Living in Increase (Part 10) - Increase in AwarenessSample

Week 1: Self-Awareness

Who Are You, Really?

As usual, I would like to start by explaining the week’s topic. Self-awareness is a conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires. Self-aware people tend to be wise, honest, humble, and confident. But what if you want to be these things and say you are these things but aren’t? That is the opposite of self-awareness: self-denial.

Self-denial is when someone doesn’t know (or doesn’t want to admit) who they truly are or their feelings, motives, or desires. It is hard to honestly know oneself without knowing who God is. I was furthest from my true self when I was far from God. And, I’ll admit, I was acutely unaware of things I was doing that didn’t align with God’s Word.

Once you know God’s Word, understand what He created us for, and love Him, you become aware of your behavior and the reasons behind it. This awareness can be a long and painful process because there is “ugly” in all of us. However, it can be a rewarding and wonderful process because there is beauty in us, too. When we become aware of our motives, desires, and feelings, we will stop hurting others to make ourselves feel better because we are confident in who we are in Christ.

Like Paul, today’s Scripture teaches us how to fail and succeed, how to have less and more, and how to do all these things humbly and confidently because God strengthens us with each new situation.

This week is about assessing ourselves so we can become self-aware. We want to discover who we are right now so we can be the best authentic version of ourselves in Christ.

In “Knowing Your Role: Self-awareness,” George Ross says, “You cannot grow in self-awareness apart from gospel-centered friendships.” Ross asks, “How are you intentionally pursuing deep and meaningful friendships?” The first step to becoming self-aware is being around the right people.

Monica Barnes

Action Step: Text or call a friend today to continue pursuing meaningful friendships.