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 (Written by Rudi Swanepoel) "Witfield Hardware, can I help you?" The telephone rang and gave me a well-deserved break from the customers in the store. It was a busy Saturday morning. It seemed that every man in Witfield, my hometown in South Africa, was fixing something that day. My dad owned the hardware store and I worked for him on Saturdays. There are two things I will never forget about the store and about growing up: Those busy Saturday mornings and stocktaking. Once every year we had to take inventory of everything in the store. The whole family joined in the "fun" as we counted everything from nuts and bolts to lawnmowers and bicycles. I remember how, at that time, I questioned the usefulness of the whole stocktaking business, but today, being in the ministry, I fully realize the importance of regular, accurate stocktaking in our lives. Everything must be accounted for. The Lord revealed to me this important aspect of our Christian lives and I would like to share it with you. We read in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified), "Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you - unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?" [See also RSV NASB NIV] . Most people do not like to be tested or examined. What Paul talks about here is not test or examination as we think of it, but rather spiritual stocktaking. There are four reasons why we as Christians need to take inventory of our lives regularly. 1. All stolen things must be returned. How do you know a thief has visited your life? Simply ask one question: What do I have to offer? If your immediate response is "not much" or "I do not know," you probably were the target of a demonic or circumstantial thief or both. Sometimes the enemy uses circumstances as well. Once you know what was stolen, you can claim it back! Identify your losses and let the Lord restore them to you. My experience is that He restores not just what you’ve lost, but even more. Remember John 10:10, "I (Jesus) came that you might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." [RSV NASB NIV] . Remember one thing: Do not accept anything back from the enemy in less than perfect condition. He will try to break the stolen thing so you are left with the pieces. Which brings us to the second reason for spiritual stocktaking. 2. All things broken must be repaired. In Africa, every year during the Spring, a bird demonstrates true trust. The female Hornbill will find a hollow tree trunk to lay her eggs in. She will go into the hollow and let her mate close the hole with mud. When the mud is dried she plucks her feathers to secure a comfortable bed for the eggs to be incubated. With her feathers plucked, she cannot fly for several weeks. Her mate brings her food everyday and feeds her through a very tiny hole in the mud. She is completely delivered into his capable hands (wings). That, my friends, is trust! If he fails her, she and her young will die. That is the way we should be able to put our trust in God. Are you willing to "pluck your feathers" and let God take care of you and everything in your life? Someone once said: "If you put your trust in people you will be disappointed." That may be true to some degree, but a husband has to be able to completely trust his wife in every situation in order to have a solid and healthy marriage. And vice versa. Such trust is earned. Do you give the people in your life enough reason to trust you? Another thing that can easily be broken is your heart. Broken emotions. A broken spirit that generates feelings of depression and hopelessness. These are serious "things!" How do you know whether you have broken "things" in your life? Again, ask one question: "What do I need?" If you could stand before the Lord right now and could ask Him to do something in your life without giving you something concrete like money, houses or cars, etc., what would you ask Him to do for you? Remember these broken "things" can only be repaired by the expert repairman--Jesus. Jesus heals brokenness, no matter what the cause or how bad it is in your life. Which brings us to the third reason for spiritual stocktaking. 3. Whatever is old, must be renewed. What can become old in our lives? Virtually everything! Your body is not what it was ten years ago. "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and power." - Isaiah 40:31 [RSV NASB NIV] . Your love can become stale and old. Jesus was concerned about His church in the book of Revelation who "lost their first love." They settled to dwell in the valleys and not on the heights as before. The Lord called them to repentance. - Revelation 2:4-5 [RSV NASB NIV] .
Another thing that can get old in your life is your commitment. It is always good to renew your vows to your spouse every now and then; to renew your commitment to God everyday in prayer; to renew your commitment to your church by getting involved in ministry like never before. Other things that may become "old" include your faith, your words, your prayers, etc. Someone once said: "the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth!" We can get so set in our ways and fall into a rut that we might just as well be dead already, never doing anything new or different. How do you know if something is old in your life? By asking: "What is lacking in my life?" So many Christians live in lack because they adopted an "old-fashioned" lifestyle in the Spirit. God does not grow old. It was only after sin entered the lives of Adam and Eve that they started to grow old. If there is something we all need in life, it is the overhauling, renewing power of the Lord to keep our spirit-man young, vigorous and filled with Holy Spirit energy to get God’s job done! Finally, the fourth reason for spiritual stocktaking. 4.What is outdated must be replaced. Life without change - Somebody once said: "Life without change is like living in the dead center of town: the cemetery." If you think about it, even there you’ll find change. Trees grow taller, grass grows longer, and graves increase with tombstones galore! For a wake-up call on change, just look at fashion. The nineties had a different look than the eighties, seventies, and sixties. Pictures taken a few years ago will show you wearing clothes you would not be caught dead in today! Commercials on TV have changed as well. Why? Let’s face it, life without change is impossible! Then why are we so reluctant to change? We always tend to refer to the good old days. If only we enjoyed those good old days before they got to be that old!
How do you know if there are outdated things in your life? Just ask yourself: "What is excess in my life that I can do without?" We can all do without dead legalistic religion and have a vibrant relationship with God. We can all make many changes in our lives for the better. Stop singing: "I shall not be moved!" and move deeper into the things of the Lord. We can all exchange our lives that are dry and dead for the Living Waters of Life. Spiritual stocktaking, can we ever truly
value its importance? Everything in our lives must be accounted for! As
Christians we will be evaluated and rewarded for everything we
did......EVERYTHING! Start counting......one, two, three, four,.....go on! What
are you waiting for? Test yourself "to see if you are in the faith!" (2
Corinthians 13:5)
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"The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy...." - John
10:10 [
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me........He has
sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden,
bruised, crushed and broken down by calamity]" - Luke 4:18 (Amplified)
[
Your mind can become "old." The mind includes your attitude, ideals, thoughts,
and emotions. Paul writes: "Do not be conformed to this world (this age),
[fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be
transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals
and its new attitude]." - Romans 12:2
[
Religion and Legalism - We are not called to be religious but to have a
relationship with the Lord. Religion always tends to join hands with legalism
and together they become a pair of handcuffs to tie you up! You soon lose your
freedom in the Lord, given to you through Divine grace. Driven by guilt and
fear, you go through the motions of being religious, but never experience the
dynamic power that a real and intimate relationship with Jesus generates. 
Desert Life - So many Christians remind me of the Israelites. They (the
Israelites) lived in the desert so long that they had grown accustomed to the
scorpions, sand, sun, and lack of water. They could tell you a story about every
stone and dune. It was not God’s intention for them to stay in the desert. He
kept telling them about the Promised Land. There they were hoping, wishing, and
longing for the place overflowing with milk and honey, only to open their eyes
to see sand, dust, and desert. An unholy contentment has infiltrated the lives
of many Christians. They are content in going on as yesterday without seeing any
evidence of the mighty power of the Lord working in their lives. They sing: "I
get so thrilled with Jesus..." showing none of the emotions they sing about; "I
love to tell the story of Jesus and His glory" when they have not witnessed to
anyone in years; "Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning" when the fire for the
Gospel went out long ago; and "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His
wonderful face" when their eyes are fixed on the stockmarket, looking full into
the face of President Franklin on the $100 bill.