Learn to judge yourself

WE are in the last days and perilous times have finally come. The predicted signs in 2 Timothy 3 are now in manifestation: selfishness, covetousness, boasting, pride, blasphemy, ingratitude, slander, pleasure-seeking, evil passions etc. The only sure way to escape the wickedness of these last days for saints is to exercise self-judgment. Though God forbids us to judge others because of your imperfections He nevertheless requires us to judge ourselves in order to escape His righteous judgment.
Judging yourself is a divine requirement because it is a way of escape from sin. Judging yourself means examining yourself, considering closely and carefully the result of your thoughts, speech, action or omission in order to avoid sin. Sin means missing the mark. So when you judge yourself you are considering the result of what you are doing; will it be within the mark of God’s will or outside? If you discern that you are within God’s will you continue but when you perceive, through the written word of God or the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that you are missing the mark you need to stop and make necessary adjustments. It is profitable to repent and turn back to God than to continue in wrongdoing and get divine reproof.
Proverbs says that a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself but the simple passes on and is punished. This proverb concisely explains what it means to judge yourself so that you will not be judged by God. Failure to judge yourself results in you incurring the Lord’s judgment. Divine judgment is not a pleasant thing. The Lord’s discipline, chastisement or correction is always a token of love for His children but the process is never sweet. When the Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God it refers to incurring divine judgment. Sometimes we forget that God’s longsuffering and forbearance is meant to lead us to repentance. So we keep on sinning. When He keeps silence at your sinful habit, it does not mean He concurs. He is giving you ample time to repent otherwise divine rep-roof is coming your way (Psalm 50:21).
David was a man after God’s own heart but sometimes he would glide into sin because of failure to judge himself. 1 Samuel 16 gives us the account of David’s committing adultery with Bathsheba and his subsequent plot of Uriah’s death. David was in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing. Lust filled his heart and he yielded to temptation. After committing adultery, he went to plot Uriah’s death. He failed to judge himself and divine judgment came upon him. His sins were punishable by death but God forgave him and deflected the judgment of death on the child that resulted from the adulterous affair. David’s earnest prayer and seven-day fast were refused and the child died.
Bringing it closer to home; what is the sin that you are dallying with? Is it cheating your spouse? Is it theft? Is it backbiting and slander?  Or are you abusing money, alcohol or food? Be rest assured, if you do not repent and turn back to God you will certainly incur divine discipline. Numbers 32:23 says that if you will not return to the Lord in repentance ‘be sure your sin will find you out.” Make sure you judge yourself not only on express sins, physical sins but also on all appearances of evil and spiritual sins like evil motives. Failure to do so will mean that the Lord will be left with no choice but to touch your circumstances.
 In first Corinthians 5 an extremely adulterous man who had an affair with his step-mother was handed over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so he could be saved at the coming of the Lord Jesus. This is a shocking punishment, but if you persist in sin without judging yourself God will allow your body to be afflicted by Satan in order for you to repent and come back to Him. This is not the best way to be saved but it is surely better than going to hell.
Learn to judge yourself, to correct yourself and to exercise self-discipline. This is more profitable and a lighter affliction than to be chastised and disciplined by God. He is a consuming fire!
– For prayer and counselling call 0772 889 766 or e-mail mairos78 @yahoo.co.uk