My kids are really coming into their own with sports. It has been so enjoyable to watch them play. The other day, I was working with one of my boys on throwing a baseball. His form had gotten sloppy. Instead of using his legs, with a solid follow-through, he developed a herky-jerky throw. He could still do the task (throw the ball to first base,) but his form was so off and it would eventually catch up with him. He couldn’t see it because, in his mind, he was accomplishing what needed to be accomplished. So, I showed him two sets of videos: professional players and professional trainers. He watched both sets of videos and was willing to work on his throwing with me. But as we “trained”, he still struggled to see what he was doing wrong. So eventually, I had to take videos of him throwing. Watching himself throw in conjunction with the professionals helped him make the needed corrections. His game this season has truly skyrocketed. He is crushing it in both baseball and football after just a few minor tweaks to his technique.
Today I want to talk about a sober-self assessment. Last week we looked at the warning signs of complacency (a lukewarm faith.) Maybe that thought affected you, maybe it didn’t. Either way, I think there is room to take this conversation to the next level for all of us. The warning signs we discussed help us to determine if we may be living in a state of complacency. Today I want to help us identify complacent areas. In truth, I may not be in a season of complacency, but I still may have complacent areas of my life.
In Revelation 2 we are asked to consider how far we have fallen (Rev. 2:5.) We have to consider that we may be in a time of life where we are not living out our faith the way God would truly have us living. This is true of all of us as we have said. Romans speaks about thinking of ourselves with sober judgment (Romans 12:1-8.) Many have used this passage to encourage people to do a sober self-assessment.
- Sober: Honest, clear, unadulterated.
- Self: You are the focus, not others.
- Assessment: An evaluation or estimation of one ability and/or reality.
A sober self-assessment is where we take an open and honest look within to determine who we are and what we have become. Here is where we throw away all preconceived notions and truly assess the facts. We get a picture of reality without the influence of our excuses.
This conversation does not start with anyone but you. This is not a “blog post” to send to your husband. This is for YOU. The only reason to bring another person into the conversation is to say, “I want your honest opinion, and I won’t be mad at what you say.”
Ok, so the assessment. I really don’t care to assess your driving ability. I care about your road rage while you drive. We are assessing the spiritual aspect of life. So, I invite you to pull out a journal and start honestly asking yourself these questions. Start with a word of prayer asking God to help you to be honest with yourself. Let's use our endless growth values to conduct the assessment.
Engage with God: Engaging with God is building spiritual habits that followers of Jesus use to strengthen their relationship with God. To know God we need to engage with God. Developing spiritual habits like prayer, worship, and Bible reading will transform us into being more like Jesus.
Questions to ask yourself
- How did I spend time with God this week?
- When do I feel too busy for God?
- People who have a dynamic relationship with Jesus, what are they doing to engage with Him? What can I learn from this example?
- Who gets the best of my time? Is it an idol that I have yet to identify and remove from my heart?
A Blog Post to consider this deeper.
Daily Surrender: Daily Surrender is complete faith in Him and belief in His promises. Our pursuit of holiness is daily and requires personal sacrifice to achieve. As followers of Jesus, we need to daily surrender our will, wants, and desires to those of Christ. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus requires a complete and total lifestyle of daily surrender and giving it all to Him.
Questions to ask yourself
- How can I pursue Christlikeness today?
- What areas of life do I hope spiritual people never ask me about?
- When I think about being far from God, what first comes to mind?
- If God had complete control of my life, what area would I have to cease personal control?
A Blog Post to consider this deeper.
Give of Yourself: As a follower of Jesus, we give of ourselves because we are called to be contributing members of God’s family. When we understand that Jesus gave everything for us, out of an overflow of gratitude, we’ll give of ourselves completely with our time, talents, and treasure. God has called us to contribute, and He’ll equip us to contribute.
Questions to ask yourself
- Does the giving of my time, treasures, and talents show love for God and people?
- Who feels most worshiped by my calendar?
- Who feels most worshiped by my bank account?
- If you’ve been serving and giving for years, how would you articulate you are growing in these areas?
- What fears or insecurities get triggered when I think about my bank accounts, investments, ect? What would it look like to trust God in these areas?
A Blog Post to consider this deeper.
Pray for One: Praying for One is praying for the lost with a desire to be actively used by God to see the lost become found. The “One” terminology flows from Christ’s parable on leaving the 99 in pursuit of the One lost sheep. As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to love our neighbor and share our faith with others. Do we love those that don’t know Jesus enough to love and share our faith with them?
Questions to ask yourself
- Who am I helping to know Jesus?
- How many gospel conversations have you had with unbelievers in the last 3 months? 6 months? A year? What do these answers communicate to you?
- Is the Christian faith more about you or others? Why?
- How would Christ evaluate your participation in the mission He left for us here on earth?
- Where do I lack gospel mission boldness? Where is my fear of rejection stunting my Pray for One efforts?
A Blog Post to consider this deeper.
Pursue Community: As followers of Jesus, we pursue a Christian community because it is a gift and responsibility for all believers. When we become children of God we enter into the family of God. Christian community is made up of sinful people with the united purpose of pursuing Christ. Christian community is not without struggle and hardship, but in our unity with Jesus, we’re called to reconcile with each other and experience love, support, and accountability within the family of God.
Questions to ask yourself
- Do I have a community that is encouraging to my faith?
- How do I encourage others in their faith?
- Can you say like Paul, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ?” If yes, look around; who are you investing into to say such a statement?
- Who do I let speak the hard truth into my life? Who are the people who will tell me what I need to hear versus what I want to hear?
A Blog Post to consider this deeper.
So what stood out to you? Who could you invite into the conversation that would pray for you? That would give you honest feedback? Where is the Holy Spirit working on you? In each of those areas, what is one move you can make to grow away from complacency and into dependency on Christ?
This conversation is important. Many of us are treating Jesus as a part of life instead of the life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6.) Many of us are treating Jesus' words here as if He said “part of life.” Jesus did not die to become part of life. He died to give you HIS life. A seasonal faith has yet to see Jesus as LIFE. A seasonal faith sees faith as optional. A seasonal faith will apply faith when it is convenient. Jesus died for all of you in exchange for all of Himself. We get ALL of Jesus. Let this be encouragement to grow into Christlikeness!
We are in this together as we are BETTER TOGETHER.
With you and for you,
Pastor Jason
