial mistake quite too often. A lot of times I will allow my anger toward someone who has wronged me in some way to fester to the point where I don't want to forgive, but on the contrary I want restitution made on my behalf. Well, this is obviously wrong, but it is true.
The pouring out of our soul to the Lord Jesus can be very difficult at times and He sometimes has to nudge us forward to bring us back to the heart condition that wants to acknowledge our faults and sins to Him. When we openly pour out our souls to Him, it holds back His hand of chastisement. When each member of the body or family pours out their souls to the Lord Jesus, it strengthens His entire body and nourishes it with the spiritual nutrients it needs. Honesty is what our Lord and Savior wants from His children.
Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
He wants to lead us into all that is right, righteous, holy, and accords with His Divine will. Though He already knows the truth, He still wants us to confess the truth to Him. When we do so, we agree with Him of what is right and what is wrong in all cases. This to us seems like an unnecessary step that we should be able to avoid. Why should we tell Him what He already knows? We should just pray a general prayer of forgiveness.
However, it is unavoidable because when we refuse to acknowledge what He already knows it shows a desire to conceal, even though this is impossible with the Lord Jesus. I am learning from the Lord to keep a short list of my sins. I listen to Him speak first from the Word and then speak back to Him by journaling what He presses upon my heart to unload or confess to Him in prayer. This also allows me to go back to my Prayer Journal periodically to see what the Lord revealed to me at a point in the past and for me to exercise myself not repeat those mishaps. It also will enable me to document when the Lord answered my petitions outwardly or in my heart. This is how the Apostle Paul could say in:
Acts 24:16 Therefore, I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. (Quick Amplified Bible)
This was only possible for the Apostle because he daily and continually poured out his soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. How else could we explain Romans Chapter 7? No carnal unregenerate man would ever say these things about himself. He never allowed himself to feel disconnected from the Lord, which meant he constantly stayed in the Lords Word (His Will). Paul also would many times have the Lord speak to his heart. Paul laid his heart completely open to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We may not be blessed today with all of the sign gifts of Paul, but the same Lord Jesus Christ that spoke so intimately with the Apostle Paul wants to do the same for each one of us today through His Word and also directly to our hearts. The Apostle Paul during his sojourn did not have the entire Bible completed as we do, so the Lord Jesus would speak to him directly more often, but He will still speak to us today in the same manner, if we will tune into Him, listen and be attentive. He will sometimes speak to us in our dreams as well.
Hebrew 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” (NKJV)
Some well respected Pastors, Bible Teachers, and Christians do not believe that the Lord Jesus still speaks directly to His sons and daughters today. He never speaks anything outside of or in contrast to His written word. I must disagree humbly and graciously with them. I believe that there are many who will bear witness with me that He still does and will continue to do so until He comes again. I have heard His voice speak to my heart on many occasions. This is how the Lord commanded me to begin this writing ministry, something I would have never ever embarked upon on my own without hearing from Him.
Now the pouring out of our souls to the Lord Jesus cleanses us and removes the stain that causes God the Holy Spirit to be grieved. We all grieve Him at some point in our sojourn here on the earth. The thing for us to do is to recognize and identify the root cause of His grief and pour it out in prayer to our Heavenly Father.
Love can never ever be a One Way Street, but must always be a two-lane highway of communication between the Father and His children. When we examine the relationship we have with our own earthly children, we who are parents understand the frustration of having to do all of the communicating. How must our Heavenly Father (who is perfect) feel when He cannot get His children to pour out their souls unto Him? It surely must grieve Him bitterly when He has to chastise us for our stubbornness. When we see the layout of the tabernacle where the children of Israel worshiped the Lord, there were three separate places of worship. So is the layout or the design of man. We must totally pour out all three parts of our being to the Lord Jesus Christ in service and worship.
Genesis 1:26 “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness” (Quick Amplified Bible) Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him” (Quick Amplified Bible)
We are Spirit, Soul, and Body. Our soul lies in the middle of the other two and rightfully so because our soul is what makes each one of us unique and distinguishable to our Heavenly Father. Therefore, we as unique souls must express our own inner most thoughts, concerns, needs, and passions to our Heavenly Father for He knows us completely and individually and this is what makes each of us so especially beloved by Him. It blows our little finite minds to think that God the Father can keep track of all the individual desires, concerns, attitudes, quirks, etc. of all His children at the same time.
I believe that sometimes we equate the Father to ourselves and unconsciously think that we can get by with things that will displease Him. We ignorantly think that He might have missed that which no human being can detect. This all too often occurs in our hearts. The omnipotent eyes of our Heavenly Father are like an eternal x-ray machine piercing right through our spirit directly into our souls. There is no place for retreat or escape from His penetrating, revealing, and watchful eternal eyes. Therefore, when we here His Word convict of sins, we must repent and immediately run to the throne of grace seeking His covering grace in our time of need.
How wonderful to know now that condemnation has been removed replaced by loving grace. We should never receive His grace in vain or turn it into an opportunity for the flesh (the old nature) to take control, but on the contrary, we allow grace to fuel our passion and zeal to render service to the Lord Jesus Christ in whatever capacity He desires. This is why it is so important for our souls to be flushed with the Word daily. The Word does not play favorites and it does not tell us what wonderful good people we are, but it is the truth and speaks truth to each of our souls without exception. Pour out your soul to the Lord Jesus and He will keep it continually refreshed.
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author, Silent Assassins of the Soul (not yet published; coming soon)
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