“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
— Psalm 139:23–24 (NKJV)
This morning I found myself sitting quietly with a question that keeps coming back to me. It isn’t a loud question. It doesn’t accuse or push. It just waits there in the silence, asking to be considered honestly.
Do I really want to grow spiritually?
Not just in desire.
Not merely in language.
But in reality.
It is one thing to say we long for more of God. It is another thing entirely to take the steps that growth requires. Spiritual maturity is never accidental. It comes when a heart willingly says, Lord, investigate me. Search me. Show me what I do not see.
That prayer sounds beautiful… until the Holy Spirit begins to answer it.
Because when we invite Him to search us, He will gently bring things to our attention. Sometimes it is an attitude. Sometimes a habit. Sometimes a wound we have hidden or a compromise we have learned to live with. His corrections are not harsh. They are precise and loving, like a skilled surgeon who cuts only to heal.
Yet one of the greatest robbers of spiritual growth is something many believers quietly practice without realizing it.
Selective hearing.
Encouragement is something we all need. The Lord knows how to strengthen tired hearts, and He does that often. But I’ve noticed something in my own life — if I only listen to the words that comfort me, I stop growing. A steady diet of sweetness feels good for a while, yet real strength comes when we also receive the things that heal and reshape us. If we reject correction we slowly, without noticing stop growing.
The apostle Paul warned about this when he wrote that a time would come when people would not endure sound teaching, but would gather teachers who tell them what their “itching ears” want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3–4). This does not simply describe false teachers. It describes a condition of the heart. A heart that prefers comfort over transformation. A soul that scrolls quickly past anything that unsettles or convicts.
How familiar that sounds in our age.
We live in a scrolling culture. If something challenges us, we swipe away. If a word makes us uncomfortable, we move on to something more uplifting. We rarely pause long enough to let the Spirit speak deeply.
But a wise man…
A wise woman…
The mature bride of Christ…
They stop scrolling.
They lean in when God speaks truth. Even when it stings a little. Especially when it stings a little.
Because they understand something sacred: correction is not rejection. Correction is love. Scripture says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens.” (Hebrews 12:6). The Father does not correct strangers. He corrects sons and daughters. His discipline is the evidence of belonging.
Dear beloved, if the Holy Spirit puts His finger on something in your life, it is not to shame you. It is to set you free.
But if we continually ignore His whispers, we remain the same. Years pass. Decades pass. The same struggles linger. The same mountains are circled over and over again. And we wonder why growth feels distant.
Growth always requires response.
Obedience.
Humility.
A willingness to say yes even when the yes costs something.
There are many who will enter eternity still carrying the same unresolved patterns they refused to surrender. They loved encouragement but avoided surrender. They desired breakthrough but resisted change.
And yet the Lord is calling His people higher.
He is looking for overcomers.
What will matter in the end is not how much we accomplished, how visible we were, or what others thought of us. What remains is the quiet work God did inside us over the years. The hidden moments when He whispered, corrected, and gently adjusted the direction of our hearts. The small obediences no one saw. The times we chose to lay down our own way and follow Him anyway.
I know this might land heavy for some. That’s not because I want it to feel heavy. I’m simply speaking as someone who cares, and sometimes love tells the truth quietly. Not to push anyone down. Not to shame anybody. Just to sit beside you and say, “There’s more for you than staying where you are.”
I’ve learned this in my own walk — the moments that changed me weren’t always the comfortable ones. They were the times the Lord nudged something in my heart and I finally stopped long enough to listen. That’s where real peace started showing up. Not in trying harder, but in walking honestly with Him, one ordinary step at a time.
Don’t you want to grow?
We have one life, dear one. One brief span of years to allow God to shape us into the likeness of His Son. Let us not spend it hiding from truth or feeding only on what feels good.
Say no to itching ears.
Say yes to a listening heart.
Let the Holy Spirit finish His work in you.
Beloved, if you feel the Lord gently tugging at your heart right now, do not turn away. This is not condemnation. This is invitation.
Right where you are, whisper this prayer:
Lord, search me.
Show me what I have refused to see.
Give me courage to hear truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
Take away selective hearing.
Make me teachable.
Make me tender.
Make me an overcomer.
Lay down the habit of scrolling past conviction. Lay down the fear of change. Let His love reach into the hidden places today.
The fire of God does not consume to destroy. It burns to purify. And those who surrender to that holy fire emerge softer, humbler, freer, and more alive than before.
Come closer, dear one.
He is waiting.
With Love,
Steve Porter
www.morningglorydevo.com
🙏🏼 If you’re carrying something heavy… don’t carry it alone. Write your prayer request in the comments. We’ll read it. We’ll pray. We’ll lift you up. We are family here. And family prays together. Prayer Warriors standing by.
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💬 Thank you for spending a few quiet moments here. If this spoke to you, a brief comment is always a kindness — to me and to others who may be reading.
Prayer is not always loud or dramatic. Most of the time it happens in quiet places — early mornings, tired evenings, or small moments we almost miss.
This book was not planned as a book at first. These chapters grew out of personal devotions and real seasons of walking with God — times of waiting, times of questions, and moments when His presence met me in simple ways. Over time, a common thread kept showing up: prayer.
Not prayer as a formula. Not pressure to perform. Just learning to stay close to the Lord.
Inside these pages you’ll find honest reflections about silence, delay, intercession, daily habits, and the small spaces where God still meets ordinary people. Some chapters are gentle, some challenging, but all come back to the same invitation — return to the Father and keep the door open.
Included at the end is a simple study guide designed for personal reflection, quiet study, or small group discussion.
If your prayer life feels strong, this book will encourage you. If it feels weak or distant, I hope it helps you begin again without guilt or striving.
The doorway of prayer is still open.
You are welcome there.Steve Porter is a teacher, author, and founder of Refuge Ministries, Oasis Bible Training Center, and Deeper Life Press. With a heart for revival and the deeper life, Steve has spent over 30 years ministering the love of Jesus through writing, preaching, and prophetic teaching. He is the author of over 50 books and thousands of Spirit-breathed devotions that have touched lives around the world. His devotional writings—often described as tender, Spirit-led, and soul-stirring—have helped many draw closer to Christ. Alongside his wife Diane, Steve makes his home in the Finger Lakes region of New York, where they continue to raise up passionate lovers of Jesus and create a resting place for His glory.
Beautiful. I prayed the prayer. God is so good
thank you Steve for this loving and much needed word♡!