1. Assessing Your Spiritual Life
2 Timothy 4:6-8
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
How is my spiritual life? Am I growing and maturing in my knowledge and understanding? Am I where I need to be spiritually? Or am I in a “spiritual rut.” What are my aims and goals? In this lesson, we hope to help you take inventory of your spiritual life.

2. Examine – Test – Prove 2 Corinthians 13:5
“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.”
How does one examine himself? “To observe carefully or critically; inspect.” First, we must be honest in our evaluation of our progress. Have I grown more knowledgeable since my conversion? How do I test myself? “A procedure for critical evaluation; a means of determining the quality or truth of something.” How do I prove myself? ”To establish the truth or validity of something by evidence.” Is there evidence of my growth? If so, where is that evidence?

3. In Faith = In Christ Ephesians 5:2 Philippians 3:14
“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Philippians 3:14
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Walk means “manner of life or conduct.” My manner of life must have love at its center (Matt.22:37-40; 1 Cor.13:4-8;1 Jno.4:7,8). I must PRESS—push forward toward my goal—exert effort to reach my goal. I must not forget my duty and purpose in life--to serve my Master, Jesus Christ.

4. In Faith = In Christ Ephesians 6:13 Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Hebrews 12:1
“...and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
The Christian must HOLD his ground. Never compromise or give in to the devil (James 4:6-8). The faithful Christian’s life is one of endurance. We are in a “marathon,” not a sprint race. We must be patient, practice self-control, and RUN this “race for life” with great care (Titus 2:10-12).

5. Paul – A Fighter Spiritual fight against sin - 1 Tim. 6:12
A good soldier - 2 Tim. 2:3-4
Courageous - 1 Cor. 16:13
Steadfast - 1 Cor. 15:58
Trained - 1 Pet. 3:15; Eph. 6:11-18
Disciplined - 1 Cor. 9:27
Fight temptation or throw in the towel?
If we want to be effective Christians, we have to FIGHT! The Christian life is not for those who want to “sit on the sidelines.” A SOLDIER must engage and defeat his enemy. He must have COURAGE. He must remain STEADFAST in the midst of all adversity that comes his way. He must TRAIN in the procedures that best enable him to defeat his enemy and please His Master. He must exercise SELF-DISCIPLINE and keep himself under control at all times! The true Christian NEVER QUITS!!

6. Paul – Ran to Win the Prize
A prize to be won - 1 Corinthians 9:24
Run the race patiently - Hebrews 12:1
Overcome hindrances - Galatians 5:7
A starting place - Romans 6:3-4; John 3:5
Paul had a purpose for running and entering this race. So must we! There is a PRIZE we want—heaven! This RACE will last throughout your lifetime or until the Lord returns—pace yourself! We must OVERCOME any hindrances or obstacles Satan places in our way! We must BEGIN the race by becoming members of the Lord’s family—a spiritual birth—Jno.3:3-5.

7. Paul Had a Purpose for Running
A reason to run—Revelation 2:10
Run carefully—2 Timothy 2:5
Follow example and be an example— Corinthians 11:1; Matthew 7:12; Timothy 2:2; Galatians 2:10; 6:1
We must have a REASON for running in this race. That reason is: an eternal home in heaven. We must run CAREFULLY, watching where we’re headed. Follow godly examples and exert proper influence on others—Matt.5:13-16.

8. Paul - Trustworthy Stewards - 1 Peter 4:10
Faithfulness required - 1 Corinthians 4:2
Entrusted with the gospel - 1 Thess. 2:4
Pillar and ground of the truth - 1 Timothy 3:15
Entrusted with money – Luke 16:10-12; 19-31
Entrusted with time – Ephesians 5:15-16
God expects us to be trustworthy in all our dealings with Him and our fellowmen. We must use our talents, opportunities, and time wisely!

9. Paul - Crowned Incorruptible inheritance - 1 Peter 1:4
Committed soul Timothy 1:12
Crown of life Revelation 2:10
Eternal glory – 1 Peter 5:10
We have an INHERTIANCE that will never fade away. We must COMMIT our souls to Him by first committing our lives to Him. The CROWN OF LIFE is for all those who faithfully execute the commandments he has given us. We can have ETERNAL GLORY with Him if we just ask—and if we want it!

10. How Did You Do? Where are you on your spiritual journey?
Do you need to make some adjustments?
Were you pleased with the results?
More importantly—is God going to be pleased?
Tie everything together and draw some conclusions. Summary points…