Wholeness and Self-Awareness

John 10:10 (NKJV)

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

We want to build healthy people who walk in the fullness of the abundant life that Jesus paid for. Self-awareness is a key trait of those who walk in wholeness.

Self-awareness is the ability to know what is going on inside of you at all times.

Self-awareness opens your eyes to the spiritual realities around you. You become empowered to reject and undo the work of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy you.

As an example, let’s say you check yourself at the door before entering a room and you feel wonderful. When you enter the room you begin to feel anxious and stressed. You have two options when this happens: 

1. Disregard the feeling and just go with the flow, or 

2. Use tools of self-awareness to determine why you feel that way and do something about it. This is where Heaven invades Earth.

The mature and healthy individual will choose the second option. The first step of self-awareness is to figure out the source of what you are feeling. Using the previous example here are three possibilities I see for this kind of an internal change:

1. Holy Spirit has given you a gift of discernment and you are picking up on how others are feeling. He is revealing this to you so that you can shift the atmosphere.

2. Someone has either pushed your buttons or has bumped into areas of offense you’ve been holding onto. You have deep-rooted hurts that need to be addressed and healed (often times there needs to be a deep work of inner-healing.)

3. You have unmet needs that are rising to the surface at that moment. This is an invitation to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into wholeness.

Unmet needs always lead to pain. Ignoring pain and not properly processing it first with the Lord, and second, with trusted others, will lead to a messy situation. 

This can look like processing the unresolved pain in front of others. Remember, ministry is the overflow of your life. Imagine shaking a bottle of champagne endlessly. Eventually, the pressure inside of the bottle becomes greater than the resistant pressure of the glass, and there is a messy and sticky overflow! If pain is not dealt with, eventually it will come out whether you like it or not.

The reality is that no one likes to feel pain. Usually, I find myself suppressing and numbing the pain that I’m feeling through a harmful behavior. When I was a teenager this was done by getting high. Now as an adult I have a tendency to numb the pain by binge-watching The Office. It is natural to do whatever you have to do to stop the pain you’re feeling.

The best way to stop pain is to find its source. Unmet needs always lead to pain.

So, what needs do we have?

Spirit Needs:

• What does God say about me?

• Have I connected with Him today?

• When did I worship Him last?

Soul Needs:

• How’s my self-talk?

• Have I felt encouraged today?

• Have I felt cared for today?

• Have I felt loved today?

Body Needs:

• Have I been eating healthy?

• How’s my sleep life?

• Am I drinking enough water?

• Am I exercising?

Unmet needs always lead to pain. Ignoring pain and not properly processing it first with the Lord, and second, with trusted others, will lead to a messy situation. 

When all of your needs are met you will feel joyful, strong, of good courage, anxious about nothing, and full of life. If this isn’t your normal right now that’s ok. God is committed to walking you through to health and wholeness.

The symptoms of unmet needs aren’t bad, and pain itself isn’t bad. It’s God’s design of self-communication. It is His way of telling you that something needs to change!

What do we do if you find parts of yourself that are steeped in pain because of unmet needs?

1. Acknowledge the pain and resolve to do something about it.

2. Ask yourself: How much pain am I in? What do I need?

3. Embrace emotion (don’t stop the scary emotions.) Be raw, honest, and vulnerable with God. He already knows how you feel. This is not a commentary on your character, but rather a commentary of how it actually feels. Remember, the champagne bottle? This is the healthiest way to release all of that pain inside. In His Presence is the safest place we can let the bottle be emptied - but we don’t stay here long.

4. Ask God, “What do You think?” Pain separates us from His voice. It is His words that heal us. In this state of being emptied out, He will come and fill you up.

5. Ask God, “How do You see this situation?” His perspective will bring compassion. If needed, He will lead you from compassion to forgiveness. 

These self-awareness questions teach you to strengthen yourself in the Lord.

You want to continually close the gap between the original moment of pain and the resolution that comes from the Lord. When you are aware of your spirit, soul, and body needs, and proactively have them met you will find yourself walking in a greater measure of the abundant life! When you confront pain and allow the Lord to lead you through processing it, the true overflow of ministry can begin!

John 10:10 (NKJV)

“...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”