Check Yaself B4 Ya Reck Yaself!

"Self -examination gives us an opportunity to do what needs to be done before God has to do it for us." - Bishop Van McLaughlin

I was so touched,pricked,convicted, spoken to by the word taught by Bishop Van McLaughlin of The Potters House International Ministries TA-night I just wanted to share my notes.

He titled his teaching : How did you do last year? Pass or Fail

Verse of Scripture was 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you[a]; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

After he read that verse you didn't hear amen...you heard everybody go uhmmm, I'm talking immediate conviction fell over the sanctuary. He could have read that verse and just took the offering and closed it on out!!! 

Bishop McLaughlin gave 7 parts of "The Test" for us to examine ourselves against to see how well we did spiritually.

1. Personal Holiness: So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1, 2 MSG)

     - were you dedicated to God? Romans 6:13

2. Conduct: So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT)

     -did you represent Christ only on Sunday's? Only on social media? Only in church?

3. Influence: Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence  and  your praiseworthy, noble,  and  good deeds and recognize  and  honor  and  praise  and  glorify your Father Who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 AMP)

     -have you influenced those around you or have they influenced you?

4. Your Love: Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:18 NLT)

    - did you only love those who loved you?

5. Attitude: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5, 8 NLT)

6. Giving: “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. (Malachi 3:8 NLT)

7. Your Witness: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

     -have you been a witness at school, work, home,etc? Or do you keep the good news to yourself...

Our "Professor", God, is in the business of giving make up work so you can pass the test. The test is pass or fail only. Heaven or hell. Saved or not. 

You can't go back in the past but you can repent of what you have done and trust God to deliver and keep you. 

Candi's ComMINT

Yea this message was good and much needed. I promise everyone their that night was in thought because it was hush hush all ova with a few Amens. The scriptures were on point. After listening I wanted to say to myself I didn't do to bad...but being that it was pass or or fail...I failed. I went through major heartbreak which led to unforgiveness and anger, struggled in my finances (lack of self control), fell to temptation, and I could go on. So grateful God is my Teacher and that he has shown me something's and I want to take what I learned from Bishop and apply it and seek God to help me so I can pass the test. So glad He lets us redo and that He is patient. For those of us who know better we have got to do better and stop putting on for social media and Sunday church goers because God is watching us at all times. 

Hope this helps someone, love ya readers! 

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9 NLT)