The news headlines seem riddled with pastors falling from grace due to some moral failure. But it’s not just pastors that have these struggles, it happens all the time to church members as well. When you hear about the “hidden” sin you are left just shaking your head and asking, “How did this happen?”
I definitely do not have all the answers or even think there is a one-size-fits-all solution, so what solution is there to help avoid such situations?
As the great theologian Ice Cube says, “You better check yo self before you wreck yo self.”
So what does it mean to “check yo self?” Well, I can’t speak for what Ice Cube meant but I believe it to simply mean self-reflection.
Think of it this way – car maintenance. You take your car in regularly to get its oil changed. Why? Because if you don’t you will “wreck” yo car. You need to regularly take out the bad oil and replace it with fresh oil so that your car can keep running at peak performance.
Same for us. We need to regularly do “maintenance” so that we can keep running at peak performance. What does this look like?
Surround yourself with people who will challenge you and call you out. Allow them to speak into your life. Make it a regular practice to routinely confess your sins to one another.
“Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;” -Psalm 26:2