Check Yo Self!

Whenever I sit down to write this blog every week, my prayer is always to put into words what the Lord has placed in my heart. My intent is never to preach to those that read this because I don’t know everything nor am I anywhere close to perfect. I am striving for perfection just like each of you. I am so grateful to God because every single entry including this one has ministered to me before it even gets to anyone else. So when God kept dealing with me about repentance, I said Lord, please don’t make me tell these people too much! Then I got a little tickled!

So this morning as I was saying my prayers, I heard so clearly “Check yo self!” I looked around because I thought I was hearing that old school rap song. But I heard it again and it was just like that. It wasn’t proper, I didn’t hear “Check yourself!” It was serious and hard core and I said God, you aren’t playing if you want me to be grammatically incorrect! I have to admit that I got tickled again but then I started giving God the praise. First of all, because I serve a God that wants me to get it right. Satan would have us to stay in our mess, things that we keep to ourselves and therefore don’t acknowledge to God. But He already knows! So it’s time to come clean!

I heard 1 Corinthians 11:28 every 1^st Sunday of my life before taking communion, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.” The next verse says if we drink or eat unworthily, we eat or drink damnation to ourselves. People didn’t take that scripture seriously. I know, because I didn’t take it seriously until I truly started seeking understanding of the Word of God. We are supposed to look at ourselves in truth and repent of any sin that is living in us, otherwise we are damning ourselves. The chapter goes on to say that that’s why so many of us are sick and dying because if we would judge ourselves then we should not be judged.  The Message Bible says, “If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.” Isn’t that deep?! This is not just about communion but a way of life. Take a good, honest look at yourself and see what is not like God and ask Him to remove it.

Have you ever found yourself so focused on someone else’s sins that you couldn’t see your own? I truly thought that I knew all my issues and had acknowledged them before the Lord and asked his forgiveness but when I asked Him to reveal anything that I was missing. Lord, have mercy! He showed things to me that I hadn’t even considered but that were real things that I deal with. I wanted God to do so much for me but I hadn’t done what He told me to do yet. I hadn’t cleaned out my temple so that I would have room to receive.  

I know this isn’t the uplifting message that I usually write but God wants us to get it right. My pastor has been doing a series about the things that hinder our prayers – sin, fear, guilt, doubt, wrong motives, etc.  If you’re looking for something from God and you haven’t received the answer that you have been waiting for, maybe it’s because there is something blocking it. Could be something you consider to be small but take it seriously because there’s no big or little sin in the Word. Sin is sin!

But wait, here’s the uplifting part! 1 John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Isn’t that good news? Even better…He’s not like man! He won’t bring it up again. I pray that you will join me in self-examination this week so that we can be reflections of God’s glory and worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Amen!