Teh Test #2 Am I Honest?
Day 1: Steal away to that quiet place, away from
distraction and interruption. Bring a
pad of paper with you and something to write with. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your areas of
dishonesty. Make your list of every dishonesty that comes to mind. Then thank God that He wants the best for
you, that He is merciful and longsuffering, that He has not forsaken you, and Christ
remains in you because you are doing this.
Day 2: Back to that quiet place. Read over your
list. These are the dishonesties that
you want to purge from your life. In
your quiet time with God ask for Him to forgive you and purify you and cleanse
you from all unrighteousness. Ask the
Holy Spirit to confirm in your heart that you have been forgiven. Thank God that He is slow to anger, abounding
in love, and able to separate you from your sins as far as the east is from the
west.
Day 3: In your place of solitude
read over your list again and for each, say out loud “I was dishonest, now I am
forgiven, and I forsake these ways.”
Again, asking for assistance from the Spirit of Christ that is in you,
write down the names of the people you were dishonest with, the people that you
defrauded, the people that you hurt, and the people that you took advantage
of. Write down their names. Thank God
that He sets the prisoners free, breaks the chains of the past, wipes your
slate clean, and gives you another chance to get it right in Christ.
In the preceding days go to those
whose names you’ve written down, as far as it is possible, and confess your
dishonesty, ask to be forgiven, and if necessary, make restitution. This is the
behavior of one who has truly repented.
This is difficult to do because you are nailing your egoism upon the
cross, you are stripping off the rages of the old way of life and burning them,
you're being real, “no matter how deep the humiliation” (Jones, Victorious
Living, p. 30). There may be those who will not forgive, and give their
response to God. All you can do is be
responsible for yourself, and you have asked to be pardoned for your dishonesty,
you’ve done your part.
Once you have gone and made amends
to everyone on your list burn it. If you
need a fireplace we have pits here at the facility you can borrow, don’t want
you to start a wildfire or burn your place down. As the list goes up in smoke know that you
have been obedient. Thank God for the
empowerment to do all you could to make things right between you and those who
experienced what the old you did to them.
Then go and sin no more.
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