Question #3

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if something in your thought closet doesn't belong. Do you have some sin hanging around? It could be a still-growing root of bitterness; it could be an unwillingness to embrace pure thoughts. Maybe it's self-slander. Don't post them here! Tell God, write them in a private journal, or confess them to a Bible study buddy, or accountability partner. 
Asking God to search your heart is a way to be spiritually alert. It is like telling your soul....AWAKE!
The Hebrew word translated "awake" means "wake, lift up (self), stir up (self)." I like to think of it as "tuning in." With a Spirit-controlled thought closet, the Holy Spirit alerts us to the dirt in our thought closets. He convicts us of our sins.

What is the action we are to take when we become aware of our sin (1John 1:9)?

1 John 1:9 (New International Version, ©2010)

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.