Journey to Easter – 40-Day Creative Lent Devotional – Day 11: Hating God’s Enemies

by

This site includes links from a number of different paid/affiliate programs. When you click on a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. We have also displayed ads on our site as a means to support our online ministry. Please be aware that some of the ads may not be appropriate for Christians.

search my heart

 

Day 11: Hating God’s Enemies

Opening Prayer

opening prayer

Heavenly Father, as we come before You now to study Your holy word, search our hearts deeply and reveal any lingering areas of sin or disobedience. Your eyes discern even the hidden recesses of our souls.

In Psalm 139:19-24, David expresses a righteous hatred for those who oppose You. Search us and show us if we have grown comfortable with sin in our lives or society. Convict us of attitudes or actions not pleasing in your sight.

We ask Your Spirit to guide our time and increase our hatred for sin but also foster in us Christ-like compassion even for enemies. May our desire be for hearts transformed according to Your will.

Help us rightly divide truth from error as we seek to understand how genuine holiness looks in response to wickedness. Have Your way in us, and renew us more into the likeness of Your Son. We ask this in His powerful name. Amen.

Scripture Reading and Reflection

hand on heart

Psalm 139:19-24 KJV

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Reflection:

In Psalm 139, David boldly declared his hatred for all who oppose God: “I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.” Some debate whether Christians should have such strong hatred. But David made it clear he was primarily concerned with his own heart. He prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there be any wicked way in me.” David understood that any enemies of God were also his enemies. And he would not compromise with or tolerate sin and evil in his life. This reveals an important spiritual principle: “If we make room for sin and evil, we invite the devil to remain.” As long as we make allowances for or show indifference toward sin and evil, the devil gains influence. But if we genuinely hate wickedness and refuse to spare any room for the enemy within, he will be forced to leave. David did not want even the subtlest rebellions living on in his heart. He recognized that as long as sin and evil are welcomed in any degree, they will continue entrenching themselves deeper. Total rejection of the devil’s works leaves him no place to remain. This was David’s heartfelt prayer and should be ours as well.  

Hymn:

Search Me, O God

1 Search me, O God, and know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.

2 I praise thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; Fulfill thy Word, and make me pure within. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; Grant my desire to magnify thy name.

3 Lord, take my life and make it wholly thine; Fill my poor heart with thy great love divine. Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride; I now surrender; Lord, in me abide.

Lyrics: James Edwin Orr, Music: Clement Scott

Creative Activities: 1. Scripture Writing

scripture writing   Write out Psalm 139:23-24 in your best handwriting on the Scripture writing page which you can download below. Please download the Scripture Writing Page below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only. Commercial use not allowed.

Download Scripture Writing Page

scripture writing printable day 11DOWNLOAD NOW

Creative Activities: 2. Bible Journaling

bible journaling

Take some time now to creatively journal your reflections on today’s passage from Psalm 139. You could:
  • Sketch or decorate crosses to represent Christ’s victory over sin and evil
  • Write out verses by hand, meditating on God searching your heart
  • Doodle images of light and darkness, sins being revealed and driven out
  • Journal a prayer asking God to reveal and purge any wickedness within
  • Draw illustrations of God’s holiness versus any areas of compromise
  • Color code words like “search”, “hate” and “lead” in different hues
  • Draw a heart shape with scribbles or smudges inside to depict sins, then draw a cleaned heart with a bright light shining through after God searches and purifies you
As you journal creatively, think about David and how he completely gave his heart to God. Ask Jesus to help you really hate any sin or wrong things in your life, like David did. Spend time reading the Bible passage again quietly. Talk to God while you draw or write. He wants to make your heart clean and pure. Doing this creative journaling can help you feel closer to God. It can also help clean your heart as you spend time with Him in His Word. I hope your time journaling will draw you near to Jesus today.

Creative Activities: 3. Doodling

doodling

  Recall David’s prayer as you doodle: “O God, search me and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” As your hand moves freely, ask God to search your heart like David asked. Doodle images that represent Him examining your innermost being. Draw crosses, hearts, eyes or hands as symbols of His exploring work. Don’t overthink the doodles – simply relax in God’s presence and trusting gaze. Let any shapes, lines or patterns that arise reflect your willingness for Him to know you thoroughly. He desires intimate fellowship more than impressive artwork. When you sense the Spirit highlighting an area, spend time there praying and doodling. Ask for His guiding away from wicked paths into eternity with Him. Find solace in the Lord’s promises through this creative expression of examining your soul with David. May your doodling time draw you near in quiet communion with the One who longs to make you fully clean and whole.

Please download the Doodle Printable below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only.

Commercial use not allowed.

Download Doodle Printable

doodle printable day 11DOWNLOAD NOW

Creative Activities: 4. Journaling

journaling

 

Reflect and Journal:

  • What areas of your heart/life do you sense God highlighting for deeper change? Ask Him to search you and reveal any sins or compromise you need to fully surrender.
Please download the Journal Printable below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only. Commercial use not allowed.

Download Journal Printable

journal printable day 11DOWNLOAD NOW

Applying and Taking Action

applying and taking action

  How can you apply the lessons from Psalm 139 more concretely? Consider these action steps:
  • Set aside quiet time each day this week to pray through Psalm 139 and listen for God.
  • Write a prayer asking God to search your heart and show you any areas of sin. Present it to Him daily.
  • Write out verses that stand out to remind you of God’s desire to clean your heart.
  • Remove harmful influences or relationships that could tempt you to tolerate wickedness rather than fully reject it.
  • Memorize verses like Psalm 139:23-24 to regularly pray and declutter your heart before the Lord.
  • Journal weekly to review your progress, record areas of victory, and bring ongoing struggles to God.
Taking Action in Faith: Choosing one or more action steps, ask the Holy Spirit for empowerment as you obediently apply His Word. Communicate your intent to a Christian friend and request prayers. Then walk by faith, not sight, relying on Christ’s strength. Commit to ongoing transparency as you draw nearer to God through deliberately destroying the works of darkness.

Closing Prayer

closing prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your living Word that reveals our hearts and leads us in truth. We pray that through encountering Psalm 139, each of us would experience a deeper work of sanctification. Search our hearts thoroughly, O God, and shine Your light into every crevice of inward darkness. Give us hearts that hate sin and evil with a perfect hatred and desire only that which is good in Your sight.

By Your Holy Spirit, we surrender fully to Your searching and cleansing work. Remove any tolerance for wickedness that could give satan a foothold. Establish within us a continual spirit of humility, repentance and obedience. Make our lives pleasing sacrifices of righteousness as we diligently seek Your will each day.

Thank You that in Christ we can find eternal forgiveness and redemption. Keep our eyes fixed on Him and empower us to walk faithfully in His ways. May our lives increasingly reflect the light of Your holiness to a lost world around us. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

 

If you have been blessed by this Creative Lent Devotional, please share it with others. Many thanks. God bless you!

Find more Devotionals here

 

ABOUT OUR MINISTRY

We are a non-denominational Bible-believing Christian Ministry trained and equipped at the Christian Leaders Institute. Even though our Ministry is based on God's Word, the Bible, you need to approach our teachings like the Bereans and always study the Bible yourself to see if what we teach is aligned with what is written in the Bible.  

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 NIV  

We are only humans who 'stumble in many ways' (James 3:2) and we only 'know in part and we prophesy in part' (1 Corinthians 13:9).

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

The content provided on this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. The blog owner, Janet Giessl, is a Certified Christian Life Coach and Ordained Minister with the Christian Leaders Alliance and holds degrees in Education and Christian Leadership, along with credentials in Bible, Ministry, Philosophy, and Theology. However, Janet is not a medical doctor, licensed therapist or health care professional. The information presented on this platform is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease. It is essential to understand that the content offered here is not a substitute for professional advice, whether medical, legal, financial, or from any other professional field.

Spiritual matters and personal well-being are deeply personal and can have profound effects on individuals. We strongly recommend seeking guidance from qualified professionals and prayerfully considering your own circumstances when making significant decisions in your life. The content on this blog is meant to offer insights and inspiration based on biblical principles, but it is not a replacement for professional assistance or personalized advice.

Always consult with appropriate professionals for your specific needs and circumstances.

You Don’t Know Jesus Yet?

PLEASE START HERE