We all know how important it is to look after our bodies and have regular health check ups.
It is even more important that we also do regular check ups on the health of our soul.
Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard – or watch over your heart because it determines the course of your life”
I love meditating on God – and with God!
It has changed and transformed my life in so many amazing and wonderful ways.
In all my life as a Christian I have never found anything as powerful as meditation to help turn the promises, blessing and favour of God into a reality in my life.
One of the reasons that meditation is so powerfully life changing is because when we make time to stop and sit in the stillness of God’s presence it gives him the opportunity to work on our heart and soul.
I have discovered a profound truth – there is a direct correlation between the health of our heart (soul, spirit) and our ability to reach our highest potential in life.
The healthier our heart and spirit, the more peace we have, and the higher we will rise toward reaching our greatest potential and living our best life.
Recently I was thinking about the many ways in which my life has changed since I began meditating and spending time with the Holy Spirit but of course, there are still areas that need more work.
So I thought it would be good to do a check up on myself to make sure that my spirit is healthy and I am continually growing in the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says (The Message Bible)
“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular check-ups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it”
The apostle Paul, who wrote this, goes on to say “we are cheering for the truth to win out in you… we pray that it will all come together in your lives… keep things in good repair”
I love that this is not about rules. He does not say “now you are a Christian you must follow all these rules”. It’s not about that at all.
God knows that when we allow him to fill our spirit with things like love in place of hate, peace in place of chaos and stress, joy in place of pain, hope in place of hopelessness and so on, then we will have the amazing life of freedom, blessing, peace, hope, happiness, purpose and every good thing that God intended for us.
This is the meaning of Proverbs 11:30 – “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life”
So I made up a little “health test” for myself to check the health of my spirit. You might like to try this too.
It helped me to see what areas I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me with, to change or to heal while I am in meditation with Him.
_______________________________________________________________________________
HEALTH CHECK UP FOR MY SOUL
Part 1 – is based on Galatians 5:22 “The fruit (or evidence) of the Holy Spirit”. List the ways that I have grown in each of these areas and then list areas I need to improve
| Fruits (evidence) of the Holy Spirit in my life | Ways that I can see I have grown and improved | Areas that still need work |
| LOVE | ||
| JOY | ||
| PEACE | ||
| PATIENCE | ||
| KINDNESS | ||
| GOODNESS | ||
| FAITHFULNESS | ||
| GENTLENESS | ||
| SELF-CONTROL |
Part 2 – is based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love”
| LOVE IS: | Ways that I can see I have grown and improved | Areas that still need work |
| PATIENT | ||
| KIND | ||
| DOES NOT ENVY | ||
| DOES NOT BOAST | ||
| IS NOT PROUD | ||
| IS NOT RUDE | ||
| IS NOT SELF SEEKING | ||
| DOES NOT KEEP A RECORD OF WRONGS | ||
| DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL | ||
| ALWAYS REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH | ||
| ALWAYS PROTECTS | ||
| ALWAYS HOPES | ||
| ALWAYS TRUSTS | ||
| ALWAYS PERSEVERES |
Part 3 – Finally, I asked myself a few more questions. These questions will change over time and new questions will be added as I grow toward being more like Him and as the Holy Spirit reveals more of Jesus to me. But for now, these are the questions that I asked myself.
Have I grown in grace?
How are my relationships?
Am I preparing myself daily and looking for opportunities to let His love flow out of my life to others?
Are there other areas in my life that I know need to change?
_______________________________________________________________________________
I hope you have enjoyed reading this week’s blog!
If you found it helpful you might like to take a moment to click on the buttons below and share with your friends.
I know as you spend time meditating with God in his presence, he will do a work in your heart and soul that will bring peace, hope, love, happiness and every good thing to your life.
Recent Comments