Knowing Yourself

But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also. Mark 14:29-31 (New American Standard Bible)

One of the many dangerous pitfalls in the Christian life is to not know yourself. Although Jesus spelled it out plainly to Peter, he refused to accept the truth about himself. Refused to see the weaknesses that resided within him. Refusing to see them did not make them go away, but instead, kept him unprepared for the surfacing of those weaknesses. Peter was in denial even in the physical presence of Jesus. How imperative it is for each of us to be willing to know ourselves and admit the truth.

So what is it I must know and admit about myself? I must know where my wounds are for they are the very things the enemy will use against me. I must know those things to avoid because of how easily they will pull me in the wrong direction. I must know my own tendencies to attach myself to the wrong sources. I must know the basis and birthing of faulty reasoning and perceptions. I must know the truth about my flesh…that it will always be weak and will perpetually stand in opposition to what God wants for me. I must know which direction my thoughts will lead me and resist the ones that are directed toward pits of self pity, discouragement, and hopelessness. I must know in which areas I am mistakenly and prematurely assuming victory. I must know that in this life and in this body I have a sin nature and it is persistent.

It is just as necessary that I know the full truth. While I possess a sin nature, I also possess a new nature in Christ. I am defined by what God says about me. My worth, value, and significance are derived from Him and my relationship with Him. My weaknesses are the very opportunities for His strength to be displayed. I possess God’s spirit, God’s nature, and God’s Word. I am never alone and I am never out of His watch care. His purposes and callings on my life will be fulfilled. I am a work in progress and that progress is made one step and one lesson at a time.

Self examination and seeing the truth about myself is not meant to be a time of beating myself up or delving into the trap of self loathing. It is meant to be a reality check that ends in a climax of praise and thanksgiving to the One who knows me best and loves me most!

Father, with You I am safe to see the truth, admit the truth, and live out of the truth. Amen.

The Motions - Matthew West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.