30then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), 31so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.
Sometimes we think we know what is behind the actions of another person. We think they are evil when we get hurt, and we think they are benevolent when we get a blessing. But the reality is, we don’t even know our own heart sometimes. We can hide selfishness even among the fruit of righteousness. One of the areas I personally struggle with deals with my job and the proximity to my children and grandchildren. It is hard to hear the Lord’s direction when my heart is pulled so strongly by my desire to be close to them. My heart wants what is best for the Kingdom, but my heart also want to be close to them. I also don’t want to be separated from my wife for an extended period of time, even if fruitful ministry is taking place. I really am a person with a divided heart. And the LORD knows the condition of my heart. He knows it is divided. I am the only one being fooled. It can be a scary thing to take time and allow the LORD to show you the condition of your heart. When that happens, all the pretense and falsehood drops and we become nakedly honest before Him. The reality is He knows it already. We are the ones who are doing the hiding. But we can’t hide from Him. So be honest before Him. Let Him know that you know how wicked you are.
The Arnold Journey 