This is a prayer for examination, exposure, and
refinement. Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts. God, today I am
not asking you first to change what is happening
around me. I am asking you to search what is
happening within me. Search my heart. Search
my motives. Search my thoughts. Search my desires.
Search my relationships. Search my habits. Search
my reactions. Search my words search the places
within me that success may have hidden Comfort
may have covered and position may have protected
God Show me me Not the person I think I am Not
the person others believe me to be not the person
I present publicly Show me the condition of my
heart when nobody is watching and if the fire
is revealing something within me Give me the
humility to see it. God, when pressure brings
anger out of me, don't let me only blame the
person who provoked me. Show me what needs healing
within me. When correction makes me defensive,
show me what pride may still be protecting. When
somebody else's success makes me uncomfortable,
show me whether jealousy has found a place in
my heart. When waiting produces frustration,
show me where impatience is still governing me.
When rejection makes me question my worth, show
me where I have depended too heavily upon human
approval. When authority exposes something different
in me, remind me that influence was never given
to feed my ego. And when temptation reveals an
appetite I thought I had conquered, teach me
not to hide it, justify it, or feed it. God,
expose the seed before it becomes a harvest.
God, refine my tongue. Your word teaches me that
a small rudder can direct a great ship and a
small spark can set an entire forest on fire.
So God, refine my tongue. Teach me to govern
my mouth. When I am angry, guard my words. When
I am offended, guard my words. When I am misunderstood,
guard my words. When I possess information that
could damage another person, give me wisdom.
When gossip reaches my ears, give me discipline
not to carry it further. When I have the opportunity
to humiliate someone, give me the character to
refuse. When I am corrected, teach me to listen
before I defend myself. When I disagree, teach
me to disagree without becoming destructive.
When silence will protect peace, teach me to
remain silent. When truth must be spoken, give
me the courage to speak it with wisdom, love
and self -control. God, do not allow my mouth
to destroy what my prayers have been asking you
to build. Do not allow one uncontrolled reaction
to damage years of obedience. Do not allow temporary
anger to create permanent consequences. Put a
guard over my mouth Teach me to govern what you
have given me before you increase my influence
Don't let me defend what you are trying to remove
God when you reveal something within me Do not
allow pride to make excuses for it Take away
the words That's just how I am Take away the
excuse Everybody does it Take away the defense
They started it Take away every justification
that protects something you are trying to transform.
If it does not belong in the person you are preparing
me to become I surrender it. If pride must leave,
let it leave. If bitterness must leave, let it
leave. If uncontrolled anger must leave, let
it leave. If jealousy must leave, let it leave.
If an unhealthy appetite must die, let it die.
If a dangerous relationship must lose access
to my life, give me the courage to establish
the boundary. If compromise has become comfortable,
awaken my conscience again. If success has made
me spiritually careless, bring me back to dependence
upon you. If applause has become too important
to me, teach me again to live for your approval.
If authority has changed the way I treat people,
humble me. If my private character cannot sustain
my public assignment, refine me before you enlarge
me. Holy Spirit, help me, Holy Spirit. I need
your help. I cannot refine myself by human strength
alone. Produce your fruit within me. Give me
patience when I want to react. Give me gentleness
when I possess the power to be harsh. Give me
humility when pride wants to defend itself. Give
me wisdom when emotion wants to decide. Give
me discernment when compromise presents itself
as something harmless. And give me self -control
when temporary desire attempts to compete with
permanent purpose. Teach me to recognize the
moment before the moment becomes a mistake. Teach
me to recognize the seed before the seed becomes
a harvest. Teach me to recognize compromise before
compromise becomes bondage. Teach me to recognize
the spark before the forest begins to burn. I
will not waste the exposure. God, if you reveal
a crack in my foundation, I will not be angry
because construction has stopped. I will thank
you for showing me the crack before another floor
was added. If you expose weakness before expansion
I will receive the warning. If you expose pride
before promotion I will receive the correction.
If you expose an appetite before greater access
I will receive the protection. If you expose
my tongue before increasing my voice I will receive
the discipline. If you expose my character before
increasing my authority, I will receive the refinement.
Because I understand now, exposure can be mercy.
You may be showing me today what you refuse to
allow to destroy tomorrow. So I will not hide
from what the fire reveals. I will not defend
it. I will not normalize it. I will not blame
everybody else for it. I will bring it before
you, and I will say, God, refine me. Therefore,
I declare, I declare that the fire will not be
wasted. I declare that pressure will not merely
hurt me, it will teach me. I declare that what
God reveals, I will have the courage to confront.
I declare that what must be surrendered, I will
surrender. I declare that what must be healed,
God will heal. I declare that what must be disciplined
I will bring under the authority of the Holy
Spirit. I declare that my tongue will not destroy
my testimony. My reactions will not control my
destiny. My appetites will not govern my decisions.
My pride will not sabotage my purpose. My relationships
will not pull me away from God's direction. My
private life will not become the enemy of my
public assignment. I declare that my character
will grow with my calling. My discipline will
grow with my opportunity. My humility will grow
with my influence. My wisdom will grow with my
authority. And my self -control will grow with
my access. I will not merely ask God for greater
things. I will surrender to the preparation required
to carry greater things. God, search me, know
my heart, try me, reveal what is within me, and
when you reveal it, give me the courage to place
it on the altar. Because I would rather be corrected
before expansion than destroyed after promotion
I would rather have the impurity exposed in the
fire then carry it into my purpose I would rather
allow God to refine me today then allow an undisciplined
weakness to destroy tomorrow what took years
to build. Therefore, I declare, I will not fear
the refining. I will not waste the exposure.
I will not defend what God is trying to remove.
The fire is revealing. The Holy Spirit is correcting.
My character is developing. My discipline is
strengthening. My heart is being purified. And
I am becoming capable of carrying what God has
entrusted to me. I am being refined for a purpose.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. You are not
alone.