Seven Questions to Help You Examine Your Heart

God keeps reminding me that just because something looks or sounds spiritual on the surface doesn’t mean it is. We have all been around someone who knows the right spiritual-sounding words to say, but it doesn’t take long to realize their actions don’t match their talk. And if we are honest, we have to admit we have all been that person, too. 

In John 12, Jesus visits the home of Lazarus (the man he raised from the dead) not long before he is crucified. During this visit, John highlights two people—Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and Judas, the disciple. Mary does something that, on the surface, seems a little crazy, maybe even scandalous. She kneels down at Jesus’s feet and anoints them with expensive perfume. Then she wiped His feet with her hair. The Bible tells us the whole house was filled with the scent of this perfume. 

Mary’s action most likely drew the attention of everyone in the home. I picture people staring, whispering, wondering what in the world she is doing. We don’t know all the details, but we do know that Judas speaks up with a strong rebuke for Mary. He expresses his concern that something this expense could have been put to much better use for a social cause like feeding the poor. Honestly, I might have thought the very same thing as Judas—it certainly seems like a waste to pour out a whole bottle of perfume at one time. 

But if we look a little deeper, below the surface, we learn that Judas didn’t care about people experiencing poverty. John tells us that he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often took some for his own benefit. On the other hand, Jesus commends Mary, explaining that this act prepared Him for His upcoming burial. Mary was one of the few people who actually heard and understood Jesus when He explained He was going to die for the sins of the world. Each time we find her in the Gospels, Mary is at Jesus’s feet. She listened to Him and made time for Him. 

I want to challenge you to examine yourself. Are you hearing God like Mary, or are you only spiritual on the surface like Judas? Maybe the answer is clear, or perhaps you aren’t sure. I have found that diving deep into Scripture is the best way to test my heart and my motives. 

Here are seven verses and seven questions to help us examine ourselves: 

1. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7: Am I talking too much? 

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Ecclesiastes 5:1 NLT

God warns us that when we enter His presence, we must first listen and then speak. Too often, we rush into prayer, say a lot to God, and walk away. But in order to know God and what He thinks, we have to make time to listen and learn. 

2. Isaiah 30:1-26: Am I making my own plans without consulting God?

You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. Isaiah 30:1

The people of Isaiah’s day faced a physical enemy, so they made a plan to protect themselves. The problem was that their plan was not God’s plan. Instead of the protection they desired, they were actually setting themselves up for destruction. God explains that He was waiting for them to turn to Him, waiting to bless them and lead them into a new season. 

3. Isaiah 58:1-14: How am I treating others?

What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. Isaiah 58:4

Here, we find God’s people fasting but not receiving an answer. They didn’t understand why God wasn’t responding to their prayers, but God made it clear that it was because their fasting wasn’t genuine. They were going through the motions while treating people poorly and generally behaving the opposite of God’s commands. God reminds them that a breakthrough will come when they start putting others first. 

4. James 3:13-18: Am I motivated by jealousy and selfishness? 

If you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. James 3:14

James helps us determine whether our decisions are wise or foolish. If our choices are rooted in selfishness or jealousy, we can be sure disorder will follow. When we walk in God’s wisdom, we will be full of gentleness, peace, and right living. 

5. James 4:1-10: Are my actions rooted in pride? 

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

Putting ourselves first is easy, but seeking God takes humility. We cannot be close to God if we think our plans, our ways, or our ideas are the best. Though we wouldn’t usually put it in that direct terms, that is often exactly how we live—like we know best. 

6. I Peter 5:5-11: Am I compromising my faith? 

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Like James, Peter reminds us that God opposes the proud. He urges us to bring our cares to God and be alert for the schemes of our enemy, the devil. It is easy to compromise our faith and not even realize it. We need to be careful to build our lives on the foundation of truth and remain firm and steady. 

7. Galatians 5:1-24: Am I under the control of sin?

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1

In Galatians 5, Paul outlines two ways of living. One is full of the Spirit of God, a life of freedom. The other is enslaved to sin, under the control of unhealthy and ungodly things. If we really want to know where we are, we must look closely at what fills our minds and what comes out of our lives.