Avenues for Spiritual Formation
Self-Examination
Learn how the biblical practice of self-examination helps believers grow in spiritual formation through awareness, surrender, and transformation.
Listen: Avenues for Spiritual Formation Self-Examination
A teaching on practical avenues for spiritual formation, exploring disciplines that help believers grow deeper in their relationship with God.
Introduction: What Is Self-Examination?
Self-examination is not self-criticism or condemnation. It is a grace-filled practice of opening our inner life to God so that He can continue forming us into the likeness of Christ.
Scripture invites us to pray:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)
This practice allows us to bring our inner life before God so that we may grow in Christlikeness.
Why Self-Examination Matters
Spiritual formation is always happening.
Every day we are being shaped by:
The question is not whether we are being formed.
The question is what we are being formed into.
Christian spiritual formation is the work of the Holy Spirit shaping us into the image of Christ, and this work invites our participation.
Understanding the Person
The Bible describes a person as:
Our identity is not something we invent.
Our identity is grounded in union with Christ.
The Practice of Self-Reflection
Biblical self-reflection is not about discovering a new identity.
It is about discerning what is operating within us.
It helps us recognize:
The Iceberg Model of Self-Examination
Many of our struggles are visible only at the surface.
Our behaviors are like the tip of an iceberg.
Below the surface are the deeper drivers of our lives:
Behavior
What we do
Thoughts
What we believe
Emotions
How we experience life internally
Desires
The deeper motivations shaping our choices
True transformation happens when we bring these deeper areas before God in surrender.
From Self-Awareness to Surrender
Self-examination is not meant to lead us into shame or condemnation.
Scripture reminds us:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Instead, self-reflection leads us toward surrender.
We bring our thoughts, emotions, wounds, and desires before the Holy Spirit so that He can transform us from the inside out.
Transformation Through the Spirit
Real change does not come through willpower alone.
Transformation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit.
As we surrender our lives to Him:
The healing begins on the inside and gradually becomes visible in the way we live.
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