Know Yourself That You May Know God

Self-awareness is intricately related to our relationship with God. In fact, the challenge of Scripture to shed our old "false" self in order to live free in our "true" self is at the very core of our spiritual formation.

In AD 500, Augustine wrote "How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self?" he prayed "Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee."

In 1530, John Calvin wrote "Our wisdom... consists almost entirely of 2 parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves. But as these are connected together by many tied, it is not easy to determine which of the 2 preceded and gives birth to the other."

Many people sadly go to their graves without knowing who they are. Without being fully aware of it, we live someone else's life, or at least someone else's expectations for our lives. This does harm to ourselves, our relationship with God, and to the others around us.

Despite some of the strong, negative messages that David receives from his family and others, and the pressure he may be feeling from Saul, we see David say "no" to wearing Saul's armor without fear.