Spiritual Engine Diagnostic
Something Has Gone Wrong With My Life

When the vehicle you drive is not running properly you usually take it to a well trained mechanic.  He or she will perform an engine diagnostic to determine what might be causing the problem.  But what do you do when your spiritual life seems to be sputtering along?  The three step "Spiritual Engine Diagnostic" described below is designed to help you sort out what might be causing your spiritual sputtering.

Step One: Using a 4 Seat Car to Help Explain Decision Making.  In each of the 4 seats illustrated below sits one of the 4 "passengers" that provide an input into every decision you make:


  • Seat #1 represents the Physical You... Your Body.  Believing things about the physical you like, "I'm too fat, I'm too tall, I'm too short, I'm gorgeous, I'm perfect, I'm ugly, or I'm too something" can impact your decision making.
  • Seat #2 represents the Psychological You... Your Mind.  Your thought patterns, your emotions, your passion level, your intellect, your temperament, and your psychological stability can impact your decision making.
  • Seat #3 represents the Relationship You... All the People in Your Life.  For example, your spouse, or ex spouse, your children or step children, your parents, or in-laws, or former in-laws, friends, or co-workers, neighbors, etc. can impact your decision making.
  • Seat #4 represents the Moral You... The rules, ethics, codes of conduct, world views, etc. that you choose to follow.  Belief systems like creation, evolution, religion, politics, humanism, atheism, legalism, and the other umpteen "isms" can impact your decision making.


The three "shaded" areas in your decision making vehicle are:
  1. A "GPS" indicator... installed by the manufacturer to help guide you through life
  2. A "Baggage" compartment... where you deposit the baggage you pick up along the way
  3. The letters "M" and "F" between the four seats represent "M" for male, and "F" for female
Does that mean that men and women (labeled Dave and Darlene below) operate differently when making decisions... Duh!!


  • "Dave" on the left usually decides what to do by "comparing" his actions to what other men might do.  For Dave, it's a physical or competition thing... it's about "doing" something, "solving" something, or "fixing" something.  Dave is mainly concerned with how his "doing something, solving something, or fixing something" stacks up against other guys. "Feelings" and "emotions" do play a role in a guy's decision making process, but it's usually a secondary role.
  • "Darlene" on the right usually decides what to do by considering how she "feels" about the decision to be made, and how her actions might impact the feelings of others.  For Darlene, it's a relationship thing... it's about "feelings" and "emotions."  "Analyzing" facts does play a role in a woman's decision making process, but it's usually a secondary role.
  • Neither operating style is better or worse... they're just different... very different!!
Step Two: How to Use the 4 Seat Decision Making diagram: We have provided a "Dave and Darlene" decision making worksheet for you to download here.



Once you have a copy of the Dave and Darlene worksheet handy, ask yourself four basic questions:
  1. Is my current problem being driven by my physical health, appearance, urges, or addictions (Seat #1)
  2. Is my current problem being driven by my thoughts and emotional drama when making decisions (Seat #2)
  3. Is my current problem being driven by one or more people in my life (Seat #3)
  4. Is my current problem being driven by the rules I have chosen to live by (Seat #4)
Simply put, one of the 4 passengers in the "Dave and Darlene" diagram above is currently giving directions for your life (either Your Body - Your Mind - The People in your life - or The Rules you currently follow).  The other three passengers, and the baggage you are carrying, will follow you thru life until (a) you decide to change direction, or (b) you decide to process the baggage in the trunk!

To help you better understand the inner workings between the 4 passengers riding in your decision making vehicle, let's take a quick look at two examples provided below that illustrate how the 4 passengers interact during your decision making process:



Example One Above: 16 year old Dave feels lonely and disconnected from his peers.  One day a young gang member introduces Dave to the local gang.  Young Dave now feels connected and important.  The "people" in the gang now become the most important thing in Dave's young life (Seat #3).  This means that the rules Dave will now follow (gang rules, Seat #4), the way Dave will treat his body and the body of other people he comes in contact with (Seat #1), and what Dave now thinks about and is passionate about (Seat #2) will be driven by the "people" in the gang (Seat #3) and the rules they follow (Seat #4).



Example Two Above:  Darlene is 26.  She is divorced with two children.  She feels alone and trapped.  One day someone introduces Darlene to Christ.  When Darlene accepts Christ as her personal savior to rule and reign in her life forever, she realigns her life to reflect the new most important person in her life: Christ (Seat #3).  This means that her new rules for living will be found in the Holy Bible (Seat #4); the way she now treats her body and others around her (Seat #1) will be guided by the most important person in her life (Christ); and her thoughts and passions (Seat #2) are now guided by serving the most important person in her life... Christ!

Simply put... every life decision you make is driven by what you consider to be first priority in your life.  And if and when your life priorities change, every other area in your life must also change if the new life priority is to be supported.

Step Three: Sorting out the Baggage.  A list of possible "baggage" items from your past that might be causing you decision making problems today is provided below:


  • unresolved psychological issues from your childhood - abuse, or loss, or abandonment, etc., Seat #2
  • adolescence - when you became a genius... "I know what is best for ME now!!" Seat #2
  • college - you are free from your unenlightened parents... "all rules about my life are now equal", Seat #4
  • choice of friends - they were behind me 100% until... I ran out of money; I lost my car; I got in trouble, Seat #3
  • dating/marriage - he or she is soooooo perfect; it will last forever, Seat #3
  • kids - wow, I'm a dad/mom... but why are kids so time consuming? There's no time for ME! Seat #3
  • divorce - the perfect he or she that I married has for some reason become a perfect jerk/bozo/moron, Seat #3
  • remarriage - ah... this is better, I think/hope.  Oh no... why am I always drawn to ______? Seat #2
  • former spouse with their new spouse - the potential terrorist cell from Hades, Seat #3
  • step kids - a potentially unpleasant situation for everyone, especially the step kids, Seat #3
  • career choice - it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm stuck. I hate my job! Seat #4
  • brand of spirituality - any brand works during the good times.  How about during a crisis? Seat #4
  • declining health - it happens, Seat #1 or #2
  • accidental physical disability - it happens, Seat #1
  • natural disaster - it too could happen, Seat #1 - #2 or #3
  • unexpected loss of a parent or child - a humpty dumpty, pieces everywhere, broken heart, Seat #3
  • etc. - you can bet that there will be several unexpected etceteras in your life, Seats #1 - #2 - #3 - or #4
Once you have sorted out what might have gone wrong in your past, or continues to go wrong today, we recommend you consider asking Christ (Seat #3) to send the Holy Spirit into your decision making vehicle to help you process the baggage.  Carrying around all that "Junk in the Trunk" is unnecessary, and it keeps you from using fully the wonderful gift that GOD has given you to share with others.



It's easy to do... just pray the following prayer from your heart and mind (Seat #2):

“Father, I know deep inside that my sins have separated me from you.
Please forgive me. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Thanks for stopping by.  And remember... if you're not happy with where you are today, and you keep doing what you did in the past, then you'll keep getting in the future what you've got right now!

"For where your treasure is (the passenger that's driving your life), there your heart will be also" Luke 12:34