2 CORINTHIANS 13:5; ROMANS 12:1-2; LUKE 12:29-40; HEBREWS 12:1-2.
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
2 Corinthians 13:5.
The only way to remain fit for heaven is to always be prepared and ready for the journey to heaven. And, in doing this, no amount of time spent or effort committed to ensuring we remain worthy of God’s Kingdom can be said to be too much.
However, there’s one pertinent question that we need to ask ourselves very often: Are We Still In The Right Way To Heaven?
Time changes, and situations improve or deteriorate with it. Being ready for heaven today might not still be the same experience tomorrow, so we need to be sure nothing has changed.
The only way to be quite sure we are still in the right way to heaven is to find out from the Word of God and the inner witness of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
- THE WISDOM IN SELF-EXAMINATION USING THE HOLY BIBLE
Psalm 119:89, 105; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 3:19-21.
There is a familiar mistake that some children of God must correct as far as reading God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is concerned: we must not read the Bible to “fulfill all righteousness”, and by that I mean that none of us should read it just to meet a target. Some Bible reading guides only inspire people to fulfil the target of reading God’s Word within a stipulated period of time. Instead, the aim of reading should be to expose ourselves to the Word of God long enough for it to discern and reveal to us the true condition of our hearts; and patiently and focused enough for us to hear the Holy Spirit of God speaking to guide us aright in accordance with God’s will. See 1 John 3:19-21.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12.
The Truth of God’s Word is universal. It is not, and cannot be, affected by the cultures or traditions of men; rather, it judges those cultures and traditions as either worthy of God’s acceptance and fit for His children, or not. So, we can be confident that wherever we are reading the Holy Bible from and relying on its guidance, we are in the safe hands of God’s Holy Spirit, whom God has promised to those who serve Him faithfully. All we need to do in order to receive His guidance is to remain in constant communion with God through ceaseless prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and daily Bible reading (Joshua 1:8). In doing this, we would be giving the Holy Spirit the reference point to pick up a conversation with us, deep in our spirit, in order to guide us in the right way to follow successfully to heaven.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you”. (NKJV)
- LISTENING TO THE INNER WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Romans 8:9-17; 1 John 3:24; 4:13.
Isaiah 30:21 “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left”. (NKJV)
There should be a balance between our personal thoughts and the operation of the Holy Spirit of God in our hearts. Sometimes, it is easy to mistake personal thoughts for the voice of the Holy Spirit if we are not careful enough to align our thoughts with God’s Word, which is only possible if we allow His Word to dwell richly in our heart.
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”. (NKJV)
The Word of God is the balance between our personal thoughts and that which is inspired by the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Every thought that does not completely align with the Word of God is not from the Spirit of God. See 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.
However, where this balance is achieved, we can be sure that the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, as to our true spiritual condition and whether we are ready for heaven or not, would be real and very convincing. We can be sure the Holy Spirit will reveal to us our true spiritual condition without the likely bias that our own personal thoughts might be prone to. Romans 8:6-14.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16, 17.
The combined testimonies of the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit, therefore, will give us a confirmation as to whether we are ready to be admitted into heaven, when the time comes, or not. It is the duty of every child of God to allow themselves to be thoroughly screened by the Word of God and by His Holy Spirit. Relying on other people’s, or self, appraisal might be catastrophic to our faith, as it has already been the undoing of so many Christians’ faith before.
1 Timothy 1:19 “keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in. There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith”. (MSB)
So, are you ready for heaven as you are right now? Does the Word of God bear witness to your heart that you’re living right with God? Does the Holy Spirit bear witness to that also? We need to be sure of that before we walk the last mile of our journey onto the shores of eternity, where repentance cannot be accepted any more but a just verdict of guilt or justification.
Heaven is real, and you have just one shot at the chance to successfully cross from here to there. Do not neglect to adequately prepare yourself for that final leg of the journey to heaven because there’s no telling how soon that time may be.
Matthew 24:43-44: “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. (NKJV)
If, however, you have lost your salvation, or were never born again in the first instance, then you must come to Jesus Christ right now because He is still accepting all sinners and backsliders who turn to Him in genuine repentance and forsaking of their sins.
Isaiah 45:22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other”. (NKJV)
Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. (NLT).
The End.