None of us know who we really are unless we walk in the truth.
Since Jesus is the truth and His Word is the truth, if we do not soak in the presence of both, we will forfeit everything valuable in this life.
How can I make such a bold statement? There is a terrifying passage in the Bible that says,
“ On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Matthew 7:22-23
Hell will be inhabited by many people who knew the Bible but didn’t know God. They will poison more people than drugs. When people quote God’s Word from a place of judgement and self-righteousness, they will gather many followers. This kind of religion costs us nothing.
This is how it goes:
- Follow rules.
- Teach others to follow the rules.
- Exclude people who don’t follow the rules.
- Or make them feel so “less than” as they try they won’t have to be excluded they will give up.
- This group will feel very superior and oftentimes think they are the only ones who really hear from God.
Look at their arrogance as they speak with the King of Glory on judgement day. They talk about what they did, not what He did.
“Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” Matthew 7:22
They are genuinely surprised God doesn’t know them.
‘If we live in that “self” delusion, we will honestly think we are hearing from God when it’s actually our own mind (and even the devil) we are following.”
They had no idea they actually belonged to hell and the devil. Everything they did was wicked because their source was self.
Because they didn’t know God, they didn’t know themselves. If we live in that “self” delusion, we will honestly think we are hearing from God when it’s actually our own mind (and even the devil) we are following.
His Presence will do two unmistakable things.
- Show us who He is.
- Show us exactly who we are.
Two other things will happen as a result.
- We will know there is no one on the planet as bad as we are.
- We will also know we are loved beyond our wildest expectations.
God’s Word and His Presence will devastate us before they will liberate us. Here are a few examples of the devastation of a human seeing God’s glory.
Isaiah:
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5
Daniel:
“I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.” Daniel 8:27
Ezekiel:
“This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown.” Ezekiel 1:28
Moses:
God’s glory passed by and it says, “Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.“ Exodus 34:8
“When we get before God and let Him slay us with His Presence, the walls around our hearts and the self-protection will be gone.”
Those are some of the greatest men of God who ever walked the planet and God’s presence terrified and humbled them. Any illusion they had about their own goodness completely vanished in the light of His glory.
When we get before God and let Him slay us with His Presence, the walls around our hearts and the self-protection will be gone. We will be deliriously happy God has given us breath and life in spite of us, not because we have anything good in us.
Another miracle will happen, we will not only love God, we will also love ourselves and others. Self-delusion will be gone after seeing Reality. It’s the fastest track to getting over ourselves. Actually, it’s the only way to get over ourselves.
Not only will people who don’t know themselves miss heaven, but they will miss having meaningful relationships on earth. When we don’t know who we really are, we have walls of protection around us, we stay busy to keep from spending time with ourselves, and we usually have lots of words we use as a smokescreen. We hope all those words will keep people from seeing our brokenness.
“The tragedy of this life is that so many will not pay the small price (compared with the eternal price of eternity without God) to get in His presence.”
I can’t help but think of Robin Williams when I speak of this. I mean no disrespect toward his memory, but any interview I ever saw, he dominated conversation and was always “on.” He was hilarious and always took over the room, as if he was the most confident and happy man on the planet. Who would have known what a lonely tormented soul he actually was?
I think most people live that way. The tragedy of this life is that so many will not pay the small price (compared with the eternal price of eternity without God) to get in His presence.
As C.S. Lewis put it so beautifully,
“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.”
“When this reality happens in your soul, you can finally relax. No more pretense or trying to be something else. You can truly just be comfy in your own skin.”
Big question: Do you want to know yourself? If the answer is “yes,” then go into a room, shut the door and start to seek Him. How long do you do this? Do it until you’re devastated and keep doing it until you’re liberated.
If you do, there will be no question who you really are. When this reality happens in your soul, you can finally relax. No more pretense or trying to be something else. You can truly just be comfy in your own skin.
I struggle for words here so I will give you something we can all relate to. It will be as good as it feels when you come home from work, take off your clothes (especially that bra) and put your sweats or jammies on with a pair of socks and cuddle up on the couch with some coffee or hot chocolate. After a long day, you can finally be you!
