Introspection is pretty worthless, unless . . .

[Neighbor]

On 10/11/2023 at 3:16 PM, Vine Abider said:

a subjective mode where I am examining myself and getting down on myself for not living a better Christian life

It is termed "self meanification". Least it is at my house.

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Starise said:

Several times recently I have had to drop to my knees and ask God to PLEASE rid my mind of these errant thoughts. My sinful mind tends to pre think scenarios that could only be coming from the flesh.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking something that really came out of left field? I know it's me, but it isn't the me I want to be, it's the old me. I believe everyone gets these thoughts, but the unsaved run with them. The saved might entertain them, which then crowds out what the Lord is trying to accomplish in you.

We can't blame  Satan. It's us, although he could be involved. Acknowledging it is the first step. Next, we need to confess it and ask God to please remove all of that.

          "Have you ever caught yourself thinking something that really came out of left field? "

Many yrs back at church we had an altar call where everybody who felt moved went to the front and knelt down to pray their heart.
My young 8-9 yr old daughter looked up at me and asked would I go with her to pray. While holding hands at the altar in the middle of my silent prayer with her, a very vivid picture, provocative and ugly,  flashed to my mind. That freaked me out, that here in church praying with my daughter and fellow believers, a vivid thought from another source would appear from out of nowhere, to hamper my prayers to God. Never forgot, and was a lesson, that it wasn't always my thoughts that 'just pop' into my mind. It hasn't stopped.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

When it still happens, daily, hourly, if I'm abiding, spirit led, I simply say to myself that's sin and move on.
If I let the thought grow within my mind, I immediately confess I've sinned, quote favorite scriptures, and then move on.
The more I'm up in fellowship/harmony with God and in good spirits, the less onslaughts, though some still occur.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

          I blame nobody, nor the world, the flesh, nor the devil for any sin I commit. I alone am guilty. I chose.

Fiery darts, those whispers from the deceiver of doubt and shame, temptations in the mind, are quenched with the shield of faith.
The word of God, our strength, power, salvation, life.

"For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

 

 

[Starise]

15 minutes ago, Sower said:

          "Have you ever caught yourself thinking something that really came out of left field? "

Many yrs back at church we had an altar call where everybody who felt moved went to the front and knelt down to pray their heart.
My young 8-9 yr old daughter looked up at me and asked would I go with her to pray. While holding hands at the altar in the middle of my silent prayer with her, a very vivid picture, provocative and ugly,  flashed to my mind. That freaked me out, that here in church praying with my daughter and fellow believers, a vivid thought from another source would appear from out of nowhere, to hamper my prayers to God. Never forgot, and was a lesson, that it wasn't always my thoughts that 'just pop' into my mind. It hasn't stopped.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

When it still happens, daily, hourly, if I'm abiding, spirit led, I simply say to myself that's sin and move on.
If I let the thought grow within my mind, I immediately confess I've sinned, quote favorite scriptures, and then move on.
The more I'm up in fellowship/harmony with God and in good spirits, the less onslaughts, though some still occur.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

          I blame nobody, nor the world, the flesh, nor the devil for any sin I commit. I alone am guilty. I chose.

Fiery darts, those whispers from the deceiver of doubt and shame, temptations in the mind, are quenched with the shield of faith.
The word of God, our strength, power, salvation, life.

"For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

 

 

I could not have said this any better @Sower. 

If we choose to look into our "inner mirror" the things we see  will constantly give us reason to confess. This spiritual insight is turning up the magnification and going beyond how we look and act externally.

[Mr. M]

On 10/11/2023 at 12:16 PM, Vine Abider said:

I read the below in today's Supplied Life devotional and it really resonated with me.  How often do I get into a subjective mode where I am examining myself and getting down on myself for not living a better Christian life, not loving God enough, not being giving enough, etc. & etc.!? The result of this kind of subjective introspection seems to only produce condemnation in me and almost never seems to bring me closer to God.

But the leading verse says it - who can really know us (since our hearts our deceitfully wicked) except the spirit of man which is in us?  And being reborn children of God, our spirit is now joined to His (see 1 Cor 6:17).  So let's listen to our spirit, which is one with Him, and allow it to show us objectively what needs to be corrected in us!  He knows - we don't, so let's abide there and let Him show us these things.  To do otherwise is akin to the blind leading the blind . . . (aka religious flesh)

October 11th In your spirit you know

"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11

Being subjective leaves us ignorant of ourself so that we do not know ourself in God's light. This is what subjectivity does. Who knows the things of man? Who knows the self? Who knows the rottenness of fallen man? Who knows that there is nothing good in himself? Who knows that this self is not to be trusted? Who knows that his opinion and reasoning are untrustworthy? Who knows himself? According to Paul's word, it is only the spirit of man that knows the things of man. This shows us that unless we are vitally joined to the most objective part of our being, our spirit, we are going to be ignorant concerning ourself.

We must realize that the spirit of man is the part in man that supplies to him his objectivity. In other words, to be objective, to be divided, to know yourself, even to condemn yourself, and to not trust yourself, your opinion, or your view, is to be a person that is exercised in spirit. When you are in the realm of the spirit, you become wise concerning your real state. You discover that there is nothing good in you, and you can admit it, confess it, and humble yourself. You can repent without strain. You can admit your fallen state. You can say, "I'm stubborn, I'm rebellious, I'm jealous, I'm bitter." You can confess your state with ease, because when you are in your spirit you know that in your flesh dwells no good thing. You are not trying to defend or excuse yourself. You are objective about yourself. And that objectivity makes it easy for you to always agree with God's diagnosis of the flesh (Rom. 7:14, 18).

So today is the third day for this thread, and there are some things that I expected to be brought up. I made quite the understatement when I commented "Good topic!" A key word from Paul's teaching that is most applicable here is 'examine'.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

I fully agree that this cannot be a "morbid introspection", but a willingness to invite the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot. He is not going to force His way in, and there is an element of courage to accept what may come forth from this personal visitation. This we are taught from the Psalms of David.

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.

Psalm 139:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

From experience I know from praying this, that what the Holy Spirit reveals to us

concerning our carnal mind can be quite humiliating, while equally cleansing.

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing

that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity

every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Even as Paul admonishes in Romans 11:

"Therefore consider the goodness AND severity of God"

This becomes literally a life and death issue for vital fellowship!

1 Corinthians 11:

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord

in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

28 But let a man examine himself,

and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner

eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 

30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord,

that we may not be condemned with the world.

The visitation of the Lord is life sustaining!

Job 10:12 Thou hast granted me life and favor,

and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

13 And these things hast thou hid in thine heart:

I know that this is with thee.