A Spiritual Checklist for those who think they follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth...

Do I gossip under the cover of sharing prayer requests? Do I tell stories that harm other people's reputations? Do I talk behind their backs about their real or supposed faults? Am I a tale-bearer? Is making a name for mySELF the underlying motivation in all that I do?	Am I partial to my own kids, my own family, my kin, my clan, my church, my group, my club, my team, my organization, my denomination, my religious heritage, my political party, my ethnic heritage, my country, my ancestry, my genealogy, my descendants, or my own race?
Do I sing, play or otherwise perform in front of people? Do I enjoy exalting mySELF while professing to serve God? Would I be as anxious to perform, if no one could see me, or know who I am? Do I love standing up to give a testimony about my former life, bragging about the depth of my sins, rather than humbly and shamefacedly confessing them?	Am I a self-proclaimed Christian? Do I acknowledge others to be Christians because they say that they are? Do I overlook their rotten fruits? Do I keep the commandments? Do I fellowship with those of the world? with those who might be considered carnal Christians? Do I walk as Jesus walked?
Do I busybody? meddle in other's lives? give advice under the cover of ministry to others? try to mind other people's business? When I have a problem, do I phone my church friends for advice, instead of going first to the prayer closet? When I am with my church friends, do I talk about the things of God, or the things of the world? Do we confess our faults, one to another? Do we pray, one for another?	Am I addicted to food, drugs, sex, pornography, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, soda, sugar, chocolate, watching sports, shopping, performing, TV soaps, computer or video games, playing sports, reading romance novels, artistic pursuits, sewing crafts, television viewing, online news reading, celebrity gossip,...anything? Is there something that I just can't stay away from, for which my appetite is out of control?
Do I waste the resources that God has entrusted to me (or my spouse) on richly laden goods, lavish possessions, self-indulgent purchases? Do I spoil my kids? Am I lazy, or have I made constructive use of the time that God has given me in my allotted lifespan upon the earth?	Am I self-indulgent; always making excuses for staying in my sins? Do I explain quickly about why I haven't changed, about how I've been abused, about my dysfunctional spouse, my family background, etc.? Do I really think that God accepts me just the way I am, sins and all?
Am I careless in my stewardship? Do I take excellent care of the possessions that God has given me? Do I keep my things in order, or is the inside of my house, garage or car a disaster area? Does my slothfulness and unwillingness to be trustworthy in small responsibilities keep me from being blessed with larger ones? Am I a good example to those around me?	Do I tell white lies, or cheat on tests? Am I careful to tell the truth about a situation, or do I quickly change the presentation to make mySELF look good? Do I take credit for the work or ideas of others? Do I do, what I have to do, say, what I have to say, in order to get what I want, or to climb the ladder of worldly success? Do I keep my word to others?
Have I ever given credence to, or taken guidance from... astrology, good-luck charms, special medals, personal icons, superstitions, rituals, amulets, talismans, water witches, ouija boards, tarot cards, fortune cookies, figurines, statues, etc.? Have I participated in Halloween, gone to a fortune teller, gone to a medium or psychic reader, followed my horoscope?	Am I a supporter of war, strife and killing? Do I swear oaths, promote violence and enjoy debate and contention? Am I quick to debate on any topic, anxious to be on the winning side? Am I excited by violence on TV, in the movies, in video or computer games, on the playing field, in news coverage?
Do I believe that God will redeem some and reprobate others? Do I pray for all those people that God puts in front of me, or do I secretly judge some as hopelessly lost and not worth the effort?	Am I proud of myself, someone, or something? Do I have high SELF-esteem, or would I describe myself as humble? Do I think of myself as basically a good person, who has just made some wrong choices?
Do I align myself and my actions based on the counsel of religious scholars, academics, TV evangelists, apologists, theologians, my pastor, my church friends...or do I take my guidance from the still small voice within ? Do I do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, or because I'll get something for doing it?	Do I bristle when I remember a wrong someone has done to me? Do I lose my temper when something doesn't go my way? Am I jealous of the gifts or ministry of others? Do I covet another's skills, possessions, body shape, or even their spouse? Am I ungrateful for the physical state in which I find myself?...my abilities, my strengths, my weaknesses, my body type or weight, my health, my skin, my face, my hair type or hair color?
Do I look down on others in my fellowship? in my work? in my neighborhood, in my town? in other religions? in other cultures? in other nations?	Am I trying to decide, or to find out, just what my ministry is? rather than concentrating on the ongoing work of dying to SELF... taking the log out of my own eye before I can be a help to another.
Have I cheated the government? (i.e. on income taxes, unemployment insurance, welfare benefits, food stamps, social security, student loans, etc. gained by fraud?) Do I park in illegal places, such as handicapped spots, fire lanes, etc.? Do I routinely break the speed laws while driving? Do I run red lights and stop signs? Do I drive with expired license tags, with no insurance, with no valid drivers license?	Do I manipulate or bully others to get my will done? Do I routinely speak and act in ways that assure that I have my own way — to “get them to do something” that I desire? Do I seek to influence others? their actions, their beliefs, their purchases, their spending, their physical or spiritual renovation? Am I more interested in domination for mySELF, than in submission to the most High God?
Am I a good employee? Do I do all my work as unto the Lord? Am I thorough, careful to do the best that I can, conscientious, thoughtful of others? Am I a light in a dark place or do I join in the office gossip, laugh at the dirty jokes, help myself to office supplies to take home? Do I steal my employers' time by doing personal business while at my job, by surfing the Internet, by using office resources for personal reasons? Do I steal from my employer by hindering my co-workers from doing their jobs — taking their time needlessly, socializing, distracting them from doing the job that they are being paid to do?	Am I thankful to God for every blessing that comes to me through my employer?...my source of regular income? my benefits? my paid vacation? my health insurance? Are there some jobs that I absolutely won't do? Am I thankful for having a job at all, even if it is only part-time, realizing that there are those who would gladly have the opportunity that I have? Do I give God the credit for providing my employment, realizing that no one is entitled to a job in this world? Do I pray for my employer(s)? my fellow workers? Do I acknowledge God in front of others?...at my meals, at my work, in my home, in my conversations with co-workers, with my friends?
Do I live within my means? Am I content with what I have — the place I live, the means of transportation that I use, my clothes, my furnishings, my personal toys, etc? Do I routinely buy things to show off to my friends, relatives and co-workers? Do I make purchases before I can afford them? Do I "owe no man anything" or am I a slave to debt?	Am I impatient? Do I lose my temper easily? Am I frustrated when I have to wait in line, when I am caught in traffic, when my plans must be changed by circumstances outside my control? Does the seeming incompetence or inability of a person set my teeth on edge? Do I judge them or do I pray for them?
Do I spend more time richly decorating my body to go to church than I spend preparing my heart and mind for the worship that God so richly deserves? Do I steal attention from God by inviting the stares and admiration of others?	Am I ambitious? Do I love status, power, recognition, and things? Do I look at my things as though they are really mine...as if I have the right to use or dispose of them according to my will and pleasure? Do I accumulate possessions or wealth just to leave it for my family or to gain status in the world?
Are there things or people in my life that I routinely allow to get between me and the Lord? Are there activities, sports, charities, hobbies that I enjoy, that I would rather do, than to fellowship with God? Do I crave the acceptance of people rather than God?	Has anything in my life become a stronghold that stands between me and my further walk with God? Have I gotten into anything, involved myself with anyone, become addicted to any practice or appetite that now controls my thoughts, my resources or my time?
Have I indulged my children? avoided raising them up in the way they should go? excused myself and/or my spouse for not setting a good example for them to follow? Are my kids an example of good behavior, a pleasure for others to be around, or are they loud, demanding, rude, ill-mannered, and contentious?	Is my conversation sprinkled with words, such as “lucky” and “fortunate”, that give credit to the powers of darkness for my blessings (which come to me from God)? Do I avoid acknowledging God's help, His grace, and His patience with me by attributing positive occurrences, happenings, and circumstances to “fate”, karma” and “destiny”?
Do I have personal or family traditions and superstitions that I adhere to? Do they glorify God and his Kingdom, or do they divert from Him to the exaltation of the things of this World, to the lust of my eyes, to the lusts of my flesh, or to my pride in my own works, my family, my kingdom?	Do I observe pagan festivals under the guise of holy days even though I know their dark and pagan origins? Do I observe pagan traditions and set up their icons and idols in my home because they are part of my upbringing and church training, and because they appeal to my flesh and are popular in the world?
Have I come to God because I am acutely aware of my own sins, or have I come to God for what I think I can get out of Him...recognition, status, acceptance, forgiveness, blessings, prosperity, healing, deliverance, salvation...?	Am I bitter about a past hurt or incident? Is there someone or some group that I just can't stand? Is there someone that I can't forgive? If I have forgiven someone, did I also realize that the holding of unforgiveness in my heart towards them was also my own sin?
Do I make merchandize of the things of God?... attempting to make a financial gain from my self-proclaimed state of being a Christian?... whether it be a gain in worldly business or a gain from sharing the Gospel? Do I expect to be compensated for doing what God has called me to do?	Am I engaged in any sexual activity prohibited under the Commandments?, or do I fellowship with anyone who is? Am I sexually pure and holy as the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth was, and as he has called me to be?
Do I have lustful thoughts, commit adultery in my mind, in my fantasy? Do I undress the object of my affection (of my lust) with my eyes, and imagine immoral acts (transgressions) that excite and arouse me?	Do I pay for sexual favors or do I sell them to get what I want from my spouse or someone else? Is regular sex very important to me? Would I still stay with my spouse if there were no more sexual intercourse between us? Could I give it all up to follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth?

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to CONVICT the world of SIN... If the reading of the above causes some pain in your heart of hearts, take it as a wake-up call, from the Love of the Most High God, calling you to back away from the edge of the Dark Abyss. If anything (or many things) in the above checklist causes an internal twinge, a feeling of guilt, know that it is not condemnation; it is conviction... think of it as a heavenly laser-beam that just pierced through a hard covering over an area within you, where unconfessed sins have been hidden... sins that you have not faced, acknowledged, confessed to and repented of.
Beloved, these sins need to be dealt with! This is the part that you must do!

The Counterfeit Modern Gospel leaves out the need for you to do your part, (the acknowledging, the confessing, and the repenting of your particular past or present sins), before Jesus Christ of Nazareth can do His part, which is the forgiveness, and cleansing of them from you.   Failure to do your part — to acknowledge and confess your disobedience (sin) and willingness to turn from that sin in any area of your mind, any area of your heart, any area of your soul, any area of your spirit, any area of your body, any area of your life practices, any area of your life choices — leaves you wide open for the programmed scriptural Old Testament “curses of disobedience” that will influence your body and rage in your life, effecting not only your own circumstances, but those for whom you are responsible.
   The only thing that you can do on your own to initiate this process, is to yield yourself to the direction of the Holy Spirit, who knows you from your beginning to your core, who promises not to give you more than you can bear, who can guide you through the unpeeling of the onion-style layers and serpentine snarls and tangles of sin that you are burdened with.
   When your unconfessed sins are brought to your attention, when you are convicted by the Holy Spirit, be honest with yourself and in a timely manner, do your part — the acknowledging, the confessing, and the repenting of those unconfessed sins .
   Listen inwardly for further guidance, be patient and totally surrender to the work of Christ in you that must next take place in each instance. The more you deny your SELF, with all its strongholds, the more room there will be within you for the New Birth to take root and grow.
   Brethren, this is an ongoing process, so let the order and timing of your spiritual journey come from the still small voice of the Holy Spirit of Truth, our counselor and teacher within. Be willing to take the time necessary to deal with what you are shown, as soon as possible, because subsequent calls, when they come, in our humble experience, may be more uncomfortable that the one before.

Dear Reader, if you recognize that you have been ensnared in the counterfeit of modern Christianity, and your desire is to become a true follower Jesus Christ of Nazareth as revealed in the original gospel, you must acknowledge that you have missed the narrow way. You must allow the Holy Spirit to take you back to the drawing board, with thanksgiving for being awakened to your error. There is still an opportunity to "redeem the time" that has been lost. It will be a new journey, but you will never be alone.

Could I be a Counterfeit Christian ?