Are You Honest?

Your first instinct is to say, “Yes, I am honest.” But we tend to be flawed and often are less than honest with ourselves. We easily justify our bad behavior and are pretty easy on ourselves. This is bad for spiritual growth.

A few weeks ago, I began a series of blog posts that will help you grow spiritually and establish a lifestyle of spiritual growth. When I reframe those blog posts as questions, your honest answers are a measure of your potential for spiritual growth. Here are nine questions you must answer if you are to become all that God wants you to be.

Have I settled the question?

Have I set aside time for prayer?

Do I make time for Bible Reading?

Have I set aside time for worship?

Is forgiveness part of my lifestyle?

Am I submissive?

Do I love unconditionally?

Am I a peacemaker?

Have I cleared my life of distractions?

Question one is the most important question of the ten. The second most important is: have you been honest answering these questions. It is easy to convince ourselves that we have given the right answers to all previous questions. But there is a biblical reality: “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9)

How Things Are

This is not a negative assessment, just a realistic one. We are uncomfortable with our shortcomings so we try to justify them or gloss over them. But in order to be all God wants us to be, we must be honest with ourselves. Are we able to say with all certainty that we have answered all the questions well or have we fallen short?

The Remedy

Here is where repentance comes in. We must repent of our tendency to make excuses for our failures. We must own our short comings and ask God to correct them and help us grow from them. He is faithful. He will do it.

Our life of following Jesus is a life of constant correction and improvement. When we can answer all ten of these questions in the affirmative, he will challenge us with more growth inducing questions!

This is the most exciting and dynamic life that can be lived! It is full of positive change and life changing action! When we follow Jesus, we will participate in eternally transformational service!

Growth Starts with Being Honest

So, we can be honest without fear. Our honesty will lead us to more spiritual growth and greater spiritual victories!