If we want to make sure we’re on the right path in life, we need to take time to regularly reflect and evaluate where we are at. Sometimes we can get so caught up in life that we don’t stop and think whether we’re still on the path God wants us to be on. In fact, sometimes we can even forget that we’re living for God at all. In Lamentations, the writer says: ‘Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.’ This is like spending time in self-evaluation. We can examine where we’re going right, and where we’re going wrong. Sometimes we need to take a step back from our busy lives, sit in the silence, and honestly take a look at what’s going on in our hearts. Are we prioritising God? Are our hearts pure? Are we filling our minds with helpful and good things? How’s our relationship with God? Are we putting the effort in to know Him better? When we’re in our time of evaluation, we can also ask God to show us where things need to improve. David prayed: ‘God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts’ (Psalm 139:23 NCV). God knows us better than we know ourselves, so it’s a wise idea to ask Him for His help. The idea of self-examination is not just found in the Old Testament. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he told them to examine themselves. The Message version sums it up like this: ‘Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular check-ups’ (2 Corinthians 13:5). So, let’s take that advice and give ourselves regular faith check-ups.

What Now?

Give yourself a ‘faith check-up’ today. If you’re not sure where to start, why not take some time to answer the questions in today’s reading.