2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! ESV

Here is the mistake most often made by new believers. If you have surrendered to Christ’s Lordship recently, hopefully yesterday, then you need to know this. You are not being tested for your faithfulness. Your ability to be obedient to commands is not in question. Once again, it is not about how good you are now that you are a new person in Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17) The testing is to identify and realize Christ in you.

You are you and your memories, emotions, and character have not changed, yet. They will if you walk by faith. Living a life of faith is not so much about your faithfulness as it is His.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So you should be looking for evidence of Christ in you to determine if your faith is of God. What is that evidence? It is like a petri dish, where a live culture is grown to be examined. Given that your faith was planted in a prepared heart and changed, now you can examine your growth.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Isaiah 32:4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

Yesterday I proposed a scientific experiment to prove that my God exists. While examining the setup for the experiment we came across the need for a change of heart. At this point in the experiment set up there will be those that are reluctant to proceed any further. I can hear them saying now; “There is nothing wrong with my heart. I do not need nor want to change.”

To this I have to ask, “Why did you challenge me in the first place?”

Was it to mock me? Was it to prove me a fool? Was there no sincerity in your quest to find God? At the very root of any God search has to be an earnest desire to know God, His ways and His will. Without it any challenge to me or any other believer is pointless. If you do not believe my witness, fine, there is nothing I care to do about that. Sincerity has to be the basis for this experiment in seeking truth.

If you begin an experiment to prove a negative, you will not follow the rules of the experiment and any result will be worthless. At this point if you truly want to continue this scientific approach in finding God, then the next step has to be accepted as necessary and vital to validate your data.

Accept that you are not perfect and that change is required. Good is not good enough, perfection is demanded. You have to repent of your imperfections and submit to the Lordship of the King who will give you ears to hear and eyes that see faith that needs to be tested. Anything less and the experiment is over and you have failed.