Are you looking for ways to stay on track? Here are ten self convicting questions that will keep you on track daily…
When I find myself not living right or having a bad day, there are some people I want to avoid. I want to stay away from my friends who will ask me hard questions about what is going on in my life: How is my thought life?, How is my personal walk with God?, etc.
However, I don’t need to wait for others to ask me these questions when I know that I should be regulating these things myself.
You may not need to ask all of these questions every day, but a weekly evaluation of how you are doing on these points is appropriate. Certainly some should be asked daily.
Is my thought life pure?
Philippians 4:8
What are you thinking about when you drive to work? Is it in line with what you believe about God and the Bible? You may be thinking about the day’s projects—which would be appropriate. However, you just as easily could be dwelling on an inappropriate relationship with a co-worker. This may be romantic or hostile in nature.
Ask God to help you focus your thoughts on Him. Memorize Bible verses to help you center yourself back on God’s Word.
Do I have to think further back than one month to see God’s presence in my life?
Lamentations 3:22, 23
Have you been in meetings where people are asked to give a testimony and the same people stand up every time and talk about what God did in their life 30 years ago?
I am not saying it is wrong for them to rejoice in their salvation, but hasn’t God done anything for them since that time?
I find that when I have trouble coming up with a recent instance when I recognized the work of God in my life, it indicates that I am not pursuing a better relationship with Him, I haven’t been in His Word, or I haven’t been communing with Him in prayer.
God is working all the time, but I am not always paying attention to His presence with me.
Do I live the same way when I am alone as I do when I know others are watching?
Psalm 139:7-12
This should be no surprise to you, but God is always watching. It is not that He is ready to hit you over the head with His holy baseball bat the moment you do something wrong, but He wants you to live a life aware of His presence.
King David in Psalm 139 talks about not being able to get away from the presence of God.
This is not a negative Psalm. It’s a comforting one to know that God is always present. It should encourage us to live in light of the fact that God is with us to guide us and help us. It’s also convicting when we know we are not living as we should.
Did I treat others with love today?
Romans 13:8-10
The greatest relationship I have outside of my relationship with God is the one I have with my husband. I should cherish that and protect it. I do this by treating him with love.
The definition of love in Romans 13 is doing what is right towards the other person. Paul is summarizing the commandments that pertain to our relationship with others when he says that we should love our neighbor as yourself. Then he says that love is the fulfilling of the law of God. When you do what is right according to God’s Word then you are showing love.
Is there an activity that I am involved in right now that is not pleasing to God?
Mark 12:30
A productivity tip to help you keep on track with your projects is to set an alarm to go off every 30 minutes. When it does you must ask yourself the question, “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing at this moment to get my project complete?”
If you are looking at Twitter and posting on Facebook when your alarm goes off, then you are probably not engaged in the best thing you could be doing to complete your task.
Maybe this is an appropriate thing to implement in your spiritual life too. When your alarm goes off you should ask yourself if what you are doing is pleasing to God.
And if the activity helps you in your personal spiritual growth. If it does not, then do what you need to to get back on track.
If this were my last day on earth, am I spending it in the best way I can?
James 4:13-15
This question is closely related to the last convicting question. This is more of a direction of life as opposed to a moment by moment activity.
We all have responsibilities that we must engage in that may not seem very spiritual. These would be things related to the jobs we must do to effectively live on earth and complete the ministry that God has called us to.
But, is the direction your life is headed in obedience to God’s will for your life? Are you going the right direction in your course of life?
If you don’t feel good about what you are doing today it could be because you are not even headed in the direction where God wants you to go.
Have you honestly evaluated what God has planned for your life? James says that we should say, “if the Lord wills.” Take time to find out what that will of God is for you.
Our lives are relatively short compared to eternity, yet what we do in life impacts eternity for us. Seek out God’s will for your life and spend your life the best way you can for Him.
Is there anyone I have not forgiven?
Ephesians 4:26
Someone said “unforgiveness is the poison you drink hoping the other person will die.”
Many people live with bitterness when there is no need and they are only hurting themselves. If you have someone you have not forgiven, you should first take that to the Lord in prayer and then honestly pray for the other person.
It is very hard to harbor bitterness against a person you are praying for regularly. Don’t wait for them to come to you asking for forgiveness. Be proactive and obey God in this area of forgiving others.
Am I trying to please God or other people?
II Corinthians 10:12, 13
Comparing ourselves and saying we are doing better than the next guy does not mean we are doing what God desires of us.
Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to stand before a judge and tell him, “Your honor, I know I stole $10,000, but I’m not as bad as the guy who stole $25,000”? Sure, you didn’t steal as much as what the other criminal did, but you are still a thief.
If you want to make any comparisons in your life, measure it up against God’s Word and His will and see how well you appear before Him.
Why do I believe the way I do about this issue?
Exodus 20:3-5
My brother called a few days ago to get my opinion on a purchase. In our conversation he told me that he would never buy a certain product. I gave him some facts and information that I knew about the maligned product.
Today he called me back and told me he bought the previously despised item.
What made the difference? He finally took time to think about the things he believed about the product and then compared that to factual information. He admitted he was wrong about what he thought was true.
Where do you get your beliefs about God? Do you pick up random bits of worldly philosophy and try to fit it into the pages of the Bible?
Maybe you heard—or think you heard—something as a child in a Sunday School class, but have never studied that teaching out for yourself. What you believe about God should be firmly grounded in His Word, not on your own philosophy or the opinions of others.
God warned us in the first couple of commandments that He does not want us making up our own gods and idols. Yet we do this when we form our own opinions and beliefs about Him through sources other than His Word.
Am I investing in eternity?
Matthew 6:19-21
If we are supposed to store up our treasures in Heaven, then there must be a way to do that.
Winning souls, or telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ is one way to invest in eternity.
It is said that the only thing we can take with us to heaven are the souls of men. Sharing your faith with others around you can help them see their need of salvation.
These verses from Matthew are talking about physical riches though. We are instructed to invest in Heaven. We do this by investing in things that have an eternal impact.
By being obedient with your money and supporting the work of God’s church, you make a difference in eternity and open up your life for His blessings. With obedience to Him comes blessings from Him.
Where your money goes, so does your heart and love. Invest in the things of God and you will have a heart for God.
Are there any convicting questions you ask yourself on a regular basis? Or, maybe it would be good to think of it this way, “What questions do I not want others to ask of me?”
If you could not answer that question positively, then that is an indication that you need to spend time with God and His Word to see what is needed to put your life back in line with His desires.
