"Get It Out!"

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Psalms 66:18) There actually was an easier way to express what I was trying to say, because God expects us to be glad and to rejoice in what He has done; otherwise, we are acting just like those that did not make it into the promised land; those who did not appreciate being delivered from the bondage of Egypt. This verse, although not complete without the next, is probably one of the verses that have stood out among the top ten to me from the Old Testament; mostly because it challenges us to get right with God if we expect Him to listen when we cry out to Him. I don't know about you, but any time I need to be heard from God, the first thing I do is ask Him for forgiveness and get my feet washed. That being said, this might be one of those mornings when I actually get to learn something; not that most mornings aren't, but this might be something I can use every day, in every way. That word "regard" is a very complex word, and it can mean a whole verity of things; from simply looking at something, to actually finding out or discerning something. In the context of this verse, and following after the last, I believe it has to do more with giving attention to something that is wicked, false, or vain; maybe even an idol; or better yet, something that causes us to be sorrowful when we should be rejoicing. It not just about getting clean from recent sins, it's about how we regard ourselves compared to others, or how we think about others, or how we forgive others that have wronged us. I am beginning to think that our ability to rejoice has much to do with our ability to love. If we can't love, then we can't experience real joy! It's a little more complicated than that, but I get the general meaning; I just need to work on making it a reality in my life. All things are easy to convert to some things in our hearts, we just might not realize when we are doing it; but if it puts ourselves above the consideration of others, then it needs to be stopped. Whether it involves the forgiveness of others, or if it involves thinking unjust thoughts of others, either way, they are wicked and go against all that God represents; they do not represent the love of God, and if we do not represent God, then how can we expect Him to represent us, as our God, the one who answers our prayers... "This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:11-16) NLT