Reference

Luke 17:25-27
Know Yourself

This powerful message confronts one of the most challenging tensions in Christian living: how do we reconcile Jesus's command to deny ourselves with His instruction to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? Drawing from Luke 10:25 and the greatest commandment, we're invited into a journey of self-discovery that isn't about self-absorption but about spiritual maturity. The core revelation is striking—we cannot be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. When we suppress our feelings, ignore our emotions, or live behind masks of performance and possessions, we actually shut off a vital channel of communication with God. The message challenges us to examine three deceptive lies that keep us from knowing our true identity: the lie that we are what we do, the lie that we are what we have, and the lie that we are what others think. Through the lens of Jesus's temptation in the wilderness, we see how Satan still uses these same tactics to keep us from discovering who God created us to be. The call is clear: tune out distractions, surround ourselves with the right people, step out of our comfort zones, and most importantly, see ourselves the way God sees us—as fearfully and wonderfully made, as the very pupil of His eye. This isn't New Age philosophy; it's biblical truth that sets us free to love authentically.