A.W. Tozer has a wonderful way of cutting straight to the heart of things.  This is true of his writings whether he is speaking about the Attributes of God, about Worship, or about knowing ourselves.

Tozer postulated 7 Rules for Self Discovery. I have adapted Tozer’s rules and put them into the form of questions. Regularly ask yourselves:

1. What do I want most?
2. What do I think about most?
3. How do I use my money?
4. What do I do with my leisure time?
5. What company do I enjoy? or What kind of friends do I enjoy most?
6. Who and what do I admire?
7. What do I laugh at?

If we know these things about ourselves we are taking great steps toward knowing ourselves.  Once we know these things, the next question, which is an important question, is to be able to answer “Why” to each of these things.  This question will reveal our values, and our idols – to which the gospel can then be applied. But in answering these questions we should be mindful of what Jeremiah 17.9 cautions us about ourselves:

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?

Don’t doubt this truth for a second. And don’t underestimate the effects of your lyin’ deceitful heart.