Taking a Spiritual Self-Evaluation

One of the most convicting sermons I heard last week while Life Action Ministries was at our church, included a worksheet outlining the characteristics of the Flesh or of the Spirit.  You can find your own worksheet here.

Ryan, the main speaker, asked us to each take a look at the sheet and review our lives for the past 6 months and see if we could identify any of the characteristics within our own life and if we could determine what our own HEART ATTITUDE had been.  This was meant to require some examination and serious consideration.

Can I just say that on the left side of the sheet, which outlines the Flesh attitudes – I easily marked all EXCEPT two characteristics.  ALL. BUT. TWO.

Hello sledgehammer…

But there is an upside to this.  Because on the right hand side of the sheet lists several characteristics which display an attitude of the Spirit.

Okay, so I could only MARK two of them (honestly, people) – but now there’s a GOAL!

And LIVING IN THE SPIRIT is NOT impossible.  Maybe I haven’t been best friends with the Spirit – and truthfully, I never really considered the Holy Spirit seriously until after I read The Shack…

sad. for someone who has known Christ for more than 30 years – to have totally missed out on the Holy Spirit really made me sad.

But it’s NOT over!

Because after taking the self-assessment, I began the next day by inviting the Holy Spirit into my day.  In the morning – even before my eyes opened.  As I was showering and getting my girls dressed.  As I peeked into the disaster that is our “playroom” and as I fixed breakfast.  As I drove to pickup Curly from school…  you get the picture.

Living in the Spirit requires some serious contact with the Holy Spirit.  An ongoing conversation.  And ME listening as much as praying…

And while my days did not automatically get easier – and in fact, I had a really horrific set of moments on Friday morning, I really felt the power of the Holy Spirit sustaining me.

And it has felt good!

But let me warn you – should you make a move closer to the Spirit – be PREPARED for the onslaught of the enemy.  Get yourself in the Word.  Speak it aloud – and if things get really intense, read Psalm 59 OUT LOUD in your house, in your yard, or wherever – and direct it to our enemy.  Practice writing Scripture out – don’t type it – write it out on notebook paper or in a pretty journal and keep it with you to read when you can.  SCRIPTURE is your ONLY weapon of defense against the enemy – and the cool thing is that THE WORD is GOD.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NKJV)

So when you speak Scripture, you are speaking GOD.  When you memorize Scripture – you are bringing into your life GOD Himself.  And our enemies h-a-t-e it.  They tremble at the name of Jesus, and scurry away at the sound of HIS WORD.  It is not a magic charm – it is a sword – it is THE Sword of the Spirit.  Use it…

About Debbie T

Welcome to my blog. Grab a latte and settle in for a good read! I'm Debbie - aka The Queen Mommy. I'm really just a Right-Brained woman who loves God, her husband, and her three children. I This means I'd rather write than clean... I enjoy writing about family & home, faith & life, marriage & parenting, food & addiction. I do participate in affiliate programs and use affiliate links and graphics throughout my blog. If you follow a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission to help support my family at home. Click here for my Disclosure Policy.

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