How Well Do You Know Yourself?

I recently started taking classes and every time I study a subject I learn something new about myself. I learn my likes and dislikes. I get more in tune with who I am. Sometimes it’s hard to hear with all the noise (distractions, literal noise, my own fears, etc.), but if I quiet down, I get to know myself a little bit better. And the better I get to know myself, the more I realize I have to lean on Jesus. The more I realize how much I need Him. 

When I think back over my life, I realize how much God has blessed me and opened doors I never could have opened on my own. He has constantly been there just as He promised He would and my life has taken twists and turns and I still question how I ended up where I am. I can see the hand of God on my life and He has expanded my territory. Even in ways I didn’t ask. 

I recently took a spiritual gifts assessment (Romans 12) and it confirmed some things I knew and surprised me with others. It opened my thinking to other ways God can use me. Do you know your spiritual gifts? If not, I suggest you find out.  Here’s one test – www.giftstest.com, but there are many. Knowing what they are, the vulnerabilities associated with them and some of their traits, may help you better serve the Father.  Whatever they are, we just have to be submitted to Him so we’re doing things His way and not our own (1 Pet 4:10-11). It’s sometimes easy to get caught up and thinking your gifting makes you more important than someone with another gift. It’s not true (1 Cor 12:12-18).  Spiritual gifts from God may be different but not of more value. That’s why it’s so important to be honest with God and ourselves.

The more intimately I know Jesus, the more I hear Him and His direction (Prov 3:5-7). Also, the more I know Him, the more He reveals to me about myself. It is so important to know who we are with all the built in God given gifts and talents. God made you to be you, not someone else. The more we know ourselves, the better we can serve Him and worship Him with our lives. That is why we were redeemed – to worship Him. 

God wants us to bring ourselves to Him with all our talents and gifts and with all our flaws.  His Power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9). When we know ourselves and are honest with ourselves, we will give God glory because we can’t possibly take it for ourselves. He is worthy of our submission to His will and He is deserving of all our praise and worship (Rev 4:11). 

Do you know yourself well enough to give Him all the worship He deserves from you? If not, spend some alone time with Him. You never know what He’ll reveal, but you’ll be better off in the knowing.