Reflections
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
~1 Corinthians 13:12
~1 Corinthians 13:12
Reflections
Hello family and friends! This addition to our website is all about presenting our site visitors with a different type of Bible study. It is still FREE and while it is designed to cause us to search within and study God's word on a more personal level, it is still something that can be completed with a study partner, or even as a group.
We pray that you are blessed by this new addition to Where God Has Me!
Hello family and friends! This addition to our website is all about presenting our site visitors with a different type of Bible study. It is still FREE and while it is designed to cause us to search within and study God's word on a more personal level, it is still something that can be completed with a study partner, or even as a group.
We pray that you are blessed by this new addition to Where God Has Me!
Spiritual Check-up
Most of us have annual check-ups to ensure that our bodies are healthy and functioning properly. It is during these types of visits that the doctor checks in on our physical health, and even our mental health. If during this check-up the doctor notices something does not line up with what is deemed healthy, he/she may conduct more tests, ask more probing questions, or refer you to a specialist—-they do whatever they deem medically necessary to get to the root of the problem. Once they find out what the problem is, they go about finding the right treatment plan. This may include medicines, medical procedures, or suggestions for lifestyle changes. In any event, the course of action is aimed at improving the health, and/or quality of life, of the patient and sometimes the treatment plan serves to prolong life.
We can all probably agree that a good doctor (one who actually cares about their patients) desires for their patient to be healthy; after all, a doctor’s job is to help heal their patients to the best of their ability…they are vessels that God may use to deliver healing. In doing this, if they notice a medical issue, they are there to offer solutions to either get the patient on track, or back on track, to living a healthy life. Now occasionally, the doctor may have to get “stern” with us and discuss what happens if we don’t get right (where our health is concerned). He/she may have us consider life plans and our loved ones, and how being unhealthy can interfere with those plans. This, amongst other reasons (i.e., fear of bad news, vaccinations, painful/uncomfortable procedures, being told to do—-or cease from doing—- things we already know we should/should not be doing), is likely why many people dread the annual doctor’s visit, even though we know ultimately it is for our good (mentally and physically). We know that staying on top of our annual check-ups allows us (to the best of our ability) to be proactive and responsible (or for some, even accountable) for our physical and mental well-being; however, this does not change the fact that we often do not look forward to these visits and many of us will prolong it as long as possible, or until we finally tell ourselves there is no sense in putting it off any longer.
Regardless to how you feel about the annual check-up, or “wellness visit”, most doctors will tell you that you absolutely should have them done, especially if it is the only time you actually visit the doctor. To quote one family medicine physician (Daniel Allen, MD), your annual physical is “a chance for the doctor to reconnect with their patient and for you, the patient, to reconnect with your physician” (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-you-need-an-annual-physical-and-what-to-expect/).
To be clear, no, this is not a reflection on whether or not you should, or should not, have an annual wellness check-up. It is, as the title states, a reflection on having a spiritual check-up, except not just annually; instead, we recommend a daily spiritual check-up.
Just like our annual check-up is essential to our mental and physical health, our spiritual check-up is essential to our spiritual health. We can consider this spiritual check-up as an opportunity to check our heart, our desires and our actions and make sure they exhibit Christ. In taking from Dr. Allen’s quote, it is an opportunity for us to reconnect with the Father.
Now you may be thinking--- or saying--- to yourself that you have no need for a spiritual check-up because you have not disconnected from the Father, but let’s be cautioned away from this line of thinking because we are all flesh, and the flesh makes us all fallible. In fact, the Bible tells us …
“For we all stumble in many ways […]” James 3:2
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10
Now to that, we must also remember that being in the flesh is not an excuse for sin, it just means that we are all susceptible to commit sin, and yes God does know this; however, because of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, there is no excuse to continue in sin. In fact the Bible says…
“By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4
Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:25 tells us that, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (ESV).
From this scripture we can actually infer a couple of things.
First, to live by the Spirit is a choice. The author of the book of Galatians says in this verse: “if we live by the Spirit”, the “if” in this statement indicates a choice that we, as Christians, must make daily. We either choose to live by the Spirit and have life and peace (Romans 8:6), or we choose to live by the flesh and do those things that are of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). As the old saying goes, "there is no two ways about it"; we are either hot or cold (Revelation 3:15-16), and we choose either life or death, or blessings or curses (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Second, we are told that if we choose to live by the Spirit, we have to keep in step with the Spirit, and not the other way around. So that means God does not change for us, He is the same God yesterday, today and forevermore…
“For I am the Lord, I change not” Malachi 3:6,
and in order to walk with Him, we have to ensure that our steps, our actions, are in line with His commands.
Walking in step with the Holy Spirit enables us to walk according to God’s will because the Spirit produces in us a strong desire for righteousness and a strong desire to submit to God’s law---something that the flesh cannot do (Romans 8:7); it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the desire and the ability to do right and to live a life obedient to God (Ezekiel 36:27), which ultimately pleases God (1 Samuel 15:22).
So, if the Holy Spirit is essential to us being obedient to God’s law, that means that in order for us to ensure that our actions are in line with God’s commands, we need the Holy Spirit to do a spiritual check-up; we need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us when we are walking contrary to God.
This requires some honest introspection…
“But let a man examine himself […]” 1 Corinthians 11:28 (KJV)
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
Introspection through the Holy Spirit
Now while we are told to examine ourselves, we must understand that we only benefit from this examination by the working of the Holy Spirit within us.
On our own, introspection can be faulty.
We have to be careful because introspection without the Holy Spirit, may cause us to convict and condemn ourselves; to that, we are likely to examine ourselves according to our own self-righteousness (remember Job? It was his self-righteousness that led him to feel like God owed him answers, hence his repeated request for an audience with God).
Without our Spiritual Guide (The Holy Spirit), we will likely never be convicted of our wrong (we must be careful not to confuse conviction here, with condemnation—-there is a difference); instead, through constant self-justification we will always find ourselves not guilty, we may play the blame game (it’s everybody else’s fault, or we may even attempt to blame God), we may gloss over our sin and decide that our “good intentions” or our occasional good acts will somehow blot out our transgressions.
~Let’s pause here and discuss what we mean by conviction.
When we are convicted of something, we are found guilty. In this case, if the Holy Spirit convicts us of doing something outside of the will of God, then we are no doubt guilty of that act…we are wrong. However, through Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity to repent to God. It is by His mercy and grace that we are not condemned to death (the wages of sin is death---Romans 6:23), or officially declared unfit for His use or His Kingdom…
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 (KJV)
Instead, when we humble ourselves and repent, God overturns the “conviction of guilty”…
“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”…Psalm 103:10-12 (KJV)
and renders a verdict of not guilty. Through this, we are given the opportunity to get back in step with the Holy Spirit….
“[…] you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:7 (ESV)
It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we honestly do a side by side comparison of ourselves, to God’s word. In this, if we are honest and allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and show us ourselves, we are able to confess to God all of our faults and receive His correction.
Consider these questions:
If you believe you are right, will you ever change what you are doing or your way of thought without intervention from another source?
Remember we said earlier that a spiritual check is a way for us to reconnect to the Father, but if we never stop and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our faults and actions that are contrary to the will of God, how will we ever know if we have disconnected from the Father? How will we ever know if our spirit is healthy, or in need of a revival or healing?
Now let us be cautioned that introspection (or a spiritual check-up) through the Holy Spirit can be painful; it never feels good to be called out when we are doing wrong (especially when we truly believe we are right), it may not feel good when we are told we have to let go of something that makes us feel good, or let go of something we have worked hard to obtain; it may not feel good to realize that because of our stubbornness or self-righteousness we are considered an enemy of God…
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” James 4:4.
It is more likely than not, that in doing a spiritual check we will find that we fall (or have fallen) short of the glory of God; this is actually not a possibility, it’s an absolute…
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 (KJV)
“And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth’” Genesis 8:21
“Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ESV)
However, there is hope. The good news is that if we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to convict us when we are walking out of step with Him and if we are willing to repent and obey God’s commands, God is more than able to:
make right our wrong…
“‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’” Isaiah 1:18
give to us a new set of garments…
“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.” Zechariah 3:3-5 (ESV)
and He is more than able to give us a new heart and spirit…
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you […] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Ezekiel 36:26-27
So while we may not look forward to a spiritual check-up, know that we serve a loving, caring, and merciful God that also happens to have perfect “bedside manners”. That means we never have to worry about being ashamed to confess our faults because He has truly, “seen ‘em all” as the saying goes, and yet He’s still willing to help us and save us.
We should not dread a spiritual check-up because God’s word declares that it is His desire that none of us shall perish…
“[…] he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
and He is compassionate toward us...
"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15 (NIV)
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."
Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion." Psalm 116:5 (NIV)
Just as we "approach" God's throne for things that we desire (whether it is for tangible things, jobs, relationships, or healing for ourselves or loved ones), so should we approach God in regards to our spiritual health. Perhaps in our asking, we should ask also:
-How is my heart doing (where our relationship with God is concerned); is it a heart after God's own heart (i.e., am I seeking the things of God; are my passions truly towards God; am I obeying His will, or my own)?
- Am I walking in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 and Romans 8:5-8)?
-Am I Heaven bound, or is a lifestyle change necessary (Philippians 3:18-20, John 3:5, Hebrews 12:14)?
Most of us have annual check-ups to ensure that our bodies are healthy and functioning properly. It is during these types of visits that the doctor checks in on our physical health, and even our mental health. If during this check-up the doctor notices something does not line up with what is deemed healthy, he/she may conduct more tests, ask more probing questions, or refer you to a specialist—-they do whatever they deem medically necessary to get to the root of the problem. Once they find out what the problem is, they go about finding the right treatment plan. This may include medicines, medical procedures, or suggestions for lifestyle changes. In any event, the course of action is aimed at improving the health, and/or quality of life, of the patient and sometimes the treatment plan serves to prolong life.
We can all probably agree that a good doctor (one who actually cares about their patients) desires for their patient to be healthy; after all, a doctor’s job is to help heal their patients to the best of their ability…they are vessels that God may use to deliver healing. In doing this, if they notice a medical issue, they are there to offer solutions to either get the patient on track, or back on track, to living a healthy life. Now occasionally, the doctor may have to get “stern” with us and discuss what happens if we don’t get right (where our health is concerned). He/she may have us consider life plans and our loved ones, and how being unhealthy can interfere with those plans. This, amongst other reasons (i.e., fear of bad news, vaccinations, painful/uncomfortable procedures, being told to do—-or cease from doing—- things we already know we should/should not be doing), is likely why many people dread the annual doctor’s visit, even though we know ultimately it is for our good (mentally and physically). We know that staying on top of our annual check-ups allows us (to the best of our ability) to be proactive and responsible (or for some, even accountable) for our physical and mental well-being; however, this does not change the fact that we often do not look forward to these visits and many of us will prolong it as long as possible, or until we finally tell ourselves there is no sense in putting it off any longer.
Regardless to how you feel about the annual check-up, or “wellness visit”, most doctors will tell you that you absolutely should have them done, especially if it is the only time you actually visit the doctor. To quote one family medicine physician (Daniel Allen, MD), your annual physical is “a chance for the doctor to reconnect with their patient and for you, the patient, to reconnect with your physician” (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-you-need-an-annual-physical-and-what-to-expect/).
To be clear, no, this is not a reflection on whether or not you should, or should not, have an annual wellness check-up. It is, as the title states, a reflection on having a spiritual check-up, except not just annually; instead, we recommend a daily spiritual check-up.
Just like our annual check-up is essential to our mental and physical health, our spiritual check-up is essential to our spiritual health. We can consider this spiritual check-up as an opportunity to check our heart, our desires and our actions and make sure they exhibit Christ. In taking from Dr. Allen’s quote, it is an opportunity for us to reconnect with the Father.
Now you may be thinking--- or saying--- to yourself that you have no need for a spiritual check-up because you have not disconnected from the Father, but let’s be cautioned away from this line of thinking because we are all flesh, and the flesh makes us all fallible. In fact, the Bible tells us …
“For we all stumble in many ways […]” James 3:2
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10
Now to that, we must also remember that being in the flesh is not an excuse for sin, it just means that we are all susceptible to commit sin, and yes God does know this; however, because of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, there is no excuse to continue in sin. In fact the Bible says…
“By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4
Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:25 tells us that, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (ESV).
From this scripture we can actually infer a couple of things.
First, to live by the Spirit is a choice. The author of the book of Galatians says in this verse: “if we live by the Spirit”, the “if” in this statement indicates a choice that we, as Christians, must make daily. We either choose to live by the Spirit and have life and peace (Romans 8:6), or we choose to live by the flesh and do those things that are of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). As the old saying goes, "there is no two ways about it"; we are either hot or cold (Revelation 3:15-16), and we choose either life or death, or blessings or curses (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Second, we are told that if we choose to live by the Spirit, we have to keep in step with the Spirit, and not the other way around. So that means God does not change for us, He is the same God yesterday, today and forevermore…
“For I am the Lord, I change not” Malachi 3:6,
and in order to walk with Him, we have to ensure that our steps, our actions, are in line with His commands.
Walking in step with the Holy Spirit enables us to walk according to God’s will because the Spirit produces in us a strong desire for righteousness and a strong desire to submit to God’s law---something that the flesh cannot do (Romans 8:7); it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the desire and the ability to do right and to live a life obedient to God (Ezekiel 36:27), which ultimately pleases God (1 Samuel 15:22).
So, if the Holy Spirit is essential to us being obedient to God’s law, that means that in order for us to ensure that our actions are in line with God’s commands, we need the Holy Spirit to do a spiritual check-up; we need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us when we are walking contrary to God.
This requires some honest introspection…
“But let a man examine himself […]” 1 Corinthians 11:28 (KJV)
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
Introspection through the Holy Spirit
Now while we are told to examine ourselves, we must understand that we only benefit from this examination by the working of the Holy Spirit within us.
On our own, introspection can be faulty.
We have to be careful because introspection without the Holy Spirit, may cause us to convict and condemn ourselves; to that, we are likely to examine ourselves according to our own self-righteousness (remember Job? It was his self-righteousness that led him to feel like God owed him answers, hence his repeated request for an audience with God).
Without our Spiritual Guide (The Holy Spirit), we will likely never be convicted of our wrong (we must be careful not to confuse conviction here, with condemnation—-there is a difference); instead, through constant self-justification we will always find ourselves not guilty, we may play the blame game (it’s everybody else’s fault, or we may even attempt to blame God), we may gloss over our sin and decide that our “good intentions” or our occasional good acts will somehow blot out our transgressions.
~Let’s pause here and discuss what we mean by conviction.
When we are convicted of something, we are found guilty. In this case, if the Holy Spirit convicts us of doing something outside of the will of God, then we are no doubt guilty of that act…we are wrong. However, through Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity to repent to God. It is by His mercy and grace that we are not condemned to death (the wages of sin is death---Romans 6:23), or officially declared unfit for His use or His Kingdom…
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 (KJV)
Instead, when we humble ourselves and repent, God overturns the “conviction of guilty”…
“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”…Psalm 103:10-12 (KJV)
and renders a verdict of not guilty. Through this, we are given the opportunity to get back in step with the Holy Spirit….
“[…] you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:7 (ESV)
It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we honestly do a side by side comparison of ourselves, to God’s word. In this, if we are honest and allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and show us ourselves, we are able to confess to God all of our faults and receive His correction.
Consider these questions:
If you believe you are right, will you ever change what you are doing or your way of thought without intervention from another source?
Remember we said earlier that a spiritual check is a way for us to reconnect to the Father, but if we never stop and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our faults and actions that are contrary to the will of God, how will we ever know if we have disconnected from the Father? How will we ever know if our spirit is healthy, or in need of a revival or healing?
Now let us be cautioned that introspection (or a spiritual check-up) through the Holy Spirit can be painful; it never feels good to be called out when we are doing wrong (especially when we truly believe we are right), it may not feel good when we are told we have to let go of something that makes us feel good, or let go of something we have worked hard to obtain; it may not feel good to realize that because of our stubbornness or self-righteousness we are considered an enemy of God…
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” James 4:4.
It is more likely than not, that in doing a spiritual check we will find that we fall (or have fallen) short of the glory of God; this is actually not a possibility, it’s an absolute…
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 (KJV)
“And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth’” Genesis 8:21
“Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ESV)
However, there is hope. The good news is that if we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to convict us when we are walking out of step with Him and if we are willing to repent and obey God’s commands, God is more than able to:
make right our wrong…
“‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’” Isaiah 1:18
give to us a new set of garments…
“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.” Zechariah 3:3-5 (ESV)
and He is more than able to give us a new heart and spirit…
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you […] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Ezekiel 36:26-27
So while we may not look forward to a spiritual check-up, know that we serve a loving, caring, and merciful God that also happens to have perfect “bedside manners”. That means we never have to worry about being ashamed to confess our faults because He has truly, “seen ‘em all” as the saying goes, and yet He’s still willing to help us and save us.
We should not dread a spiritual check-up because God’s word declares that it is His desire that none of us shall perish…
“[…] he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
and He is compassionate toward us...
"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15 (NIV)
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."
Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion." Psalm 116:5 (NIV)
Just as we "approach" God's throne for things that we desire (whether it is for tangible things, jobs, relationships, or healing for ourselves or loved ones), so should we approach God in regards to our spiritual health. Perhaps in our asking, we should ask also:
-How is my heart doing (where our relationship with God is concerned); is it a heart after God's own heart (i.e., am I seeking the things of God; are my passions truly towards God; am I obeying His will, or my own)?
- Am I walking in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 and Romans 8:5-8)?
-Am I Heaven bound, or is a lifestyle change necessary (Philippians 3:18-20, John 3:5, Hebrews 12:14)?
