Peel the Onion – Examine yourself

The Message Bible says-

“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise. We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13:5-9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

While in discussion one morning with my sorority sister Shawn, I finally spoke out of my mouth some stuff I think God is going to accomplish in the new year.

One of those things – God desires for me to truly “deep dive” and examine myself. No longer can I coast comfortably. I believe He wants me to move/improve on things that hinder my growth in Him. He can’t provoke change on my behalf when I have not done my part – seeking Him, reviewing my life, confessing and then repenting. Not only am I to test/examine whether Christ is alive in me, but if I determine areas not correct – then I need to put actions in place to change.

We need to “peel the onion.” There’s easy surface stuff to tackle. Things we easily can adjust. Then as we go deeper, it gets a little tougher to let go of habits and traits that are ingrained in our personality, character, and soul. Going deeper is harder. Like peeling an onion it stinks and could possibly cause tears…the deeper you go the more difficult it is till you reach the core. Smile – that’s when you can finish chopping that onion up and add to the main dish which makes it taste good. In other words, dealing with those difficulties, imperfections, sinful thoughts and actions makes your life better and more productive/fruitful.

Some of my big issues with the help of God to tackle in 2020:

Being judgmental, especially those close/family

Allowing forgiveness/reconciliation to reign when possible

Lacking of faith and fearing being alone,

Lack of confidence in God and the gifts He has bestowed and His plan on how to use them (not my plan or timing)

Speaking in confidence and authority when needed.

What are your “peel the onion” battles? List in the comments or if you like send to me. We need to pray for and encourage one another.