Let the Holy Spirit guide you on a sorry safari and show you the shame, error, offense, and other wickedness lurking in the natural habitat of your heart. Discover the treacherous primeval forest that you carry inside yourself. (It’s a jungle in there!) Do you have the courage to face the turmoil, shambles, and wreckage that you will find within?

Will you let the living God show you your disarray and then will you confess your mess with godly sorrow. Will you move beyond denial, defensiveness, and self-justification and boldly and decisively turn away from the carnage of your botched behaviors and discombobulated desires?

“I don’t like sleeping in the dark jungle by myself.” In this quote, Colleen Doran explains the human condition.  We don’t like to be alone in the jungle of our own heart. So we run away and devote ourselves to disabling distractions, hiding from the hurt and mayhem in our own heart.

“The jungle is alive. It’s dangerous as a living nightmare and brimful of hostility.” Sara Sheridan’s words show us why we humans tend to prefer denial rather than being exposed to our inward conditions.

However, these words from Rona Barrett tell us the truth: “It’s ironic, but until you can free (get rid of) those final monsters within the jungle of yourself, your life, your soul is up for grabs.”

“I grew up in the jungle, the son of missionaries. I want to know, is God real?” Like Ted Dekker said; when you face the jungle in your own heart, you, too, will want to know; “Is God real?”

“No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.” Maya Angelou shares a basic fact. If we don’t know our own heart, we will wander aimlessly.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?” The ancient prophet, Jeremiah, nails it with this one.

“Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me.” Perhaps we should all follow ancient King David’s example and ask God to search our heart and our thoughts and show us any wickedness we carry inside us so that we can finally find freedom.