"Self-examination"

"My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me." (Psalms 38:10) It really does not take being a doctor to detect some issues of growing old and weary; but it does take a little common sense to come to realize that our life is but a vapor: here today and gone tomorrow. Actually, these can also be symptoms of sin taking a toll on our soul, soul being the center of our passions and desires; for these are the common functions that are driven by the Holy Spirit, such as, He puts love in our hearts, boldness and strength within our inner man, and gives us Light to see the spiritual battle that is all around us. It's really not a matter of having the Holy Spirit leave us, because I am not quite sure that can happen once we have been born again; but it could be a matter of the out-pouring of the Spirit upon our lives no longer being poured out; which can take away from us the ability to have the capacity to love as we should love, have boldness and strength to fight the good fight, and to see with the Light that only comes by walking in the Spirit. Personally, I am not under the opinion that once filled always filled, because I believe that we need a re-filling of the Holy Spirit as part of our normal Christian life; in other words, we need to literally ask God to pour out His Spirit upon us, as much as we need His Spirit to be poured out upon us; for some of us, that might be once in awhile, while some might require His pouring out every single day; it all depends on how often we quench the Holy Spirit, and how often we have sin in our lives that goes on without being confessed. Basically, these are three simple things for us to do for self-examination of our spiritual condition, at any time, and whenever we might feel as though we are lacking the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon our lives: Do I love my brethren unconditionally? Because if I base my love for anyone upon how I am treated, or what I get out of the relationship, then I fail that test; Do I have the boldness and the strength to strength to fight the good fight? Because if I have not the mind of Christ when it comes to walking out the gospel, and resisting temptations and lustful desires, then I fail that test also. Do I have the Light guiding my sight? Because, if I do not see as God sees, then I am going to be far removed from doing what is right, and having my eyes fixed upon the things that really matter. If we find ourselves in this condition of lacking, the remedy is really quite simple, and requires just a three part transition: confess our sin, turn from that sin, and ask God to pour out His Spirit upon our lives; which might require us to keep on asking... "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:9-13)