Psalm 139:23 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
Whatever we are unaware of, we cannot get free from. They say ignorance is bliss, but I disagree. Freedom is bliss. When God reveals an unhealthy area of our life, it’s not to shame us, it’s to free us. Repentance is not about condemnation, it’s for our freedom. It’s to ultimately make us more like Jesus. It’s time to defeat these enemies of growth. Are you up for the challenge? Let’s dive right in.
Enemy #1 – Ego
What it is and what it’s not: Ego is not confidence, ego is rooted in pride.
Confidence is an essential quality of a leader. Godly confidence is rooted in knowing who God has created you to be. It’s resting in your identity as a son/daughter and living from that place. When you know who you are, you can lead with vision. Because if you don’t have a vision, no one will want to follow you. So as you can see, confidence is essential. You don’t have to walk in false humility and think less of yourselves, it’s just a matter of thinking of yourself less and others more.
Ego plays out like this: it shows up in a refusal to receive advice from others, especially others who don’t think like you. It makes light of getting wise counsel, and advice from others, because it makes you think it’s unnecessary. That you don’t need it. It makes it hard to be open to learning and growing from others. It also makes it hard to listen to advice and follow it. Everything feels like it’s beneath you, and not beneficial for you.
Ego shows up with an “I can do it myself” mentality. It makes you think you are in charge of your success and you can do it all on your own.
Ego will stunt your growth. It will convince you you’re better off on your own, when in reality, it is holding you back from so much more you could have. The ego is the hardest thing to destroy because it often doesn’t think it has any ego to get rid of.
3 action steps to walk in the opposite spirit of ego:
- Be intentional with those around you. Who is one person you can encourage and affirm? Be specific and go out of your way to love and serve others!
- Invite people into your life. Ask for wisdom, other’s opinions, and work in collaboration with others on a project. Implement the advice you’ve been given and see how it goes!
- Get honest feedback from others. Ask someone you trust to point out blind spots in your life and make a plan of action based on their feedback.
Take a moment this week to ask God to search your heart and see if there are any patterns where your ego could be getting in the way of your growth.
Ego unchecked can lead to isolation and we need people to help us carry out the assignments in our lives. We weren’t made to do life alone.
Subscribe below to follow along with this series and we’ll let you know when the next part is live!
Sign up to receive my posts via email and get a FREE copy of The Five Enemies of Growth!
