What steps help us "remove the beam" from our own eye first? Seeing the Real Issue: Matthew 7:3–5 “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Step 1: Invite Holy Spirit Diagnosis • Pray David’s prayer: “Search me, O God… see if there is any offensive way in me” (Psalm 139:23-24). • Ask the Spirit to spotlight attitudes or patterns you have grown blind to (John 16:8). • “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Step 2: Look Into Scripture’s Mirror • “The word of God is living and active… it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). • “Anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24). • Read slowly, letting each command or promise ask, “Am I obeying this?” Step 3: Confess the Obvious and the Hidden • “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). • Name sins specifically—no generalities, no excuses. • Agree with God’s verdict; call the beam what He calls it. Step 4: Repent Decisively • “Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). • Repentance means turning mind, heart, and behavior. • Replace sinful patterns with obedient choices (Ephesians 4:22-24). Step 5: Receive Christ’s Cleansing • “Let us draw near… having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (Hebrews 10:22). • Believe the completeness of Christ’s work; guilt that lingers after confession is unbelief, not humility. • Thank Him for restored fellowship (Psalm 51:7-12). Step 6: Build Safeguards Through Accountability • “Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness… Carry one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:1-2). • Invite a mature believer to ask hard questions regularly. • Stay connected to a local church where truth and grace keep vision clear (Hebrews 10:24-25). Step 7: Serve Others With Clear Sight and Humility • After the beam is removed, Jesus says “then you will see clearly to remove the speck” (Matthew 7:5). • Approach others “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). • Use your own story of repentance to encourage, not to condemn (Romans 15:1-2). Living Daily With Clear Vision • Begin each day with a brief heart check. • Keep short accounts—confess quickly. • Celebrate progress; beams once removed must not be reinstalled. |
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