A Spiritual Checkup

I am writing this blog post on an afternoon following having spent the entire morning in the dentist chair, getting some rather extensive work done. I feel fine, but then I am still pretty much completely numb! The need for this work was revealed during a recent dental check up. And as I am writing this,  I am also thinking about the next big event coming up in our lives (12 days away, to be exact) which is my husband's knee replacement surgery. Because he is quite a bit younger than the average total knee-replacement patient, the decision to have this surgery done at this time in his life was not easy, but it got a lot easier as his pain grew and his mobility lessened! The knee replacement is a result of a sports injury that happened almost 27 years ago, so we have known this was coming for a long time.

Part of the preparation for his surgery involved both of us attending a mandatory class to educate us on what the surgery and recovery process was going to entail and what to expect, and also he had to undergo an array of doctor appointments and pre-op tests. He had a battery of tests done, a checkup with his primary care physician to clear him for surgery, and a final appointment with the surgeon last week. All systems are go and we are now just waiting for the big day. 

All of these appointments and medical issues have gotten me thinking about something. What if in addition to our medical doctor appointments and checkups, we underwent a spiritual checkup? As we look at the Bible, there are quite a few verses that remind us of the importance of regularly examining ourselves. In Psalm 119:59  the Psalmist says "I thought on my ways..." 2 Cor. 13:5 - "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves." There are many verses in both the Old and New Testaments that tell us to "take heed to ourselves."

Why do we need a spiritual checkup? Basically, because we often do not stop and realize "what manner of spirit we are of." (Luke 9:55). Self-deception comes so easily! We can fool ourselves into thinking we are much different than what we really are. It is possible to be a Christian and follow Christ for a long time, and yet still react out of human rationalization and the old flesh, rather than by applying Biblical principles. 

I'd like to give you just a few dangerous spirits we need to examine ourselves for:

1. Do I have a Martha spirit? Martha is one of my favorite characters in the Bible, probably because I can really identify with her! She loved the Lord, but she didn't take time to just listen to Him. 

2. Do I have an inconsistent spirit? Am I up one day, down the next? This tells me that my contentment is based on my circumstances rather than on my relationship with God. 

3. Do I have a contentious spirit? Do I love to argue and debate, and strive to prove my point? Do I cause problems because of my attitude?

4. Do I have a controlling spirit? Women especially seem to have a problem with wanting to be in control - I think it goes back to Eve in the Garden of Eden! Do we want to manage people and situations to our desired result?

5. Do I have an apathetic spirit? Apathy is just going through the motions of the Christian life, or just going along with the flow whether it is right or wrong. It is basically laziness.

Well, I could go on, but you get the idea. Sometimes we just need to stop and pay attention to ourselves. We need to ask, "What manner of spirit we are of."  In all of this, our physician is the Great Physician - if we have a humble heart and ask the Lord to reveal any problems in our hearts, He will be faithful to show us. Here's to a great spiritual checkup!

Till next time,

Kathi