With our summer project coming up and COVID-19 spreading faster, we’ve been asking all of our staff and students to monitor their symptoms and take their temperature every day for a week leading up to the project. We want to help catch any potential sickness before it spreads!
Similarly, it’s wise to take our spiritual “temperature” on a regular basis. If we’re not careful, poor habits and a disengaged heart can spread and cause problems in our walk with God.
I’ve learned a couple of simple questions can help diagnose spiritual problems before they get out of control.
I use these questions in accountability with others.
Typically, I will hear accountability questions asked similar to this…
- How many times did you meet with the Lord this week?
- What Scripture did you memorize?
These questions aren’t bad. But I’ve learned they tend to promote a check-the-box mentality. Someone can read the Bible seven times and memorize a verse a week and answer these questions perfectly.
Is that really what God is after?
We’re not trying to raise up little legalists. Those questions can promote that and don’t do a good job diagnosing the heart.
Here are two tweaks to those questions that check the spiritual temperature a little bit better…
1. Are you spending unhurried time with God?
I’ve noticed what matters more than “did you spend time with God?” is the quality of time spent.
Soup Campbell once said, “You’ve got to have enough time to forget the time!”
If our time with God is always rushed that’s a symptom of a potential problem. You can’t be constantly checking your watch or phone and connecting deeply with God at the same time.
Unhurried time with God should be our goal.
I’m never as concerned with how many chapters someone is reading or even how long they spend. What I want to know is if the time they are spending is quality, undistracted time.
That question helps get to the heart of why we read the Bible.
2. What Scripture are you meditating on?
The goal of time with God is not just to do it and move on, but to grow and be changed by Him.
This second question helps get to the heart of growth. We want the truth of Scripture to saturate our minds and transform us from the inside out.
I try to challenge guys I’m leading to always have a passage or verse they are thinking about intentionally.
In the past, I’ve asked my disciples to memorize verses. However, I’ve found that Scripture Memory is often appealing to approval addicts and achievers. They get a little thrill from knowing lots of verses and being able to recite them. I’m looking at myself…
This meditation question is better accountability. I always want to be able to answer with a passage God is using to teach me and shape me.
Put it into Practice:
So there you go! Two “temperature checks” that can help you diagnose potential issues in your life or the life of your disciples.
- Are you spending unhurried time with God?
- What Scripture are you meditating on?
What other questions have you found helpful in accountability and diagnosing heart issues in someone’s walk with God?
