Tuesday 22 April 2014

A MAN HAS TO DO A PERSONAL INVENTORY

Proverbs 28:13

You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them”. (MSG)

Doing a personal inventory is very important. You need to stop, look back and note areas that you have not succeeded or you made wrong choices or decisions. You actually are doing an evaluation of your past. I normally do this once in the year. Take time to work through this on your own and then share with one other man a prayer request. Pray for each other.

Inventory is of a great value in all aspects of life. Its importance must not be disregarded but must be well-appreciated. Inventory is a way of knowing what happened, what is happening, and most all, what to look forward in the future. The same is true with every individual - self-evaluation is greatly needed for improvement of one’s self: A person who does not practice self-evaluation has the possibility to be deceived and to be destroyed. Without self-searching, we could not see ourselves in reality.

Men should be aware of the value and blessings of self-evaluation. We are in a busy world and there is always the danger of overlooking the questionable areas of our life. We could be too critical to others, but remain neglectful when it comes to our dirty spots of life. We need the help of God in order to have a well-evaluated life.
Psalm 139:23-24

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong--then guide me on the road to eternal life”. (MSG)

Honest personal inventory is attained through humility on the part of a believer and through the working of the Lord. Repentance is one of the first steps toward personal and corporate revival. In facing our sins, we make room for deeper fellowship with Christ. It is impossible for a man to meet the Lord of Glory in the full revelation of His majesty and not be grieved by his particular sins and want to confess them. There are things that I do in amending my life.The following are important in a Personal Inventory:

  • Confession – To agree with God it is called sin and not gloss over it and blame someone else. To confess is to bring each individual sin before God, acknowledge it is wrong, and thank God He has forgiven it.
  • Repentance – A change of thinking, action, direction. It is a forsaking of sin. It involves turning from our sinful action.

THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT MEN.

As we do a personal inventory we need to keep in mind these observations:

  • MEN NEED ACTION. Men measure themselves by what they do.
  • MEN NEED SAFETY. Men by nature are independent.
  • MEN NEED TO BE CHALLENGED. Men tend to view everything around them as something to be overcome and conquered.
  • MEN NEED TO GET TO THE “BOTTOM LINE.” They want to move from theory to practical applications. They want to get right to the point.
  • MEN NEED TO “WIN.” One of men’s greatest fears is that of failure.
  • MEN ARE GENERALLY EMOTIONALLY ISOLATED. Men are afraid of four things; Fear, Failure, Friends, Feelings.
  • MEN TODAY NEED HEALING. Many men have unhealed wounds. Some from fathers, mothers, wives, work. They need support groups where they feel free to share these wounds with others.
  • MEN NEED FREEDOM. Men do not like to be boxed in. They need freedom to try new things and take risks.
  • MEN DEFINE THEMSELVES BY WHAT THEY DO, WHO THEY KNOW, OR WHAT THEY OWN. When a man walks into a room he usually shares his name and the next question is: “What do you do?” Men are living for the applause of others.

THE KEY ISSUE FOR MEN IS WORK. Men spend 50-60 hours a week at work. They must be taught how to live out their faith in the marketplace today. It is while in the market place that the man messes himself up. We need to understand that some of these challenges need God to intervene. By ourselves we cannot overcome. That is why doing a Personal Inventory is so crucial.

PERSONAL INVENTORY
Personal inventory helps us to see who we really are according to God’s view point. Consistent inventory from time to time shapes and leads us to spiritual consistency. As we consider our spiritual needs, we could also sort out things that are worthless. The worthless and none essential things in our lives must be put away and the needful things must be desired and embraced for our spiritual edification. Spiritual cleansing is an excellent outcome of personal inventory.
The Bible’s parable of the lost son is a very simple story, yet it has a weighty spiritual lesson not to be avoided, but to be put into practice. This is a parable of personal inventory. Demonstrating these Biblical principles in our lives surely glorify our Heavenly Father.

1. We Must Consider Ourselves
Luke 15:17
-Self-realization
-Self-evaluation
The prodigal son had a different outlook of life and an indifferent attitude toward his father, until he came to himself. He was not aware of his unwise money management which led him to deep poverty. He could not resist the enticement of the devil. His foolishness and evil desires led him to spiritual poverty. Truly, we must consider our ways.

2. We Must Know Our Gains and Loses
-Material and spiritual gain
-Material and spiritual loses
Luke 15:14-18.
One good reason why we need to have personal inventory is to know and evaluate our performance. Through this process, we could see our condition. In many cases, material loss is an unpleasant consequence of unmonitored spiritual life. God permits this to happen in order to catch our attention that we may take heed to His message and keep right with Him. It also reminds us to put our trust in the Lord and not in our own way of understanding. The prodigal son realized his loses when he came to himself.

3. We Must Know How To Resolve
Luke 15: 18-20
-With determination
-With humility
-With repentant heart
-With spiritual intelligence
In the process of self-inventory, as we see our failures and blunders of life, our crucial decision plays an important role in restoring things and attaining good success in the future. An evaluation is an advantage to reach success. Humility is a God-given principle to enjoy God’s grace. Repentant heart touches God’s heart of compassion. Spiritual intelligence is a gift from God, and freely given to those who have a contrite heart. Eventually, it leads them to walk in the path of wisdom.

4. We Must Rejoice In Our Success
Luke 15:21-32
-Spiritual healing
-Spiritual direction
-Spiritual progress
In every failure there is lesson to be learned. The lost son learned many lessons through his unpleasant experiences, but through spiritual inventory, he saw what is essential for his spiritual restoration.
In every success we must know how to rejoice in the Lord.
Luke 15:32

“..but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'" (MSG)

May we realize the importance of personal inventory and take time to evaluate ourselves through the help of God. Spirit-guided inventory is the key to a better spiritual life. May the grace of God be manifested as we deepen our desire to have a well-evaluated life?

FINALLY

Men should be aware of the value and blessings of self-evaluation. We are in a busy world and there is always the danger of overlooking the questionable areas of our life. We could be too critical to others, but remain neglectful when it comes to our dirty spots of life. We need the help of God in order to have a well-evaluated life.

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