A Word About Being Ready

Am I Ready?

Scripture encourages us to examine ourselves to see where we truly stand in our walk of faith with Jesus (2Cor. 13:5). Self-assessment is important, and is something we ought to be doing as daily as praying and reading the word.

I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search. (Ps. 77:6 NKJV)

Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord. (Lam. 3:40 NKJV)

Why must we examine ourselves, if salvation is by faith and not by works? The truth of the answer comes with understanding that although we are a new creation in Christ, spiritually reborn, there still exists another part of our being that was not the beneficiary of our faith in Christ, namely the flesh—the carnal nature that is sold out to sin and is an enemy of God (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:14-25; 8:5-8). 

Our hearts (i.e. feelings, emotions, desires) as a part of our carnal nature are deceptive and inclined to sin (Jer. 17:9; Mt. 15:19; Acts 5:3-4; 7:51; 8:22; Rom. 1:21; 2:5; Heb. 3:12). Thus, the first place to start in our self-examination is our heart, trusting in the Lord that if there is anything that stands in the way of complete love and devotion to Christ, the Holy Spirit will convict us and show us through God’s word where we are falling short of the glory of God in our lives. 

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. (1Jn. 3:21 NKJV)

The next place of self-examination is our thoughts. It doesn’t take very long before we, who believe in Jesus, are faced with an inescapable reality: our thoughts do not automatically nor always reflect a character that is supposed to be Christ-like. Our mind in its natural (carnal) state is an enemy of God (Rom. 8:7), and therefore, incapable of thinking rightly. This would be tolerable if it didn’t interfere with our understanding of truth, but logic and reason, the twin towers of the intellect of our carnal minds, like colored spectacles, lend their own bias to interpretation of scripture, often rendering a doctrine that is more acceptable to our flesh rather than our spirit. Thus, not only do we need to take our thoughts that are contrary to Christ-likeness captive (2Cor. 10:5), and renew our minds with the word of God (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:22-24), but, we must test everything we are taught with the whole truth of scripture as illuminated and taught by the Spirit of God to ensure that what we’ve been taught is in fact true (Acts 17:11; 1Ths. 5:21; Jn. 14:26; 16:13-15).

Thus, self-examination quite simply is an honest assessment of the degree to which our walk with Christ is leavened by worldliness, repentance of same, and committing to walk in holiness, knowing the without holiness, we will not be ready to meet the Lord (Heb. 12:14; 1Pet. 1:16; Eph. 5:27; Jas. 1:27).