![Perspectives Into Practice: How to Walk with God in Real Life: Faith in Practice & Spiritual Growth podcast logo](https://res.cloudinary.com/guidedsteps/image/upload/w_200,h_200,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto/v1770692402/perspectivesintopractice/podcast/93c1f77c54c8d7a9.jpg) Perspectives Into Practice Podcast September 1, 2026 Season 2, Episode 3600:34:20Published September 1, 2026 # When Good Things Have Mixed Motives: Letting God Examine and Refine Your Heart ![Podcast episode artwork for When Good Things Have Mixed Motives: Letting God Examine and Refine Your Heart](https://res.cloudinary.com/guidedsteps/image/upload/w_800,h_800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto/v1788267603/perspectivesintopractice/episode/0cfdfef6215be521.jpg) Listen Now Click play to start listening Your browser does not support the audio element. [Listen or download audio](https://episodes.castos.com/67919520171485-95710309/2559182/c1e-99xx9s2vq9rsw1pmz-rkoj83g0i4m4-cy2srf.mp3) ![Podcast episode artwork for When Good Things Have Mixed Motives: Letting God Examine and Refine Your Heart](https://res.cloudinary.com/guidedsteps/image/upload/w_384,h_384,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto/v1788267603/perspectivesintopractice/episode/0cfdfef6215be521.jpg) [Browse All Episodes](/podcast) Share This Episode Share episode on social media [Share on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart&url=undefined%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and)[Share on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart%20undefined%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and) ## About This Episode What if the thing God wants to change isn't something anyone else can see? We can be serving, encouraging, praying, helping others, and faithfully showing up. From the outside, everything we're doing may look good. But God sees beneath the surface. He knows when part of us wants to be noticed. When we hope someone recognizes what we've done. When we're serving Him, but if we're honest, we're also enjoying the praise that comes along with it. In this episode of _Perspectives Into Practice_, my friend Sharon is back, and we're talking about something God has been revealing and refining in her own heart: **her motives**. Proverbs 16:2 says, "All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord." That's an uncomfortable verse when we actually allow it to examine us. Sharon vulnerably shares how God has been showing her that we can do good things for mixed reasons. We can genuinely want to serve God and love people while also wanting the heart on the text, the thank you, the recognition, or the reassurance that someone noticed. The goal isn't to become obsessed with getting every motive perfectly right. It's to be willing to bring what's actually in our hearts before God and allow Him to refine us. We talk about confession, repentance, and why simply saying, "Lord, forgive me for my sins," can sometimes allow us to avoid getting specific about what's really happening within us. When God reveals sin, Scripture doesn't only call us to recognize it and ask for forgiveness. He calls us to repent, turn away from it, and turn back toward Him. That doesn't mean we'll never struggle with that sin again. It means we're willing to say, "Lord, I don't want to keep holding onto this. Help me turn from it and walk differently." Sharon also shares how God has used her intentional prayer life to reveal some of these motives. With more than 100 people on her prayer list, she has developed a rhythm of praying Scripture over others, texting prayers, following up, and keeping track of what people have asked her to pray about. It's a beautiful practice of loving people well, but it's also become another place where God continues asking her: **Who are you doing this for?** And maybe that's a question all of us need to ask from time to time. ##### **In this episode, we discuss:** - Examining the motives behind the good things we do - Serving God without depending on recognition from others - What Proverbs 16:2 teaches us about our motives - Allowing Scripture to reveal what's happening beneath the surface - The difference between conviction and condemnation - Getting specific with God about our sin - Confession, repentance, and turning away from sin - Why recognizing sin isn't the same as repenting from it - Bringing mixed motives honestly before God - Praying for others intentionally and consistently - Using Scripture in intercessory prayer - Recognizing unexpected encounters God places in our lives - Slowing down enough to let God examine our hearts - Why hurry can keep us from deeper transformation One of my favorite reminders Sharon gives us in this conversation is simple: **Don't hurry.** Don't hurry through your prayers. Don't hurry through your time with God. And especially, don't hurry through examining your heart. Psalm 51 says, **"Create in me a clean heart, O God."** But if we're going to ask Him to create a clean heart in us, we also have to be willing to let Him show us what's there. Friend, if God has gently been bringing something to the surface in your own heart, you don't have to clean it up before you come to Him. Bring it to Him first. Name it. Be honest about it. Repent when He's revealing sin, and allow Him to continue transforming you from the inside out. If God is teaching you something in your life right now, changing your perspective, or meeting you in an ordinary season, I'd love to hear about it. You don't need a big platform or a perfectly polished story to be a guest on _Perspectives Into Practice_. Visit **PerspectivesIntoPractice.com** to learn more. And if you're looking for a place to connect with other Christian women beyond the podcast, come join us inside **The Story Haven**. It's a free online community where we grow in our faith, encourage one another, share what God is doing in our lives, and walk it out together. Visit **TheStoryHaven.net** or search **The Story Haven** in the App Store or Google Play. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend who might need this reminder too. ## 📝 Related Blogs 1 blog article inspired by this episode [ ![Featured image for Podcast Testimony Boundaries for Women: Prep, Share, Recover](https://res.cloudinary.com/guidedsteps/image/upload/w_640,h_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto/v1784923440/perspectivesintopractice/blog/podcast-testimony-boundaries-women-prep-share-recover-1784923440284.jpg) Blog article ## Podcast Testimony Boundaries for Women: Prep, Share, Recover Learn how Christian women can prepare, share, and recover well with wise podcast testimony boundaries that honor God and protect the heart. Read related article: Podcast Testimony Boundaries for Women: Prep, Share, Recover ](/blog/podcast-testimony-boundaries-women-prep-share-recover) ### Episode Transcript (6,232 words) \[2 Speakers Detected\] \[Total Utterances: 121\] --- \[0:01 -> 0:56\] Speaker 1: Hey friend, welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together, we'll explore how faith-filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love, and grow. So grab a seat, se... ### Share This Episode [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart&url=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and "Share on Twitter")[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and "Share on Facebook")[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and "Share on LinkedIn")[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart%20https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and "Share on WhatsApp")[Email](mailto:?subject=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart&body=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and "Share on Email")[Reddit](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and&title=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart "Share on Reddit")[Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fperspectivesintopractice.com%2Fpodcast%2Fwhen-good-things-have-mixed-motives-letting-god-examine-and&description=When%20Good%20Things%20Have%20Mixed%20Motives%3A%20Letting%20God%20Examine%20and%20Refine%20Your%20Heart "Share on Pinterest") ## More Episodes You Might Enjoy [ ![Podcast episode artwork for The “Yes, But Not Quite” Season: Trusting God’s Timing When You Don’t Know What’s Next](https://res.cloudinary.com/guidedsteps/image/upload/w_640,h_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto/v1786417203/perspectivesintopractice/episode/a3f361e6a2501565.jpg) Season 2, Episode 33 Podcast episode ## The “Yes, But Not Quite” Season: Trusting God’s Timing When You Don’t Know What’s Next Have you ever known God was leading you somewhere, but had absolutely no idea how you were going to get there? 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