Today I want to talk about self-assessment. Every now and then we all need to take some time to self-assess of our lives.
What is self-assessment?
It is an exercise of reflection where we stop and think about how our lives are going: the good and bad, our strong and weak areas, and we use this evaluation to seek change as well as spiritual, personal and professional growth.
In self-assessment, we evaluate the way we think, feel, act and look at things. Only after we form an opinion or make a decision. This is an essential activity for those who want to achieve their goals and targets and it can also bring many benefits to our lives.
Why should we assess ourselves?
When we understand more about ourselves, it makes it easier to take actions, improve negative behaviours and advance towards achieving everything we have always dreamed of.
Recognising our mistakes and weaknesses, leads us to learning and preventing the same faults from being committed. The weaknesses can be strengthened, and changed when we become aware of them. Also, knowing our potential and recognising our achievements increase self-esteem and keeps us motivated to moving on.
In addition, self-assessment can brings many benefits.
Take time to reflect now about your past.
How are you today?
How do you hope to be in the future? (Be honest)
Avoid thoughts that will limit you. We have all been through frustrations or difficult times after receiving negative feedback.
This creates emotional blockages that prevents us from believing in our potential and growing. So stay away from thoughts like: “I can’t learn anything new!” and “I’ve been like this since I was a child!”.
Bad habits and behaviours can be changed and new skills can be learned as long as long as you wish it and invest yourself on it.
From time to time I need to assess my personal life. How is my life? How is my heart? How is my love for the Lord, my love for lost, how is my faith? I have to evaluate if the Kingdom of God is being a priority in my life. How is my family? How is my prayer life, my reading of the word, my time of fasting? How is my credit with the Lord?
I have to evaluate: am I on the right path? Or have I diverted from it?
From this evaluation I can see whether or not I am living the purpose of God.
I have to evaluate if my heart is feeling overwhelmed by all the distractions around me. Or am I busy with too much work?
““Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,” Luke 10:41 NIV
I myself need to conduct self-assessments often, and the text I always use, together with the help of the Holy Spirit, is the parable of the sower. It is with this text that the Lord holds my attention, and there I begin to cry and ask the Lord for forgiveness.
Jesus asks Peter three times, Peter , do you love me? John 21:17
Jesus did not ask because he wished to know the answer, he knew it already, but it was for Peter to assess his love for Jesus, for His sheep, for his call and for his ministry.
Jesus wanted Peter to become aware of the level of his love for the Lord and his sheep.
What is the intensity of your love for Jesus and His sheep?
When we understand ourselves better, it is easier to take action to improve our behaviours.
We need to know ourselves: how ignorant I am, how hard-headed, my difficulty to forgive, my pride, how I ignore advices, my selfishness, how I don’t like listening to authorities, how I am so self-centred…
How is your life? How is your fear for the Lord? How is your calling? How is your ministry? We need to stop, think, reflect and make it a habit the exercise of self-assessment.
Paul said: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV
How is your prayer life? How is your relationship with the word? How is your hope? How is your joy? How is your love for the Lord? How is your love for your family? How is your submission to your husband? Are you walking on the same mission as he, in the same purpose?
How is your love for your wife? Are you loving and sacrificing yourself for her as Christ sacrificed himself for the Church?
Children, how is your obedience to your parents? Are you keeping the promise that will give you a long and blessed life on this earth?
How is your submission to your pastors and spiritual authority? Do you obey even when you don’t agree? Do you honour and obey them?
How is your love for your brothers and sisters? For Jesus commanded us: love each other as I loved you.
How is your passion for the lost? Do you have compassion for them? For they are like sheep with no shepherd.
Let us now look at the parable of the sower which speaks about our heart and the Word of God.
1 ° The seed that fell along the path.
““Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” Matthew 13:18-19 NIV
This is a very treaded and hardened soil.
A- The seed could not penetrate the soil.
B- The seeds are exposed to the birds that represent demons.
C- These seeds can be food for evil birds.
This type of soil represents the people who have been hardened by bad experiences of the past or the sinful nature with which we are born.
These people have hearts full of hate, bitterness, hurt, resentment, murmuring, they do not easily forgive, do not ask for forgiveness and are without love.
We live in an evil world full of wickedness and therefore we are deceived, mistreated, abused, wounded, we pass through various painful situations, traumas, pain, fear, and we do not know how to deal with losses in life.
Because of all this suffering we blame God, and our hearts are hardened so that the Word of God cannot grow in our hearts, for it becomes superficial, facilitating the devil to take hold of the seeds.
When the evil takes away the seeds, the words that were taught and sowed, are completely forgotten.
2 ° The seeds that fell on rocky soil
“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Matthew 13:20-21 NIV
The rocky soil is one in which nothing can grow as it is very shallow ground. It does not have the nutrients of the earth and no water.
You will be tested in all forms, God will test you to know what has in your heart. Persecution and anguish will come until you are broken.
Someone once said: God can only use you greatly after breaking you greatly.
Therefore, God said, I will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. But He can only do this by breaking up our heart.
Without the practice of holiness, which involves reading the word, meditation, fasting and prayer, the gospel becomes without depth and vulnerable.
It is the Word that has all the nutrients needed for our heart.
3 ° The seed that fell in the middle of the thorns.
“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22 NIV
Thorns represent people with hearts that are only involved with the things of the world. They believe in God, but they do not use their time for God.
They received the word and said yes to the call of God. They know the word, however, in the face of temptations, worldly offers, pleasures, facilities, shortcuts, excess of concerns, distractions and care of this life, they end up suffocated by sin.
These Christians because of the desire for things and financial success suffocate the seeds of the Gospel, the Word, causing the person to deviate from the path.
The sins of those who falls between thorns usually are: divorcing for any reason, couples who live together without being married, lust, fornication, adulteries, prostitution, corruption, bribery, dishonest gains, false testimonies (gossip), pornography, sensual clothing…
Do not overwhelm your heart!
““Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”” Luke 21:34-36 NIV
““Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,” Luke 10:41 NIV
4 ° The seed that fell on good soil
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.””Matthew 13:23 NIV
This is the case of the one who hears the word, understands, accepts and with a good and generous heart, retains the word with patience and produces many fruits in the Kingdom of God.
The good soil that the parable of the sower speaks of is the soil in which the seed can penetrate deep within the soil and create roots.
They are hearts that have the desire to know and understand the Word of God.
They are those who are willing to learn and grow in knowledge. They are those who have repented of their sins.
They are to those who accept teaching, extortion, correction and education of the Word of God. They are those who are subject to the authority of His Word and obey and submit to their leaders in love.
They are those who accept the love of the Lord, His zeal and the discipline of the Lord.
They are to those who accept His mercy, forgiveness and compassion.
The heart of those that obey the word, it experiences a life of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and fairness.
Many are just admirers of the Word but do not obey it.
What are you? A listener or a doer of the word?
We need to assess our spiritual life.
How is your prayer life? Your life of obedience? Where are we failing?
Where do we need to improve? Maybe you are very busy and overworked with many things and have no time to pray or serve in the Kingdom of God.
Our Christian life and our life serving the church must be enthusiastic, cheerful, happy, joyful and constant.
From time to time I need to self-assess my personal life.
You cannot get out of here today without making an assessment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
How is your spiritual life? How is your heart? How is your love for the Lord and your love for lost? How is your faith?
We have to assess whether the kingdom of God is being the priority in our lives.
How is your family? How is your life of prayer, reading of the word, fasting?
Have you honoured and walked in obedience to your leader?
How is your credit with the Lord?
Ask yourself: Am I on the right path? or Am I diverting from it? After this evaluation maybe you will realise that you are straying away from the path and purpose of God.
Evaluate if your heart is overwhelmed with any worldly distractions. Or maybe if you’re too busy with work and falling away from God’s calling.
God is telling you today: repent and return to your first love.
May the Lord bless you.