Examining Ourselves

The Bible speaks about the significant importance of examining ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are still in the faith. Examining ourselves affirms if we are truly His, by the fruit of the Spirit we are showing. It also shows us where we have slipped up, so we can get back on track---leaning on His everlasting arms and amazing grace to help us to continue to live for Him alone!

In the Bible, there is one place of great significance about examining ourselves. We are instructed to examine ourselves before we take the Lord's Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, it says: "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup." This is done, because taking the Lord's Supper is pure joy, but also a very serious thing. We do not want to go through the Lord's Supper with our hearts not right. We do not want to abuse the Lord's Supper. We do not want to eat and drink judgment as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 11:29. Paul continues to say that this is why so many have fallen asleep and are weak. Taking the Lord's Supper wrongly, but also not examining ourselves. Examining ourselves is essential to our walk with God! We must continue to examine ourselves. Christ dying on the cross for our sins is something that should cause us to seriously reflect our lives. "Is what we are living for worth Christ dying for?"

Also, Lamentations teaches that we need to examine ourselves. Why examine ourselves? We are able to see where we are in our walk with God, and return to where we once were if we have strayed. We can also be bold to continue in our walk with God, and deepen our walk with God when we are aware of where we are spiritually. In Lamentations 3:40, it says: "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD."

Finally, Romans teaches that we should think of ourselves with sober judgment. This can only come from examining ourselves. Romans 12:3 says: "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."

This is a weekly evaluation worksheet found in "Becoming a Vessel God Can Use" by Donna Partow, and gives us a format to examine ourselves on a weekly basis.

1. Am I listening for and hearing God's voice? What is He saying to me?

2. Am I increasingly manifesting the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? What areas look encouraging? What needs prayer? 

3. What did God teach me in my quiet times? 

4. Which priorities did I live by? 

5. Which priorities did I neglect? 

6. What new thing did I learn--about life, God, my family, and the people around me? 

7. What are my specific priorities (where is God directing me) for the coming week?