CHRISTIAN LIFE

Self Examination

The journey to spiritual maturity isn't easy. God doesn't intend for us to remain stagnant. It helps if we accept His work in our lives. Doing a spiritual self-check can help us understand where and how He's working.

Day One: God's Chastening
Hebrews 12:6 says, "For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives" (KJV). Another word for "chasten" is "discipline"...
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Day Two: Spiritual Discernment
Discernment is defined as "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure; an act of perceiving something; a power to see what is not evident to the average mind"...
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For more, see: "Discernment: Your Fool-Proof Tool for Following God"

Day Three: Restoring Your Soul
The only biblical passage that contains this phrase is Psalm 23:3: "He restores my soul." This is in the context of the Shepherd who leads His sheep to "green pastures," "quiet waters" and "paths of righteousness"...
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Day Four: Guarding Your Heart
Proverbs 4:23–26 instructs believers to, "above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you...
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Day Five: Legalism
The word "legalism" does not occur in the Bible. It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth...
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For more, see: "Freedom, Legalism, Responsibility, and Grace"

Day Six: Resistance to Change
Change can be one of the most stressful things in life, even when the change is desired. Resistance to change is natural to human nature. In fact, there is a saying in neuroscience that "neurons that fire together, wire together"...
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For more, see: "Change: An Invitation to Trust"

Day Seven: The Critical Spirit
A critical spirit is not difficult to recognize. Its fruit is usually evident. Someone with a critical spirit is prone to complaining, seeing the glass as half-empty, ruing unmet expectations, sensing failure (in others more than in oneself), and being judgmental...
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For more, see: "Blame Game"

Day Eight: Comfort Zones
Christ asks His followers to die to themselves, to take up their crosses and follow after Him (Matthew 16:24). Taking up a cross and dying to self are not "comfortable" actions, and Christians should always be willing to step outside their comfort zone...
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Day Nine: The Wilderness Experience
A "wilderness experience" is usually thought of as a tough time in which a believer endures discomfort and trials. The pleasant things of life are unable to be enjoyed, or they may be absent altogether, and one feels a lack of encouragement...
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For more, see: "The Worst Friday Night Ever"

Day Ten: Anger and Righteous Indignation
We can know for sure that our anger or indignation is righteous when it is directed toward what angers God Himself. Righteous anger and indignation are justly expressed when we are confronted with sin...
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For more, see: "Unoffendable — A Review"

Day Eleven: Negativity
Negativity is nothing new. Since Adam and Eve were first banished from the garden, life has been hard and we have been complaining about it (Genesis 3:23). It is the nature of sinful humans to live for ourselves and to complain when our desires are not being met...

For more, see: "Think Before You Speak"
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Image Credit: markusspiske; untitled; Creative Commons