Please Examine Yourself (NLT)

Most people look in the mirror at least once every day to examine their appearance. How often do you look in the mirror of God’s Word to examine your heart? God says in the Bible: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Also, “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). So how do you know? Examine yourself. How do you examine yourself? Here are some words from God to help you. “The man answered, ‘“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”’ ‘Right!’ Jesus told him. ‘Do this and you will live!’” (Luke 10:27-28). Do you? “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God” (John 8:47). Do you listen or not? “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’” (Matthew 7:21-23). Do you do God’s will, or break God’s laws? “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). Do you deny Jesus? “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (1 John 2:15-16). Do you love worldly things or the Father? “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them” (John 14:21). Do you accept and obey? “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did” (1 John 2:3-6). Do you obey His commandments? Obey His word? “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them” (1 John 5:18). Do you make a practice of sinning? “Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God…. No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too” (Luke 13:3,5). Have you repented of your sins? “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This is a command from Jesus: Believers are to tell others the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you sharing Jesus? Jesus is more concerned with how you live your life than that you say you believe in Him. On judgment day only your relationship and acceptance of Jesus as Savior and obedience to Him will count. If you aren’t actively seeking to grow closer to God, then you are drifting away from Him. You may think you will go to Heaven when you die, but maybe you won’t. I want you to be absolutely, 100﹪ sure that you will go to Heaven when you die. I am not judging you. I love you, God loves you and we don’t want you to go to hell. Are you a false convert? You may have intellectual faith. You may know a lot about Jesus. That won’t save you. Read Matthew 25:1-13, in the story Jesus said, “They stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’” Jesus was saying you have to be prepared when He returns. The same is true when you die. Your heart has to have repented and be trusting only in Jesus to save you from your sins. You have to have a saving faith. So I say this, praying for you, that you would take it to your heart and examine yourself, test yourself by reading the Bible daily and obeying it. Please listen, meditate, and think with your heart what God tells you and has revealed to you. Be honest and diligent in your search for the truth. Then you will find the answer yourself as to whether you are saved or not. Repent and trust alone in Jesus.