Message
In Isaiah 6:1-5, Isaiah beheld God's glory and holiness, and he cried, "Woe is me!" Before then, he had been prophesying, and everyone saw him as holy. However, he looked at himself in the light of God's glory and holiness, and saw the real state he was in.
Beloved, it is important to have a self-reflection every now and then. Don't rely solely on what people say about you because they might not know you as well as you know yourself. They might not know the thoughts of your heart or what you do behind closed doors. Therefore, you need to look closely at yourself and perform an honest evaluation of the real state of your heart.
Don't judge yourself by your own standards; rather, judge yourself by God's standard. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:18 that it is not the fellow who commends himself that is righteous, but the one that the Lord commends. Isaiah might have been judging himself by his own standards, but when he encountered God's glory, he saw that he was not in the state he was supposed to be. Judge yourself in the light of the truth in God's word; this will tell you whether you are on the right track or not. Do not judge yourself based on your feelings, what the society is saying, or on your achievements. Use God's word as a mirror, and let it show you the real you. After weighing, yourself according to God's word, surrender completely to Him and ask Him to help you to live right.
After Isaiah's experience in Isaiah 6:1-5, he knew that the only way he could truly be holy was by God's help. You cannot be righteous by your own power; you need God to help you. Psalm 20:1-2 says that you should pray that the Lord sends help to you from the sanctuary. Until you know that you need help, help won't come from the sanctuary. You must remain in front of the mirror of God's word until you receive help to become righteous. Do not be like the man that was described in James 1:22-24; continue steadfastly in God's word.
1 Corinthians 11:31 says that if you judge yourself properly, you will not be judged. This means that after examining yourself, identifying, your faults, and making the right adjustments, you will not be condemned when the time of judgment comes.
Beloved, I pray that as you make a habit of examining yourself using the standard of God, you will receive a commendation from the Master on the last day, in Jesus' name.