WAR ROOM WEEK 1 HONEST EVALUATION

 

2 Corinthians 13: 5

NKJV- “Examine yourselves as the where you are in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves? That Jesus is in you?

I love looking a scripture under different translations. Sometime a different translation can make a “bigger” impact on you.

TLB- “Check up on yourselves. Are you really a Christian? Do you past the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t’ at all?

I am excited about this study maybe because I loved the movie. I hope you got a chance to see the movie. I know some of you did. If you didn’t I hope you will make plans to see it sooner or later.

This Bible study is different that our past, in that you will me doing more “homework” than I do preparing the lesson. Well, maybe. There will be many questions for you to reflect on and answer on your own. I pray that you are still journaling. There will be several scriptures for you to look-up as well. I can’t do everything for you. J

I truly believe that you will learn better and quick and more, by doing things yourselves. I am not just referring to looking up scripture but in life in general.

So before we get started let’s evaluate ourselves. This is not to discourage you or to make you feel ashamed. This evaluations is for growth, spiritual growth. We need to understand ourselves better in order to be inspired to improve ourselves . So here we go.

On a scale from 0-10: . (Zero being freezing cold/far away and 10 being you are on fire/extremely close:

1) IN YOUR OPINION, HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO GOD RIGHT NOW?

2) REGARDING CLOSENESS TO GOD, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE ONE YEAR FROM NOW?

3) ARE YOU CURRENTLY MOVING AT A PACE TO MEET YOUR GOAL ONE YEAR FROM NOW?

4) WHAT MAJOR DECISIONS OR ADJUSTMENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE TO HELP YOU GROW?

After you have honestly answered the above questions, go to God and pray. Ask Him to renew the hunger in your soul to pursue a closer relationship with Him. PRAY NOW!

I don’t know about you but I found it hard to be honest with myself. Maybe because I really wanted to be higher that I really was. It is natural for us to do that, exaggerate the good and minimize or even deny what is bad or what we are lacking.

READ PROVERBS 21:2

You all have heard the saying “ Actions speak louder than words”. Well our actions are better indicators of where we are spiritually. Better than our opinions or guesses.

ASK YOURSELF:
1) How diligently do I seek and pursue a closer walk with God EACH day?

2) How much time and effort do I spend in His Word and in prayer EACH week?

3) Do I make an effort to remember and apply the Word of God after I hear it or do I usually walk away and forget it?

4) How quickly do I obey God when He tells me to do something?

5) When God reveals sin in my life, how quickly do I confess and repent it?

Think about it. What unconfessed sins would you confess if you knew Jesus would be coming back in three days? What commandment would you make sure you obeyed between now and then? WHY WAIT?

WHAT DOES JAMES 1:22 SAY?

Watch this video.

“Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like it in the pot nine days old”.  Relate your prayer life to the coffee analogy. How do you like yours?

READ OUT LOUD REVELATIONS 3:14-22

What are the two things Jesus said we should do in verse 19?

Zealous means to filled with or showing a strong and energetic desire to get something done or see something succeed :  marked by passionate support for a person, cause, or idea. Basically is mean to be on fire for God. AGAIN. Read verse 20 again. Jesus doesn’t want to be on the outside of the door. He wants to come in, get closer with us, take rightful control and rekindle His relationship with us.

What are 3 specific things in your life keeping you from being more on fire for God?

Pray about these three conditions NOW.

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- You say you attend church occasionally. Is that because your pastor only preaches occasionally?-Miss Clara War Room

We have done our personal evaluations so, do you Profess or Possess? It is a BIG difference claiming to be a Christian than actually KNOWING Christ and LIVING as a believer. Anyone can claim that they know Christ. Even the Devil knows Christ but that don’t make him a Christian. The first book of John tells us what truly knowing Christ will do to our way of living. It will result in a lifestyle of obedience, repentance of sin, a living faith, evidence of God’s Spirit and love for other Christians. And may I add other PEOPLE in general.

READ ACTS 2:44-46

The first century Christians were strongly willing to connect with other Christians. They wanted to share their lives. They were almost like a commune. Now read 1 Corinthians 12:24b-27. What does it say about a member of the body of Christ?

READ HEBREWS 10:23-25

Why should we as believer maintain fellowship with each other?

No one on earth is perfect. And we make up the body of Christ, but we need his Grace and forgiveness every day, because we all stumble, sooner or later. God wants us to stay connected with other Christians. We can do this by loving them, serving them, encouraging them, comforting them, and praying for them on a consistent basis. This is His command.

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- “So if I asked you what your prayer life was like, would you say it was hot or cold.”- Miss Clara War Room

When it comes to prayer, many times it is only for request of things. Think about how your life would change if we viewed and treated God like our closest friend than a casual acquaintance.  If we prayed constantly thank an occasional last option?  Instead of it being a “Want ad” and real weapon?

READ EPHESIANS 6:10-18

How much armor do we put on daily?

List each piece of God’s armor and purpose.

I have been studying Ephesians for my Sunday school class, we just finished the book this past Sunday. I was studying on this Armor of God. A thought came to me about the breastplate. The breastplate initially was to cover the chest area and protect the heart. There was no back. So why would Paul use this as part of the armor of God? First, we are to face our battles head on, no taking a side road and we can “turn our back” on the enemy because it is NOT PROTECTED. And Satan would love that.

I know we have recently did a study on prayer, but you could do one that lasted for many weeks instead of the few weeks we had. WHY? Prayer is one of our greatest resources. Especially when it comes to spiritual growth. It’s a WEAPON we need for battles. How much we pray, depends on how much we depend on God. HOW MUCH WE PRAY, DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH WE DEPEND ON GOD!

We all need God ALL the time. We need His grace every moment so we don’t waste opportunities. So we don’t become self-centered. So we don’t fall INTO sin. If we humbly admit our need of God and depend on Him daily for wisdom and grace, we will have a richer, more active prayer life results.

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE- “You don’t have to step on the same land mines that I did. That’s a waste of time.”- Miss Clara War Room

We just talked about the importance of connecting deeply with other believers.  One of the greatest benefits we can receive by doing this is, we DON’T HAVE to repeat one another’s mistakes.  Modeling your life after a seasoned saint is a Biblical method.

READ HEBREWS 13:7

What land mines have avoided because of another believer’s example or counsel?

MORE EVALUATIONS

1)                        Is your spiritual life apathetic, joyless and passionless?

2)                        Do you have at least one sin you refuse to repent of?

3)                        Do you have at least one person your refuse to forgive?

4)                        Do you love and seek God less that you once did?

5)                        Are the words of your mouth displeasing to God and dishonorable to others?

6)                        Do you see no evidence of answered prayer or the power of God at work in your life?

7)                        Do you have time for entertainment, but not for Bible study, prayer or sharing your faith?

8)                        Do you let pride, worry or fear stop you from obeying what God has told you to do?

9)                        Does your family see you behave one way at church and another at home?

10)                Is your worship of God half-hearted and mediocre?

READ PSALM 145:4 OUT LOUD

As maturing Christians it is valuable to think about those we follow or look up to and also those that follow us. Think about the things that you can pass on because of your faith.

Next week we will talk about Accountability.


WORSHIP MUSIC

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