Do you remember when your mom used to encourage you to, “Stop and think about that.” Her simple advice, along with “Eat your vegetables!”, is just as helpful today as it was then. You experience growth when you stop at regular intervals and examine your busy life. And you grow, too, when you eat your vegetables. Just like Mom said.
Adding focus and some structure to how you approach your times of examination is helpful. Start here:
#1: Examine your Mind
The thoughts of our minds have power. Thoughts that are aligned with the Word of God will protect you: heart, body, and spirit. Having negative thoughts will have a detrimental cost on the heart, body, and spirit.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the Renewal of your Mind, that by testing (Examining) you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, English Standard Version).
So, when negative thoughts flood our minds, it feels like our minds are in captivity. It may not seem like it, but we have a choice. By examining the mind, we can choose what will stay and what will be cast out. It helps to sort false beliefs from true. In the scripture, this is called renewing the mind.
Worry, Fear, Anger, Bitterness
According to Dr. Caroline Leaf, toxic thoughts such as stress, worry, fear, anger, and un-forgiveness cause damage to the brain.
Chemicals are released into the brain, causing chaos and damage. Those toxic thoughts can cause physical illness, emotional damage, and disconnection from the spirit of the Lord. Results of this damage includes loss of sleep and other physical ailments, and the ability to function in healthy relationships.
Examining the mind and guarding your thoughts starts with an attitude of faith, praise, thanksgiving, and truth. You will be transformed by the renewing of your mind, receiving healing, victory, and deliverance over false beliefs and negative thoughts.
The Bible is clear about the power of the mind and the power of our thoughts. If you haven’t been examining your mind and taking every thought captive, now is the time! Begin by searching out the scriptures on thoughts and the mind.
#2: Examine the Emotions of your Heart
The emotions of our heart play a big part in the journey of life. When one’s Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is underdeveloped, it causes one to live only in the mind. This results in living by problem-solving. This continues a reactive lifestyle and usually involves living in anger and frustration.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalms 139:23-24, New Living Translation).
Don’t Ignore Emotions
So, when we ignore the emotions of our heart, it often leads to unhealthy behaviors: addictions, shutting people out, or lashing out at people. It’s important to come before the Lord as you recognize that your heart’s emotions aren’t right. Open yourself to the Lord and give him the authority to search out the deep emotions and hold onto your heart.
Emotions are indicators of how safe, stable, and secure we feel. They are of great value in that emotions bring out anxiousness so that the Lord can lead you back to His fulfillment. An effective way to develop emotional intelligence is to use an emotion list to get acquainted with a variety of emotions.
Also, we need to remember that we CAN’T properly examine ourselves without the help of God. We need to recognize emotions and pray for God to show us our hidden false beliefs and be ready to accept those faults, repent of them, and walk in the replacement of His identity and His truth.
To effectively examine ourselves, we need to read the Bible and see what God expects from us. This brings us to the third and final point.
#3: Examine Yourself and Who You Are For Growth
To know who you are is to know Christ and who he is.
Paul understood that his identity was in Christ when he said, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” As you spend time in the word, looking through the lens of who God is in the scriptures, ask yourself, “Who am I if I am in His Image? This will grow your AWE of God in Holy Fear; it will also bring true humility of who you are IN HIM.
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5, New King James Version).
When examining ourselves, let us not use other people as our standard. We can’t look at others and say, “I’m better than this person and that person. I guess I’m okay.” No, that’s not how you examine yourself.
Look In The Mirror
The Bible is like a mirror. You don’t look in the mirror just to examine what it looks like and how beautiful the mirror is. You look in the mirror to examine your appearance and correct anything that needs to be changed.
In the same way, we don’t just look at our Bible and praise how beautiful its content is. We need to read the Bible, identify who God is, and live as who we are IN Christ. This will remove old Lenses and false beliefs of who we think we are. This brings a replacement of New Lenses–True Beliefs of who you are by testing through examination.
So, my prayer and hope are that you remember these three points and apply them every day of your life. We need to examine our minds, examine the emotions of our hearts, and examine who we are through God’s perspective.
Now, look into the mirror. After examining yourself, what do you see? Do you see yourself becoming more like Christ and less like yourself?
