Character is what you are in the dark when no one but God is watching. Anyone can look good in front of an audience, or even in front of their friends. It's an entirely different thing to stand naked before God, to be known as you truly are on the inside.
-Randy Alcorn
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
You are my only audience. You are my only critic. You are my only judge.
How terrifying it is to think that I stand naked before You. How ashamed I am of who I truly am on the inside. I want to live for You and You alone. I do not want any secrets, I do not want any shadows. The thought of one day being judged by You can either be a day to dread or delight. Wash me so that I hope for that day not fear it.
The path you take with your feet should never contradict the conviction of your heart.
-Josh Harris
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to Sheol, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
You do not only see the path I take with my feet. You see the conviction of my heart. You know me all the way through. Sanctify me with Your grace. It is the only way to create in me a clean conscience. A pure heart cannot be accomplished or earned. It is only through Your generosity. Like my brother the first Adam it is impossible to hide from You. Whether in the garden or out You see me.
What we are afraid to do before men, we should be afraid to think before God.
-Beilby Porteus
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
You are so good to me God. If only I could begin to repay You. Let my actions reflect my heart. To think the God of the universe has innumerable thoughts about me! To think You knit and wove me together wonderfully and marvelously. And then to realize the wretchedness of my heart, how prideful and selfish I am. How ungrateful and doubtful I am. Why Abba are you so good to me? Why are You such an intimate God? Why do You waste Your time creating me with such complexity and skill? You are still with me, always God how does my heart ever rest from praising You? Each beat proclaims Your glory, each breath exhales exultation.
O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
I do not want to be Your enemy. I do not want to be against You. You are never against me. You are always for me, I am thankful for Your patience. Jesus I beg You to search me, know me, test me, correct me, lead me. I want to please You. I want to be the man You created not the man I created. Break me, remake me into Your original perfect plan for me, for Adam Your son. O Lord, I do not want to fear the day that I see You face to face. I want to stand before you naked and vulnerable and feel no shame, no condemnation not because of my life, my glory but because of Your mercy, Your grace, Your love, Your sanctification through Your sacrifice. I want to live my life as a free man. I want to enjoy the life You have paved for me. I want to praise You out of love, not obligation, not fear, but gratitude and praise. Abba, guide me on the path of righteousness. Help me live for You not for humans.
You are my only audience. You are my only critic. You are my only judge.
Your love never fails!
I want to fully experience Your perfect love!
One Thing Remains - Jesus Culture
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.
-1 John 4:18