The Heart God Revives
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, though wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17
Proud People:
¨ Focus on the failures of others; Have a critical, fault-finding spirit.
¨ Look at every one else’s faults with a microscope, but their own with a telescope.
¨ Are self-righteous; look down on others. Have an independent, self-sufficient spirit.
¨ They think of what they can do for God.
¨ Claim rights; have a demanding spirit; have to prove that they are right.
¨ Are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.
¨ Desire to be served; desire to be a success.
¨ Desire self-advancement; have a drive to be recognized and appreciated.
¨ Are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.
¨ Have a feeling, “This ministry/church is privileged to have me and my gifts.”
¨ Feel confident in how much they know; are self-conscious.
¨ Keep at arms’ length; are quick to blame others.
¨ Are unapproachable or defensive when criticized.
¨ Are concerned with being respectable, with what others think, working to protect their own image and reputation.
¨ Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others.
¨ Are blind to their true heart condition.
¨ Don’t want others to find out when they have sinned; their instinct is to cover up.
¨ Tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin.
¨ Have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”
¨ Are concerned about the consequences of their sin.
¨ Are not remorseful over their sin, only sorry that they got found out or caught.
¨ Wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding
or conflict in a relationship. Don’t think they have anything to repent of.
¨ Compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor.
¨ Don’t think they need revival, are sure that everyone else does.
Broken People:
¨ Are compassionate; can forgive much, knowing how much they have been forgiven.
¨ Have a dependent spirit; recognize their need for others.
¨ Yield their rights; have a meek spirit; are willing to yield the right to be right.
¨ Are self-denying; are motivated to serve others, to be faithful
and to make others a success; they want to esteem all others better than themselves.
¨ Desire to promote others; eager for others to get the credit and
rejoice when others are lifted up.
¨ Have a heart attitude that says; “I don’t deserve to have a part in any ministry.”
¨ Know they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives. Are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.
¨ Are humbled by how much they have to learn; are not concerned with self at all.
¨ Are willing to risk getting close to others and to take risks of loving intimately; accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.
¨ Receive criticism with a humble, open spirit; are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; are willing to die to their own reputation.
¨ Are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs.
¨ Once broken, don’t care who finds out; are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose; are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin.
¨ Are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.
¨ Are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin.
¨ Are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that
they forsake that sin.
¨ Take the initiative to be reconciled when they are misunderstanding or conflict
in relationships; they race to the cross; they see if they can get there first,
no matter how wrong the other may have been.
¨ Compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for His mercy.
¨ Walk in the light. Realize they have need of continual heart attitude of repentance. Continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.
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