Introduction: Most of us do not like stale bread, old meat, rotten chicken, spoiled fruit, and rancid vegetables. These items have all lost their good life.

Illustration: Stench on the 6th floor of the A/G Center.

1. Christians need to assess their Christian lives occasionally.
   1. Most of us have physical exams occasionally at our doctor's office.
      1. Kay and I have a partial physical check up each six months by our doctor. The Adventist Hospital checks our blood with several tests, lungs with X-ray, bone density for Kay, and our blood sugar.
      2. A physical exam does two things well:
         1. A physical exam shows us our present physical condition.
         2. It shows us any problems that are developing. Without the exam we would not be aware of newly developing problems.
   2. What Are Some of the Things We Check In A Spiritual Check-up?
      1. Self-examination--Let a man examine himself along with Doctor Jesus.
         1. Trust in the Lord with all your hear and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6.
         2. Make sure you are not part of a division of the body of Christ. Luke 11:17, "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."
         3. Make sure there is no evil intent in our hearts. Matthew 22:18, "But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, 'You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?....'
      2. Have a heart exam.
         1. Make sure there is no evil intent in our hearts. Matthew 22:18, "But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, 'You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?....'
         2. Check for half-heartedness. 2 Chronicles 25:1,2, "Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly."
      3. Check your blood pressure!
         1. Peace in our hearts is a good measure of our blood pressure.

            I Timothy 2:1-3, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone ….that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior….."

         2. Gardening reduces high blood pressure. First plant, next water, then harvest. James 3:17,18, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."
         3. Have a psychological exam.
            1. Check to see if your thought life is healthy. Are your thoughts the same as God's thoughts?

               Isaiah 55:8,9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

               Philippians 4:8,9 "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Verse 9, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

               Romans 12:3, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Read Romans 12:4-8

            2. Make sure your though patterns are not negative.

               Check to see that the following rules govern your speech: (a) What I say is true, (b) What I say is kind, (c) What I say is necessary.

2. What Do We Need To Do To Improve The Quality Of Our Spiritual Life?
   1. Recommendations For A Healthy Spiritual Life.
      1. Drink lots of water from the Spring of Living Water inside of you.

         John 4:13, "Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

      2. Feed your soul with healthy food from the Word of God.
      3. Avoid Spiritual Junk Food.
         1. Avoid Christian DVDs or tapes with far-out doctrines. An example of this would be the "Prosperity Gospel" that went around some years back.
         2. Do not overdose on "sweets". Too much sugar is hard on your spiritual life.
            1. On Christian TV be careful how many "make-you-feel-good preachers" you listen too.
            2. A good sermon on sin is like an ex-lax or laxative pill. Just hearing about sin helps you to avoid sinful acts. Don't become like the man who said, "work never bothers me, I can lay down beside it and go to sleep."
         3. Spiritual calcium deposits come from only drinking the milk of "babes in Christ."
   2. Practice Spiritual Exercises Every Day
      1. Build strong muscles through daily exercise.
      2. Take off all excess obese fat that accumulates around your spiritual life. His usually occurs when there is too much head exercise rather than heart action.
      3. Take Bible blood purifiers on a regular basis. The life is in the blood the Bible declares.

Conclusion: After a physical exam with our doctor sometimes we leave the Doctor’s office unhappy with his evaluation. We may even go to another Doctor for a second opinion.

Many times the second opinion only confirms what the first doctor has told us, and we realize we need to take some action to improve our condition.

Doctor Jesus never gives a wrong opinion. He usually delivers His opinion through the Holy Spirit to our heart. How you respond to this message depends on how you Receive Doctor Jesus’s report. If the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart today then you need to act now, and in the coming days on that message.