Prayer of Examen is an ancient prayer exercise in which you ask God to explore your life, attitude and action, and do the proper adjustments. I wrote this specific exercise using the fruit of the spirit as a guideline to weigh our attitudes and actions against. Its nice to do about once a week to get your bearings straight.
Start by praying Psalms 139:23-24
“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.”
Read Galatians 5:22-23 answering the below questions concerning each fruit. For the failures you see, ask forgiveness and repent without justification. For the successes you see, thank God for the strength to do what is right.
…when the Spirit controls our life, He will produce this kind of fruit in us…
LOVE
This week have you lived with an awareness of others hurts, needs, dreams or have you lived with a developed callousness to anything but your own hurts, needs, dreams.
JOY
This week have you lived with an awareness of God’s constant and continual blessing in your life, right down to each breath you take being a gift from God, or have you lived with an over awareness of things you don’t possess or circumstances that would be better. (also called envy)
PEACE
This week have you lived with an inner quietness, peace, and assurance that God is in control and has you in mind as He runs the universe, or have you lived with anxiety, fear, and a sense that it is you against the world.
PATIENCE
This week have you lived with a patience for others faults, failings, let downs, or have you lived life with an attitude of entitlement and superiority.
KINDNESS/GOODNESS
This week have you let love, joy, peace, and patience outwardly express itself to those you encounter, from stranger to family, with an attitude of kindness and goodness, or have you let the absence of love, joy, peace, and patience express itself in rudeness, feelings of entitlement, seeking your own agenda at the expense of others well being, inconsiderate of others, or feelings of fear of being taken advantage of.
FAITHFULLNESS
This week have you lived with a steady assurance that you can rely upon God, and expressed that assurance by being reliable to your family, friends, and strangers, or have you been more like a ship in a storm at the mercy of the wind and waves, ad expressed dount by being wavering and unreliable.
GENTLENESS
This week have you lived with an attitude of humility and gentleness and mildness or have you lived with a feeling of being right, superior, or better than those you meet. Have you acted in angry, oppressive, manipulating, or violent ways.
SELF CONTROL
Have you lived with gratitude for the blessings you have, moderating and controlling the good experiences, in full control of life, or have you over indulged in things letting them take control of your life; food, drink, money, work, shopping, entertainment, hobbies, vices.
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