Prepare To Meet Your Maker
Two of my favorite bloggers just tackled roughly the same subject in their own unique ways. Here’s Dan Edelen:
I believe when we encounter the Lord in this way we should do the following:
- Confess any known sin.
- Ask the Spirit to search our hearts for hidden sin.
- Confess hidden sin when He reveals it.
- Praise Him for revealing sin in our lives.
- Praise Him for who He is.
- Ask Him to prepare us for what we might receive from Him.
- Ask Him to fill us with Himself, His gifts, and His direction.
- Thank Him for meeting those needs.
- Ask Him to transform our lives so that we are better able to serve him, so we leave the church with a greater revelation of Him to share with the community of faith and those still outside the flock.
- Thank Him and praise Him again.
I think if we take these ten steps in the presence of the Lord, He’ll bless us so much more than if we simply bask in Him then leave unchanged after the encounter.
(Source: “When the Spirit Falls,” Cerulean Sanctum)
…and now Scott Morgan:
Like my laptop, the issue is my internal compatibility with Him. Periodically, I need to run some diagnostic questions to check and see if there’s any interference. I ask questions like these…
- What are my motives right now?
- Have I confessed known sin in my life?
- Am I operating out of fear?
- What am I thinking about? Is it true and right and good?
- Am I trusting God in this situation?
- Am I obeying what I know God wants me to do?
This is what King David was dealing with when he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).
Thankfully, our prayer connection can be reestablished when we draw near to God.
(Source: “Connectivity Troubles,” Scott’s Bible Blog)
And they both used unordered lists. That’s the creepiest thing about it. 
February 6th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
What, the Holy Spirit can’t inspire the use of unordered lists?
February 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Ha!
What, Dan—the Holy Spirit’s work can’t feel creepy sometimes?
February 7th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
FYI- your blog is showing up fine now.
February 8th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Hi Travis, when are you gonna add me as one of your privileged? (on LJ so I don’t have to check Ruth’s friend’s page).
I think it’s good to keep ourselves “in check” so to speak, to re-evaluate the content of our minds, realign ourselves with what is good, proper and true. Even to ask the Lord to burn away the rubbish (which there is enough of) and refine us, day by day. But do you follow with what they call “keeping a short account”? or confessing your sins every day, before you go to bed business?
February 8th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Jonno,
LJ: I’m not posting there anymore, but that’s what you get for changing accounts and not telling me what the new one is.
(I figured it out, though.) "keeping a short account:" I think that’s bordering on legalism. While we should confess and repent of our sins, the act of confessing can itself become a work by which we consider ourselves righteous before God. If our salvation depends upon our ability to recall each and every sin that we’ve committed, then aren’t we all in trouble! 
February 9th, 2007 at 3:47 am
That’s great, Travis–exactly what I think about “keeping a short account”, too. I remember the days when I’d try and confess everything bad I did (that day). I was kidding myself, but y’know it made me feel righteous afterward, like I suddenly turned white once again. I think this anti-christ, self glorifying belief system is so common, as the college of my dean was talking about it onetime in class. He shared how he likes to ask forgiveness of his sins as he thinks of them. I shot my hand up to ask a question. “If Jesus has forgiven you of your sins, past, present. and future, why keep asking Him to forgive you, if He has already forgiven you?” And this very theologically minded, dean of the college, who has written a published book on sanctification, gave me this dazed look and said “I dunno! – I guess it just makes me feel right” It took me by surprise, but made me question some things. I decided I would never ask forgiveness of my sins again, never, never again! I asked Jesus to forgive my sins, and He forgave all of my sins, so now I only ‘thank Him’ for His forgiveness. How do you view this?
Sorry about the LJ switching.
February 9th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Jonno,
“I asked Jesus to forgive my sins, and He forgave all of my sins, so now I only ‘thank Him’ for His forgiveness. How do you view this?”
I’d say I agree with the doctrine, but the practice can get slippery. Yes, those sins have been forgiven, but we still need to repent. As 1 John 2:4 says, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” If you don’t keep his commandments, then you don’t know him. If you don’t know him, and you know you ought to know him, then repentance is called for.
Jesus has already suffered once for sin, and no other atonement for sin can be made with which to grant forgiveness—but the gospel calls us (over and over again) to “repent and believe.” If we’re sinning then at least one of those two things isn’t happening in our hearts, and repentance is wholly appropriate.
So yes, it is a form of unbelief to think Jesus’ blood is insufficient apart from your perfect memory of each and every sin. However, it is likewise a form of unbelief to ignore the gospel’s call to repent. So long as you repent, I see no Biblical injunction for a continual plea of forgiveness.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:47 am
[...] to and from this men’s meeting. There was also a discussion with Jonno in the comments on my “Prepare To Meet Your Maker” post… Anyway, I definitely had 1 John on my mind as I was going into this. Now, the reason I [...]