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The following questions are designed to help believers, at
different levels of growth, to take an honest look at
themselves. Even if you feel you can give the best answers to them, they don't indicate you've reached perfection.
For example: In Level 1, Question 1, the
question doesn't necessarily indicate a healthy state, if
your answer should be "yes." Five minutes is an extremely small amount of
time to spend in such pursuits, and to say you do spend at
least that amount of time doesn't indicate spiritual
health.
However, if you can't answer that you spend even
that much time, that definitely indicates a diseased
spiritual state. Level 0 is the starting point for the unbeliever.
Please answer with an honest heart.
LEVEL 0
- If you believe in the God of the Bible, do you think, "I'd better find out what He expects of me?"
- Knowing the Bible tells the answer, do you think it worthwhile to examine it, to find out this answer?
- If you don't, how do you think He will respond?
- How can you live with yourself, knowing He tells you to do one thing, yet you do another?
LEVEL 1
- Do you read or listen to the Bible individually for five
or more minutes each day?
- Do you read or listen to the Bible as a family for five
or more minutes each day?
- Do you pray at least five minutes each day?
- Do you praise or thank God daily (other than saying
grace)?
- Do you talk with someone else about God daily?
- Do you have family devotions daily?
- Do you feel like praying and reading your Bible daily?
- What do you think about most during the day?
- Are you hot, cold or lukewarm (Rev. 3:14-16)
spiritually? How do you base your evaluation?
- What can you do to change from cold or lukewarm to hot?
- What will you do to change from cold or lukewarm to
hot?
- Do you love God, or just knowing you’re on the right
side?
- Are you willing to work to get closer to Him and learn
more about Him?
- Must you be spoon-fed, or will you seek more
nourishment on your own?
- Is everything in your life unconditionally surrendered?
- Does time with God provide a blessing?
- Do you find more delight in God, or in worldly things?
LEVEL 2
- Do you desire to learn more about God? His ways and His
demands?
- Do you enjoy things oriented on God?
- Do you prefer things oriented on God?
- Are you always thinking, “What would Jesus do or have me
to do?”
- Are you satisfied where you are in your walk with God,
or do you want more? Are you seeking more?
- Do you delight in praising and thanking God daily?
- Do you crave that Jesus be seen in you in all you do?
- Do you crave the fellowship of the body?
- Is the issue of holiness critical to you?
LEVEL 3
- Are you more interested in growing broader, or deeper?
(Basically, this is an issue of occupying yourself solely
with intellectual pursuits or waiting on God and meditation
on His Word.)
- Are you sensitive to the spirits of others or just being
correct? Is the task at hand more important than the person?
(This is not a matter of compromise, but of love. An
example would be the person who always has to correct
another’s grammar.)
- If it isn’t done your way, do you joyfully and
graciously concede in doing it the other person’s way?
- If you are maligned, do you rest peacefully in God, or
do you fume?
- Do you carefully do all you can to avoid conflict, or do
you concern yourself with what’s right, above all things?
- Are you gentle and patient, while being firm in
responsibilities, in relation to fellow Christians who are
less mature or even backsliding?
The following are some scriptual references giving an outline of what the Bible shows are healthy attitudes toward Him and His ways.
WARNING! BEWARE! Deuteronomy 4:9
NORMAL STATE: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (diligently)
FERVENT DESIRE & ACTION: Ps. 119:1-2,
10-11,59-60,93,97,104,112,148,162,164
HAVE TO LOVE HIM: Rev. 2:1-7 (letter to Ephesus)
These questions are designed for group use with a response sheet, and a leader's edition that bears comments on each question.
Copyright 1999 by Darrell Farkas
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