The ability to look inward and self-examine is one of the best behavior that you can develop in your Christian walk. The ability to look inward is more difficult than you think. Because of ego and self- conceit, it’s easy to think that we are always right. Stepping outside yourself to see you as others see you takes discipline but can be accomplished through self-examination.
The ability to self-examine means that you always have a spiritual barometer that measures your behavior. Without that barometer, it’s easy to drift into bad behavior on a regular basis.
Self-assessment is extremely important when it comes to relationships. Maybe you have become highly offensive to your spouse without realizing that your behavior is causing a problem. Instead you perceive that your spouse is the problem. It’s very easy in a marriage to take your spouse for granite or become constantly argumentative.
Self-assessment means that you examine your interactions with your spouse, family members, friends and coworkers each day. Maybe you said something very unkind and didn’t realize it. The power of the tongue is tremendous and needs to be disciplined with self-assessment.
This is what the bible has to say about the tongue (the power of our speech) ……
Proverbs 15:1. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
James 3:5-8 “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
You have to step out from yourself when you interact with people during the day and ask yourself these following self-assessment questions.
- Did you treat others like you wanted to be treated?
- Did someone react negatively to what you said to them today? What did you say?
- Did you read scripture today?
- Did you spend your time today unwisely? How many hours did you waste today looking at TV?
- Did you pray or talk to God today? How many times?
So we give our day to the Lord and asked for his guidance to empower us each day. Use the above self-assessment questions during the day as a tool to help you be the person that God meant for you to be.