How often to do you ask God if you are wrong?
I'm not talking about whether you are in sin or not. I'm talking about an attitude of the heart. When you are obeying what God has called you to do for a season, is your heart in the right season as well? I ask this because we are always asking God what we should do: How often do we ask Him what we should feel, or how we should act? Trust me when I say I am stepping on my own toes on this one as well.
Recently, I was in a situation where no matter what I told someone, they believed it was a totally different scenario. They believed what they wanted to believe I was saying, no matter what angle I came at it. Why? It most likely was easier for them to accept, but I can't really say for sure. They assumed something that wasn't true so that they didn't have to deal with a bigger issue. It's not just me either- others have confided the same.
So how do we make sure we don't fall into this trap? I think the first step is prayer. David says to the Lord in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way." We must ask God to reveal it to us. Remember: That's the point of needing to be searched- we don't realize it's there.
The next thing is to practice humility. The best way I've found to do this is by serving others- FIRST. This isn't easy, but when we are serving others in righteousness, we seldom have time for self-serving righteousness. As Christians, we often need to pray for the Spirit to keep us righteous on the inside as well as the out (Matthew 23:28). It would be so easy to become like the religious leaders in Jesus' time if we did not humble ourselves before the Lord and before others often (Matthew 23:13-33).
Please take some time today to listen to the Spirit's guidance as you ask God to search your heart for any offensive way. Ask His forgiveness and then make it right-eous again.