Progress Check

As I continue on this path to a closer walk with God I have to make it a habit to stop and evaluate my progress. It is my desire to grow in God so much that I begin to take on more of His characteristics and lose myself. I don't want to spend all of this time with Him and have nothing to show for it. I am a firm believer that you cannot continue to come into God's presence and leave unchanged. We serve a God who is more than capable to heal, set free, and deliver anyone from anything. There is nothing that He can't do! So while you are on this journey with Him, you should be able to see some change coming forth.

This past week I was searching and searching for a topic, and finally I just asked God! I should've started there, right?! I know :) But this week, was all about progress. What I love about God is this, He'll show you where you came from, but remind you that you still have quite a way to go. He is just so good and SO BIG...you can never learn all that there is to learn about Him. That is just mind boggling to me. So if you were ever wondering if you would know everything about God, the answer is no! And I thank God for that. That gives us even more reason to respect Him.

When you checking your progress the most important thing to keep in mind is that you want to line up with the Word of God. Everything that I do, is for the glory of God and not to man. Ephesians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father" (NLT). So if you find yourself doing anything where you are more concerned with pleasing man than God, then it is time to reevaluate. I've found myself drowning in people's expectations and I've had to stop and say, "Is God glorified?" If my answer was no, then I had to change how I was doing things. I never want to put anyone above God, even in the little things.

Another thing I check is my attitude. This is a true testimony of my growth because as a young girl I had a horrible attitude and I would have won ribbons at rolling my neck. The sad part was I didn't realize how ugly that made me look! Now, that God has changed my life, and cleaned me up in so many areas I can honestly say that I look beautiful through God. There are some moments where I have to bite my tongue, and keep myself from rolling my neck. Also, instead of constantly focusing on the negatives that life deals me I begin to concentrate on all of the blessings that I have received. Not just material things, but the unconditional love that God continues to pour out on me and my family.

What areas do you want to check? Can you look at your life and see obvious change? If you cannot see differences between the saved you, and who you were as a sinner then something is wrong. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (NLT) So now your life should be a testament to the transformation that God orchestrated on the inside of you. We must allow God to renew our minds and crucify our flesh daily in order to be fully transformed.

One final thing that I like to check is my fruit. Fruit? Yes, my fruit. Matthew 7:20 says this, "Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (NLT) So we should bear fruit; in other words, we should be doing something in the kingdom. God didn't save us to just sit...we have been given a charge. Whether or not you have an official title, you are a minister of the Gospel of Christ. Matthew 28:19-20 is the great commission, which basically commands us to go forth and make disciples of all nations. So we have a great work to do! Take some time today and check the progress that you are making. Is there anything different about you from when you were first saved? If not, then you need to ask God to show you what needs to be worked on. What things do you need to let go of and leave at the feet of Jesus? A progress check is necessary from time to time, but make sure that you use your results to help you improve your walk with Christ.

Be Encouraged,
God's Servant