BY TANYA JAMES

One week, I spent a couple of days in the Children’s Hospital with my one year old who was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia at birth. He had a very high fever that required him to be admitted so they could run further tests.

There were an array of tests and procedures administered throughout his stay. Each one with a simple goal of observing his current state of health to determine what was causing his health to be affected.

For example, upon arrival they drew his blood, and from those blood cultures they were able to rule out some possible attacks. During those 2 days, they tested his blood several other times to make sure nothing had changed.

They also did x-rays to take a closer look inside. Because of what they found in the x-rays, they decided to run another, more intense round of tests so they could accurately assess the situation.

Every few hours, an RN would come in to check and record his vitals (temperature, blood pressure and oxygen level) to make sure he was maintaining the proper levels.

Once they identified the problem, they put an action plan in place to remove the problem and to reverse the affects it was having on my son’s health. Even when they discharged us, I was given a list of instructions to carefully follow to make sure he continued to progress forward to a clean bill of health.

Throughout the stay, the word that almost every doctor, nurse and tech used was “examine.” Again and again, I heard that word, more times than I can count.

Every time they said it, my first thought was “we should examine our Christian walk the same way.”

Some of us got saved and never did anything else to make sure our spiritual walk was on target. We have things from our past that are constantly attacking us. We intentionally indulge in activities that destroy us. Yet we never stop to assess the situation.

God has given us full instructions on how to maintain our spiritual health in every area of our lives through his Word. Just like it was my responsibility to follow the instructions for my son, it is our responsibility to follow God’s instructions for our lives.

We need to periodically assess our current state – we must check our “fruit” (Galatians 5:22-23) and see how our lives are lining up with the Word of God. Sometimes we may have to dig deeper to find the root of some of our issues (selfish ambitions, hatred, jealousy, bitterness, hurt, pain, etc) and take the proper measures to overcome them.

We may have to refrain temporarily or even permanently from some activities or even some people that are hindering our spiritual growth.

Check your vitals regularly:

How is your prayer life?

Are you studying God’s word regularly?

Where is your faith level?

Change and growth is a process. It won’t happen overnight. However, you shouldn’t be the same person you were 5 years ago. Each day, we must take a step forward. Commit to strengthening your Christian walk by examining yourself through the Word of God and applying it to your life.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh let me not wander from your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Psalm 119: 9-11

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