Judge Yourself, For Yourself - Day 10

Today's word is Judge.

The definition of judge from the Webster's, 1828 dictionary is to rightly understand and discern. Noah Webster, even quotes first Corinthians chapter 2 in verse 15 saying he that is spiritual judges all things.

So, each day during these 21 Days we're continually talking about allowing the Holy Spirit to examine us in prayer most specifically in our heart, which is our spirit and soul.

Our soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions. We don't need help with our spirit because it is born again, if we have received Jesus as the Lord and Savior, our spirit is complete. It is our soul that we need help with. It is our soul that we need to judge. We need to understand our soul and discern what is going on in our soul so that we can correct it.

Lamentations 3:40 says let us examine and probe our ways and let us return to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11 encourages us to examine our self as we are receiving communion. 2 Corinthians 13 encourages us to examine and judge our faith to see if it's genuine (true and real). Galatians 6 says that we must examine our own work. Looking back at 1 Corinthians chapter 11:31 it says, "but if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way." So the Lord is telling us to judge our self. But in order to judge our self, we have to have some standard by which we measure our self. Without a guideline or a measuring stick, how do we know when we are in error?

The word is our standard, it is our guideline or a measuring stick and the word is what we use to judge our self. d Hebrews 412 says, for the word of God is living in powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and moral, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The new living translation says the word, exposes our innermost, thoughts and desires. The new international version says the word judges, the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

So in prayer when the Holy Spirit points out something that we need to deal with, he will be faithful to show us, in the word, where we have missed the mark. He is a gentleman and will kindly correct us. Sometimes sternly, but always with love. d the word acts as a scalpel in our soul that cuts away things that are cancerous and causing death.

We should expect, and depend upon the Holy Spirit as we search our hearts and judge ourselves, always knowing that he believes in us and he's working his will within us to grow us up and change us.