Throughout my life I was never a very good student. Tests were challenging because most of the time I did not study and prepare for what I knew was coming. I have come to notice that my past study habits are a commonplace activity for many in the modern-day church. I had one friend who was dying of cancer, and one day as I was visiting with her, shortly before she went into glory, she had a lot of questions. I asked her why she was asking all these questions, and her response was, “I feel like I am studying for a test I never really prepared for.” Too often we know what God has called us to, yet we neglect the daily discipline of preparing our hearts through His Word and prayer. With a half-hearted devotion to the Lord, we should not be surprised when our faith is tested if we have not been faithfully abiding in the One who strengthens us. The exam, the true test of our faith, is weighed out when we compare what we do on a daily basis, how we are living our lives, to the ways of the Lord Jesus and the Word of God. I pray regularly about what is written in *2 Corinthians 13:5 Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?* Because of verses like these, different questions go through my mind regularly. The more I read God’s Word, the more I realize that self-examination is not meant to discourage us but to draw us closer to Christ in genuine repentance and dependence upon Him. Many days I question how committed of a believer, a follower of the Lord Jesus, I genuinely am. How badly do I hate my sin? Do I see myself as God sees me or do I compare myself to others? These are not comfortable questions, but they are necessary if I truly desire to walk in truth rather than simply appear faithful before others. I realize that others look to me as an example, and all I can think is, don’t look to me as your example; look unto the Lord Jesus. I think of the quote by John Newton and know that because of the work of Christ in me, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” That truth gives me hope because my confidence is not in my own performance but in God’s transforming grace in my life. As I strive to keep my focus on the Lord Jesus in a world that makes it so easy to get distracted, it takes all that I am to follow His example the best I can. Every one who professes the name of Christ must continually examine their hearts before Him. May we encourage one another to pursue holiness, not with pride or condemnation, but with humility, love, and a desire to glorify God together. None of us have arrived, yet every one of us is called to press on toward Christ with sincerity and unwavering faith. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, helping one another endure faithfully until the day we stand before Him. My prayer: Lord, search my heart daily and reveal anything within me that does not honor You, giving me the courage to repent quickly and walk in obedience. Guide my steps by the light of Your Word, and keep my heart tender to the leading of Your Holy Spirit so that I would never wander from Your truth. Teach me to love what You love, hate what You hate, and to trust Your perfect will even when the path before me is difficult or uncertain. Break every part of me that still clings to pride, self-reliance, or the false belief that I can stand apart from Your sustaining grace, and teach me to surrender every corner of my heart completely to You. Let my brokenness never drive me to despair but instead draw me to the foot of the cross, where Your mercy restores, humbles, and makes me whole again. May I decrease each day so that Christ would increase in me, and may my life be marked not by my own strength but by joyful surrender to Your perfect will. Above all, Lord Jesus, keep me near to You, for apart from You I can do nothing, and it is my deepest desire that my life would bring glory to Your holy name until the day I see You face to face. I pray fervently that I will not fail the test or be counted as a counterfeit. This is my prayer for myself and for all those who read these words, in Jesus’ precious and powerful name, Amen. 

My BeLoved, may the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog

Special Note: I want to thank those who read what I write and are encouraged to support the ministry God has entrusted to me either one time or have decided to give on a monthly basis. I am encouraged to see certain verses playing out before my eyes like what is written in *Philippians 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.*

To any who are interested, please feel free to reach out to me with prayer requests, questions, encouragement, or for information on how to come alongside me with financial support at pastord.blog@gmail.com or I do have a Zelle account associated with my phone number, 5202720387 last name Blaser. Thank you my Beloved for your ongoing prayers and support.