Examine Yourself

Every morning we have an opportunity to create a difference. Every evening we have an opportunity to reflect on what we did. Self-reflection is a great practice to help you stay on track. The focus on reflection is to make sure you are doing things out of genuine motives. I know that we can get caught up in trying to prove ourselves so much that our achievements focus on selfish gain. Even if we have good intentions, we can start to drift and focus on selfish motives instead of doing things for the good of others. It is easy to drift away from our good intentions and make it look to be more about us.

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians ‭13:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Examine yourself continually throughout the day to make sure you are doing things out of a pure heart and motives. You will not be perfect in this, trust me. This is why we look to God. Ask God to search your mind and heart to make sure what you do is aligned under His will. Also, see if He is pleased with what you are doing. Ask God to point out anything wrong and continue to be directed by Him. The Word of God is our compass and keeps us on the path to everlasting life. The Word is there to help guide us each day. Its aim is to show us what is wrong in our lives and teach us to do what is right. Without it we can deviate toward the wrong course. This slight deviation can lead to complete devastation.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

It is easy to be a minister without being lead by Jesus himself. It is easy to be a boss and look out for yourself instead of the employees. It is easy to be a father and misguide children. It is easy to workout, but make it all about yourself and boasting in your physical appearance. It is easy to be a teacher and show off all you know instead of teaching to making others better than you. People can easily slip into selfish ambition, but it is also easy to examine ourselves and regain our footing.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalms 139:23-24 NLT

Take time daily or at least weekly to examine yourself. Take time in the car, get outside to the beach or trials, or a walk in the neighborhood. Take that time and go through some self-reflection questions that will help you discover why you do what you do.

No matter what is is easy to get back up. Examine yourself and Ask God to search you. He knows everything about you and will help you along the way. Then make sure to forgive yourself and love yourself to heal yourself.

Reflection Questions:

-Have I fallen astray from my original intention?

-How do I make people feel with I bring up a certain topic?

-What is my reason for doing this in the first place?

Action Step:

-Establish a weekly habit of self reflection

-Ask yourself the hard questions to discover your true motives

“For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.” ‭James‬ ‭1:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.” 1 Corinthians ‭11:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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