“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Examine yourself. These are words often used in the church today. As believers, we have a desire to do what is right and honorable. But complications arise when we become overly introspective. We comprehend a need to examine our hearts and minds. We earnestly search for sin that needs to be confessed and cleansed by God. We know, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Because we are aware of our sinful condition, we know we should examine ourselves. But introspection can become a problem.

But Jesus never talked about searching our hearts. He never said, examine yourselves. If Jesus didn’t put a strong emphasis on self-examination, why do we? Soul searching for the purposes of exposing sin or shortcomings is spoken of only infrequently in the New Testament. Why do so many of us engage incessantly in this practice? I think our motives may be wrong. Just like the Pharisees who tested and examined everyone and everything, I think we may have some issues that need to be addressed.

First, we like to think we are in control. If we find something wrong, we can change it. This gives us the idea that we can manage and change the outcome the next time. The truth is, we are not in control. God is in charge. We will have trouble in this world. No amount of self discovery or sinlessness will prevent it. But we can have victory by trusting and depending on Jesus (John 16:33).

Next, we like to think we are knowledgeable. If we study the Bible enough, we think we can know enough to win the game of life. But we cannot use Bible study and unhealthy examination as a works orientated means to gain control over sinful situations. Jesus made this clear to the Pharisees. He said that life does not come from the scripture, but they point to the One who gives life (John 5:39-40). It isn’t what we know. It is who we know. Who’s your daddy?

One more reason we tend to reflect on ourselves in an unhealthy way is our tendency toward self-sufficiency. Jesus said abide in Him (John 15:5). Without the life of God flowing through us, we are dead sticks that need to be pruned and thrown into the fire. We need to look to Jesus for the power and strength to stand firm in the face of the enemy. We need to let his strength empower us when our energy and stamina dwindle. We need his love to pour forth when we are pushed to the brink of hatred and destruction. Jesus living in us is the key. We are not self-sufficient.

The verse above directs us to examine our hearts. Examine to see if you are walking in faith. It does not teach us to examine for imperfections, but rather to see if we are living by faith. We will not defeat the enemy by distressing over every shortcoming, imperfection, and sin that plagues our hearts and minds. To stand firm against the power of evil in the world, we need to depend solely on Jesus.

We need to let go of perfectionism, control and self-sufficiency and hold on to Jesus alone. We want to do more than just follow the rules of Jesus or just gain knowledge about Him. We want to know Him. We want to enjoy Him. We want to live with Him. We need to grab our Lord, the Lover of our soul and hold on to Him for dear life. For that is what’s at stake. It is a life and death struggle.

Remember, no amount of self-introspection can provide life, strength, and power. Life, strength, and power are gifts from our Friend and King, Jesus. When you examine yourself do it to see that you are walking in faith, trusting completely on the Lord.

Thank you Jesus. I am glad that it is not my job to figure out everything that is right or wrong about me and try to fix it. I know that by faith, I can trust you to change me and conform me to your likeness. I also trust that you will reveal issues to me as they need to be addressed. Let me rest in you by faith. Forgive me for thinking that I can conform to your standards well enough to fix or control my life. My life is yours. You are in control and you will do a good work in me (Phil 1:6).