The State of Your Inner Life

As another year turns the corner, the question arises How healthy is your soul? For many, New Year’s resolutions center around health and productivity diet plans, exercise regimens, financial goals. But what of the soul, that most vital and eternal part of us?

Seventeenth-century pastor John Bunyan once warned of the slow, calculated approach of the devil: “I will cool you insensibly, by degrees, by little and little.” This chilling is rarely sudden; it creeps in quietly, rocking us gently into spiritual slumber. The tragedy? We may not notice the cold until we are numb. That’s why Scripture calls us to watch ourselves (Luke 21:34), to pay close attention (Hebrews 2:1), and to examine our hearts regularly (2 Corinthians 13:5).

So, as you reflect on the past and prepare for what lies ahead, here are six spiritual diagnostics to help you assess the condition of your soul and rekindle your walk with Christ.

1. Your Heart: Do You Desire God?

The health of the soul begins in the heart. Proverbs 4:23 instructs, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Jesus echoed this in the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Ask yourself: Is God your chief desire? Can you echo David’s longing, “One thing have I asked of the Lord… to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4)? Or Asaph’s confession: “Whom have I in heaven but you?” (Psalm 73:25)? Even if God feels distant, the ache of that distance is itself a sign of spiritual vitality. The danger lies not in dryness but in indifference.

2. Your Habits: Do You Draw Near to God?

Our hearts follow our habits. A cold heart often signals a neglected Bible or a prayer life reduced to routine. Jesus urged us to pray “in secret” (Matthew 6:6) and meditate on God’s Word daily (Psalm 1:2). These unseen disciplines are the walls protecting our souls.

How have your devotional habits fared in recent weeks? Have you met God in the early morning, like Robert Murray M‘Cheyne who wrote, “Rose early to seek God, and found him whom my soul loveth”? Or have the distractions of screens, schedules, and stress choked out the spiritual oxygen your soul needs?

3. Your Hope: Are You Living with Eternity in View?

Healthy souls are heavenly-minded. They feel the weight of eternity more than the weight of worldly cares. The apostle Paul reminded us that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Would your life your attitude, spending, planning, conversations tell others that you believe heaven is your true home? Or has your hope dimmed in the glow of temporal comforts? The most spiritually vibrant saints are those who carry eternity close to their hearts and let it shape their every step.

4. Your Enemies: Are You Letting Anything Dominate You?

We often think of enemies as external. But the most destructive ones are internal: desires, habits, and dependencies that quietly enslave us. Paul’s warning to the Corinthians still rings true: “I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Ask yourself: Is there something seemingly harmless entertainment, social media, a comfort food, a relationship that has begun to master you? Could you let it go for a year? If not, it may be time to confront an enemy disguised as a neutral pastime. What begins as lawful may, over time, become lethal.

5. Your Friends: Are You Living in Christlike Community?

The New Testament gives us more than 50 “one another” commands evidence that the Christian life is not solo but communal. We are called to serve, forgive, exhort, and encourage one another. In doing so, we grow into the image of Christ.

Reflect on your local church life: Have you practiced these commands? Have others grown in holiness because of your presence in their lives? Have you spoken truth that turned a wandering heart back to God? According to a 2023 Barna study, only 29% of Christians say they experience spiritual growth through Christian friendships a troubling sign of disconnectedness in the body.

The soul thrives in community, not isolation.

6. Your Neighbors: Are You Making Christ Known?

Christ’s final command to us was clear: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This mission isn’t reserved for pastors or missionaries. Every believer is called to share Christ in word and deed.

Are you taking part in God’s kingdom work at home, in your neighborhood, or through your church? According to Pew Research, roughly 55% of Christians say they rarely or never share their faith. Yet the healthiest Christians are those who live beyond themselves, who feel the thrill of obeying Jesus in uncomfortable places and unfamiliar conversations.

Even busy seasons of life parenting, caregiving, work are not hindrances but opportunities to bring the gospel into everyday rhythms.

From Coldness to Communion

After asking these questions, you may feel discouraged. The devil would love for that to become despair. But self-examination is not an invitation to self-condemnation it’s an invitation to draw near to Jesus. Richard Sibbes reminds us, “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.”

Jesus does not shame you for your coldness. He invites you to come near again.

So where have you grown cool? In your desire? In your disciplines? In your witness? Identify one area and bring it to Christ. Let His kindness lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4). Ask Him to rekindle your heart, to renew your hunger for Him, and to restore your joy in salvation.

You are not too far gone. The Lord of warmth and mercy still welcomes you.

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