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We have come through two years of the unknown like most of us have never experienced before. And the end is not yet in sight! How are we as believers in Jesus Christ navigating through these strange and difficult waters? Are we any better at it than others who don’t know Jesus as we do?
If nothing else, this pandemic and its many side effects have caused us to examine our faith, don’t you think? We read in 2 Corinthians 13:5:
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
In the face of this uncertainty, this loss of hope, this new normal which we all find very troubling and hard, maybe it’s time to truly examine ourselves and our faith. So, this week I will give you five ways to examine your faith. I hope you will find it helpful. Here’s number one.
- Have you allowed the important daily disciplines of your life to fall away?
I’m referring to everyday disciplines as well as spiritual disciplines. For example:
- Are you getting up early and making a plan for each day? Days without discipline are discouraging. Recently I allowed a day to just get away from me. I sat and thought about all I had to do, but I didn’t do anything. By the end of the day I was grumpy, not joyful. I simply had abandoned a daily discipline of a regular routine with goals for the day. I find that even the small disciplines—like making your bed, dressing in a caring way, straightening up the house, eliminating clutter—they make a difference in your approach to your day and therefore in whether your day is well spent or not.
- How faithful have you been to stay focused on God’s Word and prayer? Is that a priority in your life? In fact, have you stepped up the time you spend in getting to know God and truly learning to pray? I have learned that if I allow this discipline to slip, it’s usually downhill for the rest of my day. It’s the essential one—the discipline that is foundational for all the other daily disciplines.
So, examine your faith by checking up on how you’re doing in the daily disciplines of life. It’s easy to let things slide when life is uncertain, and if that’s happened to you, you will benefit greatly by re-establishing those important daily disciplines.