Have you ever asked questions such as:

    Is God the best judge of me?

    Is the pastor the best judge of me?

    Is my youth leader the best judge of me?

    Is the policeman the best judge of me?

    Is the judge in the court the best judge of me?

    Is my boyfriend the best judge of me?

    Is my girlfriend the best judge of me?

    Is my mother the best judge of me?

    Is the lady in the church the best judge of me?

    Is my enemy the best judge of me?

 We could have more but that’s not the point.

    Am I the best judge of me?

When you look at this list there are a lot of people who can get in the road of you and God. They may have an opinion or a different perspective, but really that counts for nothing.

Some may want to help you and with all the right intentions but the problems don’t go away.

Those between you and God need to be careful when entering into your problem area. They need to ask themselves and you need to know is their advice based on the word of God.

Q1/ Peoples opinions count for nothing. (True or False)

Q2/ Gods word has final say. (True or False)

Q3/ Some advice aren’t based on the word of God. (True or False)

A.    Some come with philosophy and that is not the word of God.

B.    Some come with their formula and that is not the word of God.

C.    Some come with their rules and that is not the word of God.

D.    Some come with their problem and that is not the word of God.

E.    Some come with other religious formula teachings and that is not the word of God.

F.    Some come with fortune telling and that is not the word of God.

Hosea 4:12 My people seek advice from their wooden idols, and their rod declares to them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to go astray, and they have gone lusting away from under their God.

The advice of the world leads to death.

Proverbs 5:11 and you moan when your end comes, when your flesh and muscle are eaten away, 12 and say, How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised correction; 13 and I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor bowed down my ears to those who taught me! 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. 15 Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well. 16 Should your overflowing spring be scattered abroad as rivers of waters in the streets. (MKJV)

Q4/ You can go to the fortuneteller to get your answer. (True or False)

This is a warning for all believers to consider but we needn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. It is important to seek good Godly advice and that doesn’t mean going to anyone in the church, but seeking one who is more mature in the Lord.

Q5/ Mature Godly advice can help. (True or False)

Before you make the discussion to ask someone for advice look at the fruit in the person’s life because a good tree will have good fruit.

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (KJVA)

Once you have sought Godly advice you will find it comes down to you and God alone in your room to find the answer. It must just be you with God because you are the one who must live with the outcome of any decision.

Q6/ After all the advice it’s up to you and God. (True or False)

Q7/ Your best friend will live with your problem. (True or False)

Warning of putting yourself in hands of God.  

Do you want to place yourself in the hands of God for a judgment on your life? If so you are embarking upon a journey to hell, because the Judgments are already settled and therefore God can not change.

It was settled before the incident in the garden and it is settled in eternity. What is required is for man to take steps towards responsibility for his or her sins. Then once this has been done repentance is necessary to finalize the transaction with God.

Q8/ God can change his mind. (True or False)

Q9/ All the judgment of God are settled. (True or False)

You may ask the question if I put my life in Gods hands for judgment I might end up in hell.  That’s true.  

We need to take responsibility now for our Christian walk. We need to let the word of God under the leading of the Holy Spirit wash and refresh us.

A good place to start is to become the judge of our own life so that we don’t hand over the responsibility to anyone and that we don’t have to wait for God to make a decision, knowing that God has already done that.

As the old Beatles songs go, "Help me if you can I'm feeling down",  "With a little help from my friends" and "Please, please help me, help me". 

Our friend is GOD and the help is the HIS WORD. 

Jeremiah 33: 3 `Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'(NIV)

Q10/ If we don’t worry about the things we do and leave it to God to judge us we will be OK. (True or False)

Q11/ The word of God can regenerate us. (True or False)

Judge ourselves

The list of Judgments  we find in the Bible are not there for man to justify himself, because we are justified in Jesus Christ plus nothing.

This list of judgments is for personal reflection and to help in the regeneration process. These are tools for self introspection and meditation with the Holy Spirit.

Q12/ Introspection is looking into our own heart. (True or False)

We will look at these in more detail.

1.    A Personal Judgment  Romans 14:12

2.    A Judgment of our Relationships.  Romans. 14:10, 13, 15.  Un-forgiveness and wrong attitudes will be judged.

3.    A Judgment of our Conversation.  Matthew .12:36-37; Ephesians. 4:29, 31-32

4.    A Judgment of our Faithfulness.  Matthew. 25:19 onwards

5.    A Judgment of our Inner Motives.  

2 Corinthians. 5:10   Appear = Revealed

6.    A Judgment of our Spiritual Condition.  Hebrews. 4:11

7.    A Judgment of our Works.  2 Corinthians.5:10  Kakos = Worthless  1 Corinthians. 3:11-15

8.    A Judgment of the Shepherds.  Hebrews. 13:17 ; 1 Peter. 5:4 ; James. 3:1

1. Personal Judgment  

Romans 14:12 So then each one of us will give account concerning himself to God. (MKJV)

We are only responsible to give a report about ourselves and not for others we will not be required to give a report on other people so we don’t need to do that now either. Therefore we don’t need to talk about others unless we are exhorting, comforting and edifying them.

Decrement is a gift from God and therefore we should treasure the things we discern, taking these concerns to God in prayer and not the world. People only take things to others to build their own support network for self justification.

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q13/ It’s ok to judge others by your own standards. (True or False)

2. A Judgment of our Relationships

Romans 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or also why do you despise your brother? For all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (MKJV)

Having un-forgiveness and wrong attitudes towards wife, children, your earthly family Christian family your enemy we will be judged.

Romans 14:13  Then let us not judge one another any more, but rather judge this, not to put a stumbling-block or an offense toward his brother. (MKJV)

An excessive religious fever may cause some to stumble; we need to seek God to help us to real to people.

Romans 14:15 But if your brother is grieved with your food, you no longer walk according to love. Do not with your food destroy him for whom Christ died. (MKJV)

Attitudes that give the impression we think we are better than others needs to be brought into lion.

When people say we need to love the unlovely we should remember we were once the unlovely. This attitude has a smattering of pride.  

James 1:26 If anyone thinks to be religious among you, yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is vain. (MKJV)

Vain means a waste of time or a characteristic of false pride or unproductive effort, a fruitless life and a vain attempt towards faith. You can be religious by going to Church and doing all the things others do but you are wasting your time if your tongue is saying bad things about others.

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q14/ To have an attitude that we are better than another is good for us. (True or False)

3. A Judgment of our Conversation

The words we use are important do they bring life or are they unwholesome word which are laced with filth and lead to death.

Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. (MKJV)

We need to control the tongue and not use words of blasphemy, using the Lord name as a swear word and not to use swear words in general.

Ephesians 4:29 Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect of need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. (MKJV)

A person who is a whisperers being full of envy malicious quarrelsome and deceitful are all worthy of death.

Romans 1:29  being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; being full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits, becoming whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, perfidious, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous order of God, that those practicing such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but have pleasure in those practicing them. (MKJV)

The language we use will reflect upon us if it brings life to all around us it will correspondently bring life to us. Inversely if it is not good it will bring death.

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q15/ Using course language in Church is OK. (True or False)

4. A Judgment of our Faithfulness.  

This reading from Matthew 25:19 to 45 gives an excellent outline of the faithful steward.

1.Punctuality… keeping to arranged time

2.Reliability… dependability to do what is expected

3.Perseverance… determined continuation with something

4.Responsibility… provide an answer to all

5.Accountability… responsible to give an account to superiors

Our faithfulness is right throughout our whole life, are we spiritual faithful to love ones and are we physical faithful too.   

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q16/Being late all the time is faithfulness. (True or False)

5. A Judgment of our Inner Motives

All we need to do to please God is believe in Him who sent His Son calling on the name of the Son for our salvation and nothing more.

He loved us first we respond to His action with a desire to help others find the way. This is heart felt unction to function.

2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to that which he has done, whether good or bad. (MKJV)

We are not to judge that is up to God and we need to be careful here. It is God who will look upon our hearts to see what our motivation to do things was.

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (MKJV)

We will all appear before and everything will be revealed for what it is. Some will hear enter good and faithful servant and others will hear away from Me I know you not.

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q17/ Wanting to promote yourself more than Jesus is the aim. (True or False)

6. A Judgment of our Spiritual Condition.

Some have come to the cross of Jesus and repented and then turned and walked away then after some time they have fallen into sin again losing there eternal salvation. It was paid for once and for all but if the dynamics of salvation are not followed lose will be incurred.

Hebrews. 4:11Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (MKJV)

Repeated sin can cause the heart to harden and it makes it more difficult for one to repent and then a fall has taken place.

We are called to read the word of God, talk with God and go to Church a good starting position to workout our faith.

a.    Reading the Bible helps us to know what we can do.

b.    Learning by listening to good teaching will secure us in our walk with Christ.

c.    Talking with God will help to develop God awareness and therefore we will be lead by His Spirit.

We need to keep an eye on what we allow into our life because if we allow temptation to be entertained it can become sin and finally the outcome can be disastrous.

We must judge ourselves.

Q18/ we don’t need to read the Bible. (True or False)

7. A Judgment of our Works.  

Are the works we do because we see others doing them and we think that is what God wants us to do?

Some may see programs which were God inspired for another person or Church and some think it ok just to copy it.

2 Corinthians.5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to that which he has done, whether good or bad. (MKJV)

The work we do should be based on the example of Jesus Christ and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is clear from the scripture below that some works will be burnt up and destroyed.

1Corinthians 3:11 For any other foundation can no one lay than the one being laid, who is Jesus Christ. 12 And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, 13 each one's work shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try each one's work as to what kind it is. 14 If anyone's work which he built remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by fire. (MKJV)

The most important thing for us to do when looking at a program which is working in another location and we think it might be suitable for us, is to go God in prayer.

Our life should be a God driven life and we should endeavor to follow His leading so our works will not be Kakos = Worthless  1 Corinthians. 3:11-15

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Q19/ Not listening to the Holy Spirit and doing your own thing is good in the Kingdom of God. (True or False)

8. A Judgment of the Shepherds.  

The shepherd or the leader of a group will be judged twice, once for their own Christian walk and two for the teaching and the leading of others.

James 3:1 Be not many teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive greater judgment. (Darby)

The leader will receive a crown when Jesus returns if his or her heart has been true to the calling of God and not self promoting.

1Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory. (MKJV)

It is not only the words spoken by a leader that are important but their actions. Most people in general only hear what they see.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember those leading you, who have spoken to you the Word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conduct: (MKJV)

It is how you respond or react under pressure that will have an impact upon you sheep, so all the areas of Judgment we have mentioned in this lesson are of doubly importance to the leader because of the Judgment they will receive.

If the leader is leading in accordance with the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit no one has the right to speak against their leading.

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Final word

We must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God, and not leaving it to another for others don’t have to live with the outcome, taking responsibility for our Christian walk rest with us.

John 5:22 For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (MKJV)

God has already set in place His Judgments and these can not be changed. The only thing that can be changed is our standing, whether we want to stay in sin or not.  Whether we want to adjust our thinking knowing God Judgments are final. Our judgments with Godly leading can avert a final destruction under Gods judgments.

God does not want to judge any of us. He wants us to assess our own condition of course He has given us His guidelines to follow the righteousness of His Son.

Q20/ God doesn’t want to judge us. (True or False)

He wants us to build a life that will not be burnt up in the fire but come out as pure gold.

The next lesson deals with the Crowns of reward we receive if we live a Godly life.

Let us have no regrets, we must judge ourselves with help from the Word of God.

Reflection and meditation only on the Word of God.