WalkwithGod.com

Throughout scripture we are encouraged to be godly (or God-centered) in our approach to life. Are you God-centered or man-centered in your life and worship? Here’s a checklist to help you decide.

1. What is my starting point? Do I believe I was created for His pleasure and purposes, or that God exists for my pleasure and purposes? A godly person will at least begin to see life and events from God’s perspective. He will ask how God views things first rather than wondering how life’s events will affect himself.

2. What are five songs that I sing in church or personal times of worship that are God-centered? (examples: “Holy, Holy, Holy”; “I Will Sing of My Redeemer”; “Lord, You Are More Precious Than Silver”) What we like to sing is an indication of how we really view God.

3. What are five songs that I sing that are man-centered? (examples: “We Get Lifted Up When We Praise the Lord”) If we sing songs that only focus on ourself or the benefits we receive from God, we will miss the deeper truths of God and the strength of relationship with Him that He desires us to have.

4. What is my goal as a Christian? Is my true overriding goal to be conformed to the image of Christ? A maturing believer realizes that salvation is more than a ticket to heaven and a “get out of hell free” card. Long before Adam and Eve fell, God had created them in order to develop a family of people who would bear the image of His beloved Son. Sin did not destroy that original goal, and salvation through the cross simply restores us to the capacity to obtain that goal.

5. Are my prayers focussed only on myself? A godly person begins to pray beyond himself and looks at the needs of others, the plans of God as revealed in scripture or by the Spirit and the events and leaders in the world.

6. Do I ever thank God for His attributes and His nature? When was the last time I praised God because He is holy or just or kind? Read some of the prayers in the Bible. Read the Psalms. Notice just how much God is praised for who He is and not simply what He does.

7. Do I read the Bible from a man-centered perspective? Am I approaching devotional time from a “what’s in it for me” viewpoint? After all, it was written from a God-centered perspective — it was inspired directly by Him.

8. Have I moved beyond the foundational principles found in Hebrews 6? This constitutes the bulk of preaching and teaching to be found in churches and on radio/TV. The writer of Hebrews considered these to be more milk than meat. What are you eating?

9. Am I controlled on a day-to-day basis more by my emotions and reactions to others than being controlled by the Spirit of God? The godly believer seeks to be moved by God’s Spirit just as Jesus was. You first have to realize and believe that YOU can be led by His Spirit. Then you hunger for it. Then it happens.

10. List five areas in which you can grow in God-centeredness.

Be blessed.