2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV 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!
In this generation and I am sure in many before, there lingers another gospel that attempts to derail the followers of Christ from living an authentic biblical life that glorifies God. When Christianity’s main goal is how to meet physical, emotional and merely natural needs, this is not the whole gospel but a one-sided gospel. We are not to neglect the needs of our human existent, what to eat, what to wear and how to feed our families. Yet we are also not to make it an idol or focus solely on our needs and wants as if our soul does not exist. Often the Christianity of this period has a self-centred, natural needs-based approach to communing with God. We seek God for the things we need and never examine and align our lives to be pleasing in His sight. We give much adoration and time needed to commune with God, being consumed and distracted with things that have no eternal worth and cause us to waste the cherished time we could be using to cultivate disciplines to give the Holy Spirit access to transform us. Our partnership with the Holy Spirit and full attention is necessary so He can reconstruct us from the inside out into the image of Christ. Nonetheless, we are unable to even grasp the essence of salvation as we now embrace a Christianity that glorify our idols and worldly cultures within the church walls. It’s a Christianity that encourages the believer to pursue and embrace the values and goals of a worldly generation, usually and unwittingly at the cost of their souls. It’s a Christianity that doesn’t teach the ways of God or the essential necessity of living a life by the power of the Holy Spirit growing daily in Christlikeness. It’s a cross less Christianity, void of the living sacrifice, void of the power and void of eternal salvation of which they promise. As children of God we have to continually ask God to examine and search our hearts to ensure that we are still on the narrow way that leads to life while we still have time.
Dear Heavenly Father we pray for your grace and mercy, Lord open our eyes to every teaching we are embracing that takes us out of your purpose and will. God convict us of the sins that keep us bound and keep us away from having an authentic relationship with you. Lord I pray that you keep us on the narrow way that leads to life and that you give us discernment and discretion in Jesus mighty name.
Much Love in Christ,
Your Sister,
Ruth 
Pursuing Holiness
Biblical Counsellor | Spiritual Director | Leadership Coach
