Members Exclusive June 2024

Strategicresourcetraining   -   June 17, 2024

Members Exclusive

A Spiritual Audit

by Bruce Billington

Preface 
Although you should check yourself out with this on a regular basis, which was my intention of sending it to you, it may also help you to pastor others. Feel free to use this, edit it, copy it, or whatever you want.  There is no copyright because I have stolen most of this from others 😊.  

Introduction 
I know many of you are working through LLGW by Dennis Peacocke. I am very familiar with this material and have taken several groups through it. One of my highlights was teaching it in the U.S. to a large group of people who had all been in leadership for several years. It was incredible to see how much they were all impacted by hearing some of these concepts for the first time.  

As a result, I felt it would be good to do what I would call a spiritual audit. It is not designed to bring condemnation – just a tool to help check where you are at and what the Holy Spirit may be calling you to focus on at this present time.  

In each section, there is a key question for you to ask yourself. If you are not happy with your answer, take it before the Lord and maybe share it with those who care for you. You do not have to complete this in a short time. For me, it is a lifetime checklist that I consider on a regular basis. Take your time and learn which areas the Holy Spirit is working on with you, at any given season.  

Galatians 4:1-2 – “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.” 

If we are parents, it is important for us to see our children grow up and mature. In the same way – as our Father, God wants to see us come to a place of maturity. This is so He can entrust us with far more of the inheritance, which is ours in Christ. Because this is so important, we need some ways to measure our maturity. The following are some points that will help. 

1. Are you content with who you are becoming?

If we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit, every day we will get closer to who God intended us to be. The author of Psalm 17 said he would not rest until he wakes up in the likeness of God. Are we satisfied with the person we are becoming?  

For example – during our lifetime we have seen many anointed leaders fall into various areas of sexual abuse, immorality, and embezzlement. In most cases this began with disillusionment of their performance, or that God was not providing in certain areas or meeting their demands.  

James 1:15 warns us that temptation must be conceived in our being before it becomes sin. This means we have entertained the ideas, instead of dealing with them the minute they showed up in our lives. We don’t want to join those who started so well but failed to finish the course.  We must settle with the fact that we are on a lifelong journey and we need to establish patterns and disciplines that will cause us to finish in victory. This requires us to be ruthless with sin.

2. Is your life ruled by who you are or what you do?

In John 15 Jesus goes to some length to tell us that He is way more interested in our fruits (character) than our works (abilities or gifts). He says the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit. This is what makes us truly disciples (V8).  

Who we are is first about being a follower of Christ. If we truly feel the love of God, we are less likely to feel the drive to impress Him. Fruit appears on a tree naturally – it doesn’t strain or strive to appear. 

It is from the tree (our loving relationship with the Lord) that our passion for His Kingdom comes.   

3. Does you family see the authenticity of your walk with God?

Don’t be afraid to ask! They see us for who we really are. What is it they really see in us? Don’t be afraid to ask your spouse – and if your spouse asks you, don’t use it as a time to raise issues that are your own personal grievances.  

The true question we are asking is, ‘Do I impart Christ’s character into most situations? What are clear areas where I do and where I don’t?’

Please remember – we are all on a journey, nobody is perfect. Also – don’t forget to give encouragement where it is due. A true audit is not just about fault finding.

4. How fresh is your water?

John 7:38 – “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Be careful of trying to be a lake, which is about accumulating God’s blessings all for yourself rather than being a river where it flows through you. The purest water is sacrificial.  

2 Samuel 24:21-25  – “Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges, and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. “Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Thus, the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”

David would not offer that which cost him nothing. How often do we try keep the best of all things to ourselves and give God or others what is left over or what we don’t want?  

If someone does an amazing service for us, and then asks for a payment that we think is too cheap, do we give them more, if we can? This is not just about money – it is about our time, our words of encouragement, and our heart to bless others in any way we can. How generous am I?  

How much of God’s blessings do we intend to keep for ourselves? If we dam the flow, the pool eventually becomes stagnant. God often gives to us in abundance so that we can do the same to others.  

5. Have you found your work/life balance?

This is about that which belongs uniquely to you (it may be several things) and that which doesn’t. E.g. if you are married, your unique calling is to be the spouse to your spouse (and likewise to your children). These things are very significant in the decisions you make regarding your service to others.

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

We cannot sacrifice our calling to our family, for the sake of what we are called to do outside of it. We cannot meet all the needs that we see in our life, and nor are we meant to. Our calling is to handle the part of the need that is given to us and leave the rest to God. It is easy to get overwhelmed with things we could do and people we could see and help to the detriment of our family, our health, and our spiritual refreshment.   

It is better to do a few things well than a lot poorly. Burnout is a major problem in the body of Christ. In most cases, we allow this to happen. Do not do things just to please others – make sure the only yoke you wear is the one you enter with Jesus. He describes this yoke as being easy and the burden of it, being light (Matthew 11:29). 

6. What is your motive?

Do you work for progress or pride? Are you seeking fame and fortune or do you want to mature in Christ? Often it is a mixture.  

What is the motive behind what you do? If you don’t know read Hebrews 4:12 or 1 Chronicles 29:11-20.  

7. Do you have a quiet centre in your life?

God wants peace for us, no matter what is happening. I love to be on the fast track. To do life at a great pace. But there is a difference between working hard and being frantic. The latter damages our health and often causes us to make mistakes. It is to act as if there is no God.

Psalms 23:2 – “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”
Psalms 23:3 – “He restores my soul.”
John 14:27– “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” 

Do you really know how to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  

Can you switch off and shut down? Do you know how to appreciate the “small things” in life? They are to be found everywhere. Each of us should have a place(s) where we can feel totally at peace, and enjoy the Lord and the quiet of His creation, just for the sake of doing it.  

8. Is your prayer life improving?

Prayer is about finding the mind of Christ. We must earnestly seek it – don’t get hung up on the method – find what works. The discipline of prayer has been made too complicated. Prayer is simply talking to God. It doesn’t even have to be verbal. 

Question: How many decisions do you make without praying? Prayer takes perseverance – it is about progress, not perfection.  

9. Is your spiritual diet right for you?

Also, know what your best time is to focus on God – it may be early morning or in the evening. There is no right or wrong. It is all about the way God made you. 

10. Are you obedient?

Matthew 21:28-31 –  “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.”

Good intentions count for little. Have you been faithful in the last thing God told you to do? Are you faithful in the little things? If not, you will not receive increased responsibilities.

What do you do when you fail? Do you repent immediately and get back on track? If you offend someone, do you repent and go and ask forgiveness? If you damage something, do you make restitution? Scripture is full of advice for when we fall short of God’s glory. But obedience is essential. Jesus said we are His friends when we obey Him (John 15:14).  

11. Do you have genuine humility?

We need to understand the true difference between humility and false humility. We are not robots – God gives us talents to use, He is not doing everything despite us. We can take credit for a lot that we achieve and should take the time to enjoy it.  Only God is great, but He loves seeing us working with Him and enjoying the fruits of our labour. 

Don’t pretend you had nothing to do with any work you have done well. God works both with us and for us – learn the difference.  

Definitions of Humility – Humility is accepting your strength with gratitude. Humility is not denying the power that you have but admitting the power that comes through you, not from you.

Don’t pray for God to humble you – the Bible tells us to humble ourselves (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

12. Do you have real joy?

The Bible promises us joy, but it comes when we have a full belief in the sovereignty of God. We believe God is totally in control and is ordering the events of our lives.  

Romans 5:3-5 tells us why we have tribulation. We don’t like it, but it comes from God for our maturation.  

Often, we work for God to earn His love – this is not how it is meant to be.  God doesn’t need us – He loves us. We work for Him because of that love – not to earn it. Hoy comes with the gratitude expressed because all we have is a gift from God.

13. Who really is God to you?

How big is He in your eyes – or life? The awesomeness of God is not something we learn – it is something we realise. It comes via revelation. It overwhelms and even intimidates our humaneness. It inspires worship. It inspires humility.

Read some psalms – look around you – meditate – Can you imagine a mind so great as to conceive the DNA of a human being or animal? What about all the stars in the sky or a mountainous view where we see things the way God made them?  

We can only bow at His feet and say, “What is man that you are mindful of him” (Hebrews 2:6). Yet He has made us His sons and daughters and we will receive His inheritance. What a mighty God we serve.  

God bless you.   
Bruce Billington.