“See if there is any wicked way in me…” (Ps. 139:24 NKJ).
In the Greek Old Testament (LXX), the word translated wicked here is kakos (kak-os’) meaning “ill.” David is praying for the Lord to check him over to see how spiritually healthy he is.
He is saying to the Lord: “How about my attitude? Do I harbor resentment? Is there repressed anger lurking inside of me? Do imaginations and fantasy dominate my thinking? Do hurts, real or imagined, constantly occur?”
By asking the Lord to make a spiritual x-ray of his inner man, David is risking the pain and embarrassment of being found guilty of hidden and presumptuous sins. Can we take the same risk and ask the Lord for His inspection?
Man seems to have explored everything but himself. He has climbed all the mountains of the world, but has not penetrated or searched out all the ridges of his own heart. Jeremiah labored with this truth when he posed the classic question: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Heb., anach, “sick”); who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJ)
In the very next verse, the Lord responds rapidly with these reassuring words: “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (NKJ).
Heart searching is painful, but it is part of the purifying, purging, pruning, perfecting, and polishing process designed by the Lord to bring us to full maturity in Christ. It is possible to approach the Lord with “clean hands and a pure heart,” but it does take honesty and a commitment to truth that will not allow us to hide anything in our heart that displeases the Lord.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.