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Reflection Questions:
Sample Prayer:
Lord, You see and know me better than I know myself. Search my heart and reveal anything in me that keeps me from fully following You. Give me the courage to face my blind spots and trust Your guidance as You shape me into who You’ve called me to be. Thank You for loving me completely, even as You continue to transform me. Amen.
Hi everyone, this is Pastor Chuck Allen and welcome to episode number seven of 20 in our series, what Only God Can Do.
Today, I want to talk a little bit about when God knows what we don't There's a lot of reasons that God doesn't let us in on everything, most of which we couldn't grasp, understand, or even comprehend. Well. When we look at this and how his extraordinary ways really can overshadow but overpower our ordinary lives, it just becomes a time in which for us to settle down and take a moment and recognize he is God and we are not. You know, one of the most profound truths that I've discovered in my journey of faith is this. We often don't even know our own heart. There's a remarkable verse In Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 9 from the New Living that says the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Now that's not exactly an inspirational quote, is it? I mean, it's not the kind of thing you put on your coffee mug for first thing in the morning, but there's a lot of wisdom. There's the truth is, we frequently overestimate our virtues and underestimate our flaws. We're pretty good at self deception. I remember a time when I was absolutely convinced that I was acting out of pure motives in a church leadership decision. This has been some years ago, but I was so certain my perspective was right. I had all the facts lined up to support my position. I worked hard to make sure that my thoughts were conveyed. But when I finally took time to really examine my heart with the Lord, I realized something that was terribly uncomfortable. There was a lot of pride and a lot of fear and a lot of insecurity mixed in with what I thought were good intentions. I didn't even know my own heart. And this reminds me of what Proverbs 21 says says. It says, a person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. You know, when you take enough time that I've done to study human behavior and what it's like to work with people of all kinds, I've found that self awareness is one of the most difficult skills to develop.
We all have blind spots, areas where we simply can't see ourselves clearly. That's why David, who wrote many of the Psalms, prayed in Psalm 139, Search me God, and know my heart, and test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and and lead me along the path of everlasting life. David understood something profound. God alone possesses perfect knowledge of our innermost being. And rather than hiding from that knowledge, David invite just literally invited it in, y'all. He essentially said, show me what I can't see about myself. You know, I think this is why we need community. We need trusted friends who can help us see our blind spots. Overwhelming research shows us that we need outside perspectives to develop true self awareness. But even our closest friends can only see what we show them. God, on the other hand, sees it all. I mean, he sees the parts that we show the world, the parts we hide from the world, and even the parts we hide well from ourself.
The story, I remind you again from 1st Samuel 16 is when Samuel is with Jesse and his sons, and Jesse is pointing out that of his sons here are the ones that Samuel should anoint as king of Israel. But God stops all those words about he's the best, he's the one that looks best. He's the one that looks more like a king with. The Lord doesn't see the things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. What's even more remarkable is that God saw potential in David that nobody else saw, not even David's own dad. Jesse didn't even bother to call David in from the fields. When Samuel came looking for the future king, he was the overlooked son, the afterthought. But God's vision isn't just penetrating y'all, it is comprehensive. He doesn't just see parts of your heart, he sees it all. Your dreams, your fears, your insecurities, your greatest acts of compassion and your secret struggles. The prayers you speak out loud and the doubts that you never really utter. This is terrifying in some ways, but it's more comforting than terrifying, I think. Terrifying because there's nowhere to hide. Comforting because it means, well, we can stop pretending. You know, one of the things that we can know about Jesus is that he demonstrates heart vision throughout his ministry. And Luke 5, the story again about the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through the roof to get to Jesus. Verse 20 says, Seeing their faith, Jesus said To the man, young man, your sins are forgiven. Well, then in verses 21 and 22, it says, but the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, who does he think he is? That's blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he asked them, why do you question this in your hearts? Jesus didn't just see the paralyzed man's physical need. He saw his deeper need for forgiveness. And he didn't just hear the Pharisees silence. He saw their skeptical thoughts. That's heart vision. You know, there's a quote attributed to Mother Teresa that says, I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just. I just wish he didn't trust me so much, you know? That's not theologically accurate. God at times does give us more than we can handle. But I get her point, right? God knows what we're capable of, the good and the bad, often before we do. He doesn't just use that language to judge us. He uses it to guide us and grow us, to transform us. I found this to be true in my life over and over again. And looking back over my 65 years, I realized that God saw capacity in me that I couldn't see in myself. So here's an encouragement for you today. What if you stopped trying to convince God of your goodness and started trying to show him that you could recognize some of your challenges yourself? What if you prayed David's prayer in Psalm 139, Search me, God, and know my heart. See if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That kind of vulnerability with God isn't about shame or condemnation, guys. It's about freedom. It's about growth. God does not speak to us in shame and guilt. It's about becoming who we really were meant to be and who he already sees us to be. Because the beautiful truth is the God who knows you most completely loves you most fully. And when we allow him to show us what we can't see in ourselves, we take the very next step toward authentic transformation in the power of Christ. I'm Pastor Chuck Allen, and thank you for joining me today on what Only God can do on this episode of the weekday podcast. We look forward to seeing you back soon. God bless you. Bye now.
Chuck is the Lead Pastor at Sugar Hill Church. He’s been the Lead Pastor since 2011, but he’s been around Sugar Hill Church since 2008. Since day one, Chuck’s passion has been to encourage others with this one big belief: “You can do this! You can love God with all your heart, mind and soul and be normal!" You will often hear him say, “the Bible is a very big deal, Jesus is the very biggest deal and living that out always involves serving people here and around the globe.” Chuck's passion is to graciously lead people to Jesus and create a simple path for them to grow in their faith. Some of his goals are to reduce the dropout rate in our local schools, serve with our missions partners well, lead our church and families with a healthy fiscal plan, and in the future, to provide transitional housing for single moms. Chuck and his wife, Jenny, stay plenty busy with six daughters, three son-in-laws, five grandkids and an awesome dog, Kirby. They are foodies and enjoy eating through the Atlanta Magazine Top 50 Restaurants. Chuck’s favorite things to do include fishing, reading, writing and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs!
Bobby serves as both the Associate Pastor and the Teaching Pastor at Sugar Hill Church. He has been on staff here since December, 2008 (where he started part-time in Student Ministry). Bobby’s passion comes from a love of seeing the light-bulb go on for folks. Whether it’s in a small group, a NEXT gathering, or during a weekend message, he loves seeing people “get it” and apply the truth to their lives. As one of our pastors here, Bobby helps individuals take the next steps in their faith, he helps the church fulfill its God-given mission, and he gives day-to-day direction to our Adult Ministries, Communications, and Finance teams. In his spare time, you can find Bobby riding his motorcycle, working out, reading, or eating gas station tacos. He and his wife, Laura, have been married since January, 2011, and they have a very “manly” 10lb cockapoo named Ollie. He would love to connect more, so find him on social media (@bobbymcgraw) or check out his blog at yourbetterstory.com.
