Saturday, December 1, 2007

Self Examination

Last week's Sunday School lesson was about self-examination; something that most of us refuse to do... here are the main notes about the process we discussed:

The Practice of Self-Examination
· Some people use this process daily, others have found it useful on a weekly basis…

Preparation
· spend some time in silence, be still and know God loves you
· use Scripture, prayer, or other material to help you “settle in”
Invitation
· invite God to help you look for evidence of His presence in your day
Review the Day
· Identify the major events (spiritual practices, meals, appointments, work events, interactions, etc.)
· reflect on each to discover where God was speaking to, guiding, or revealing Himself to you
Give Thanks
· thank God for the day and the moments that you have discovered
· notice a greater freedom from sin, love for God, others
Confess
· Using Psalm 139:23-24, invite God to bring to mind attitudes, actions, or moments when you fell short of the character of Christ or the fruit of the Spirit.
· Reflect on what contributed to the situation and how you might better respond in the future
Ask Forgiveness
· express your willingness to take the concrete steps needed to be more fully formed into Christ’s likeness
· be assured of His forgiveness (I John 1:9)
· ask God if there is anything you need to do to make the situation right
Seek Out Spiritual Friendship
· talk to a spiritual friend about what you are discovering, your confessions, and your resolve to pursue personal transformation

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