Slayer’s Blade, Savior’s Grace: Cutting Through Ego’s Fog

Have you ever caught yourself measuring your worth by how others perceive you? That lingering glance in the mirror, the carefully crafted social media post, the subtle comparison when someone else succeeds—these are warning signs that the most dangerous idol may be taking root in your heart: the idol of self.

This episode dives deep into how self-worship quietly infiltrates our lives, often disguised as ambition, purpose, or even ministry. Through biblical wisdom and striking parallels from pop culture—from Narcissa Malfoy's obsession with legacy to Light Yagami's descent from justice-seeker to god-complex—we explore how fixating on our reflection distorts who we truly are.

The journey away from self-idolatry isn't about self-hatred but redirection. When we shift our gaze from our own image to Christ, something powerful happens: we discover a freedom that performance can never provide. Learn about the spiritual discipline of hiddenness and how being "hidden with Christ in God" doesn't diminish your value but grounds it in something eternal rather than fleeting validation.

For those exhausted by the pressure to perform, manage their image, or constantly prove their worth, this message offers sweet relief. You don't have to be impressive to be loved. You don't need a platform to matter. True transformation happens not when we're trying to look good, but when we surrender to the One who made us good.

Ready to break free from the mirror's prison? Join us as we explore how putting down our carefully crafted reflections makes space for authentic relationships, genuine service, and the kind of peace that comes only when Christ—not self—sits at the center of your story.

I would love to hear from you!

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For listeners looking to deepen their engagement with the topics discussed, visit our website or check out our devotionals and poetry on Amazon, with all proceeds supporting The New York School of The Bible at Calvary Baptist Church. Stay connected and enriched on your spiritual path with us!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Welcome to the Compass Chronicles podcast, and
I am your most honored host,javier, and I am truly grateful
you are spending this time withme, whether you are on your
daily commute, winding down froma long day or just taking a
moment to realign your thoughts.
This is a space where faith,fandom and real life meet, and
today we're diving into aconversation that hits deeper
than it first appears.
We're talking about mirrors,not the kind you hang in a

(00:21):
hallway or mount in your car.
I mean a metaphorical mirror,the one we all look into,
whether we realize it or not,the one we hold up to measure
ourselves by image, identity andacceptance.
And behind that mirror, ifwe're not careful, lives one of
the most dangerous idols of allthe idol of self.
Let's open with a short prayerFather, thank you for bringing
us into this moment.
Thank you for being a God whosees us fully and still loves us

(00:44):
completely.
As we explore the theme ofidentity today, we ask you to
silence the noise that tells uswe are, what we achieve, what we
look like or how othersperceive us.
Help us to hear your voice moreclearly than our own thoughts.
Lead us to truth, confront ourpride, heal our insecurities and
anchor our souls in somethingeternal.
We ask this in the name of yourson, amen.
Let's be honest, most of usdon't wake up in the morning
thinking today I'm going toworship myself.

(01:05):
But self-worship isn't alwaysloud.
It doesn't walk into the roomdemanding attention like a
cartoon villain.
It's subtle.
It grows slowly, like fog.
It starts with a glance in themirror that lingers too long,
with a post on social mediathat's carefully crafted not to
share your life but to shapeyour image.
It shows up when you hearsomeone else's success and feel

(01:27):
suddenly smaller.
Or when you walk into churchnot to worship but to be seen.
And this is where the mirrorturns toxic.
The longer we fixate on it, themore warp the reflection gets.
We stop seeing ourselves theway God sees us chosen,
cherished, created on purposeand start chasing a version of

(01:56):
ourselves we've crafted toimpress One we feel pressured to
defend, display and deliver on.
And over time that mirror stopsshowing God's glory and starts
demanding we chase our own.
2 Timothy 3, verses 1-control,brutal, not loving good,
treacherous, reckless, swollenwith conceit, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,having the appearance of
godliness but denying its power.
Avoid such people.
That list doesn't pull punches,but I want you to notice how it
starts.

(02:16):
The first phrase lovers of self.
It sets the tone for everyother problem that follows.
It's like the gateway sin ofthe modern world and, let's be
honest, of the human heart.
Because when we elevate theself above everything else,
everything else gets twisted,even the good things like
justice, love, truth.
They become tools we wield forour own glory instead of God's.
In pop culture, this idea showsup in so many characters, but

(02:37):
one that stands out is NarcissaMalfoy.
She's not the most obviouslyevil character in the Harry
Potter series.
She's not a death eater byideology, she is a death eater
by loyalty, and that loyalty isto her name, her family, her
image.
Narcissa's world is built onthe appearance of nobility, even
if what's beneath is hollow.
She doesn't want to look evil,she wants to look powerful,

(02:57):
respected, superior.
Her vanity isn't about beauty,it's about legacy.
And Granity isn't about beauty,it's about legacy.
And that's the real warning forus, because selflesship doesn't
always come wrapped inarrogance.
Sometimes it wears the mask ofpurpose, of ambition, of
protecting something we think issacred our name, our voice, our
brand but when it's notsurrendered to God, all of that
becomes just another idol indisguise.
Now take a look at the one ringin the Lord of the Rings.

(03:19):
It's not just a magical object,it's a mirror for the soul.
Every character who comes nearit is tempted differently,
because the ring reflects whatyou want most and then it
distorts it.
It promises fulfillment butdelivers obsession.
It offers identity but bringsdisintegration.
That's what happens when wemake the self an idol.
It consumes us Slowly, silently, until we don't recognize

(03:40):
ourselves anymore.
Romans, chapter 1, verse 25,speaks into this reality
ourselves anymore.
Romans, chapter 1, verse 25,speaks into this reality.
They exchanged the truth aboutGod for a lion, worshipped and
served the creature rather thanthe creator, who is blessed
forever.
Amen.
When we build our lives aroundour own image, our own comfort,
our own preferences, we'reworshipping the creature.
We're bowing down to a falsegod, carved in the shape of our
reflection, and in doing so weexchange something eternal for

(04:01):
something temporary, somethingsacred for something shallow.
That's the trap.
Selfishness never starts asrebellion, it starts as
preference, it starts with Ijust want to be true to myself,
I just need to do what's rightfor me.
I deserve to be happy.
Those statements soundempowering, but they are hollow,
because without God, your trueself is just a broken mirror.
It's not freedom, it's a closedloop.

(04:23):
Marvel's Doctor Doom gives usanother glimpse of this kind of
self-idolatry.
Victor Von Doom is a genius, aleader, a visionary, but
everything he does, everyinvention, every political move,
every act of heroism orvillainy, is wrapped around one
central goal proving that he issuperior, that he is worthy of
worship.
Even his brief moments ofnobility are corrupted by ego.
His mask, his empire, hisentire persona is a monument to

(04:45):
self.
Now contrast that withPhilippians, chapter 2, verses 5
through 7.
That's the exact opposite ofselforship.
Jesus had every right to demandrecognition.
He could have shown up in powerand glory and divine light.

(05:07):
Instead he emptied himself, hecame low.
He served, he obeyed, hereflected the father's will, not
his own preferences, and inthat humility he revealed what
true greatness looks like.
Let's look at Loki, thetrickster god from Marvel, who,
at his core, is not just powerhungry, he's identity starved.
Loki doesn't know who he is andso he becomes whoever people
need him to be A prince, avillain, a savior, a brother, a

(05:30):
god.
But none of it satisfies,because identity built on
applause always collapses whenthe crowd moves on.
That's why Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20, matters so much.
I have been crucified withChrist.
It is no longer I who live live, but Christ who lives in me and
the life I now live in theflesh.
I live by faith in the Son ofGod, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
When your identity is hidden inChrist, it doesn't need

(05:52):
performance, it doesn't needapplause, it doesn't even need
consistency, because your worthis not tied to your mood,
geometrics or your followers.
It's tied to the cross, and thecross doesn't change.
We see a distorted version ofthis again in the character of
Light Yagami from the animeDeath Note.
Light begins with nobleintentions eliminating evil,
restoring justice but the morepower he gains, the more twisted

(06:12):
he becomes.
He stops trying to bringjustice and starts demanding
worship.
He becomes a god in his ownmind, called calculating, cruel,
and in doing so he loses thevery thing he claimed to protect
righteousness.
His reflection becomes a lie.
This is where the mirror leadsAlways, whether it starts in
pride or in pain.
If you keep staring into itwithout turning toward God, it
will eventually lie to you.

(06:33):
It will tell you that you'rethe hero, that you're the victim
, that you're the savior, thatyou're the standard.
But the truth is you're not,and neither am I.
We're the redeemed.
So what do we do with all ofthis?
What do we do when we realizethat the mirror we've been
staring into is lying to us,that the image we've been trying

(06:54):
to protect is actuallysuffocating us, that the version
of ourselves we're working sohard to project is not only
unsustainable, it's untrue?
We start by turning away fromit, not in shame, not in guilt,
but in freedom.
We turn our gaze from thereflection of self to the face
of Christ.
2 Corinthians 3, verse 18 saysand we all, with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the

(07:15):
same image from one degree ofglory to another.
That's the goal not to craftour own image, but to be
conformed to His.
And the more we behold Him, theless obsessed we become with
ourselves, the less we're drivenby insecurity or applause, the
less we cling to our image as ifit's our salvation, the more we
begin to reflect something real, something eternal.
Let's be real, this isn't easy.

(07:36):
The journey of breaking freefrom the idol of self is not a
one-time prayer or a dramaticturning point where everything
gets better.
It's a daily choice, a quiet,intentional surrender.
The idol of self doesn't fallin a single moment.
It breaks down slowly, onepiece at a time, every time we
choose humility instead of pride.
Every time we choose obedienceinstead of trying to look good.
Every time we choose truthinstead of putting on a

(07:57):
performance.
So what does that really looklike in everyday life?
It looks like being honestabout why we said yes to that
opportunity.
It looks like checking ourmotives and being real with
ourselves.
It means showing up to serve,even when we'd rather be the one
getting noticed.
It means apologizing when wecould just as easily defend
ourselves.
It means being willing to stepoff the stage and into the
background if that's where Godwants us.

(08:18):
That's the place where freedomis born, not in chasing
achievement, but in learning toabide, in simply walking with
Him, even when no one else iswatching when we dive into
scripture.
One of the clearest examples ofsomeone letting go of self and
fully surrendering is the storyof Paul.
Before his transformation, hewas saw a man who had it all by
the world's standards.
He was proud of his background,his status, his religious

(08:39):
passion, his resume was spotless, his reputation solid and he
was all about performance.
But then came that moment onthe road to Damascus, everything
he built his identity on wasshattered In one powerful
encounter.
The mirror he had been lookinginto broke and, instead of
holding on to who he thought hewas, saul, let it all go.
He was struck blind, bothphysically and spiritually.
But when his sight returned,everything had changed.

(09:00):
His eyes weren't focused onhimself anymore, they were
focused on Christ.
Philippians, chapter 3, verses 7through 8, captures his mindset
beautifully.
But whatever gain I had, Icounted as loss for the sake of
Christ.
Indeed, I count everything asloss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus,my Lord.
For his sake, I have sufferedthe loss of all things and count
them as rubbish in order that Imay gain Christ.

(09:22):
That word Paul uses rubbish isnot poetic.
It literally means trash,garbage, worthless scraps.
That is how he saw his formerstatus, not because those things
were automatically evil, butbecause, when held up next to
Christ, they were completelyempty.
They had no eternal weight, nolasting value.
Paul did not want to just addJesus to his already impressive

(09:42):
identity.
He wanted Jesus to become hisidentity.
That is the real differencebetween religion and
relationship.
Religion says look at me.
Relationship says look at him.
So what does that mean for us?
For those of us walking througheveryday life trying to follow
Christ while feeling theconstant pressure to protect our
image, guard our reputation andkeep performing.
It means we start practicingthe discipline of hiddenness,
not invisibility, not isolation.

(10:05):
Hiddenness, that quiet, faithfulposture of living for an
audience of one Colossians,chapter 3, verses 1 through 3,
says this If, then, you havebeen raised with Christ, seek
the things that are above whereChrist is seated at the right
hand of God.
Set your minds on things thatare above, not on things that
are on earth, for you have diedand your life is hidden with
Christ in God.
Hidden, not center stage, notbroadcasted Hidden.

(10:27):
And that does not mean yourlife is insignificant.
It means your value does notcome from visibility, it comes
from intimacy, from being rootedin Christ, not in your
reflection, from being groundedin truth, not in trends.
We live in a time whereeverything gets shared, snapped,
filtered, liked, but some ofthe most sacred, life-changing
moments you'll ever have withGod, they're never going to be

(10:48):
posted, they won't go viral and,honestly, that's not just okay,
that's kind of the point.
Yeah, jesus did a lot out in theopen.
He healed people preached truth, cast out demons, all that.
But he also disappeared a lot.
He'd slip away to quiet placesto pray when no one else could
see just him and the Father Alot.
He'd slip away to quiet placesto pray when no one else could
see Just him and the Father.
And when the disciples askedhow to pray, he didn't say
something impressive.

(11:08):
He said go in your room, closethe door and talk to your Father
, who sees what's done in secret.
That's where the real power isIn the quiet, in the surrender,
in the moments nobody else knowsabout just you and him.
So here's the question who areyou when nobody's watching, when
the phone is down, the lightsare off, the room is quiet.
If that version of you feelsanxious or empty, or constantly

(11:29):
reaching for something, maybeit's time to stop looking in the
mirror and start leaning intograce, because grace.
Grace is steady.
It holds you when the imagebreaks.
It loves you when nobody'sclapping.
It sticks with you when yourego starts to fall apart and
this isn't just about us either.
You, when your ego starts tofall apart, and this isn't just
about us either.
When we start living like this,when we reflect Christ instead
of always trying to projectourselves.
We become a safe place forother people, people who are

(11:50):
tired, people who are burned out, people holding up their own
mirrors, wondering if this isall there is, and we get to show
them something better.
Not with a perfect speech or ashiny life, just with honesty,
with love, with realness.
We get to say, hey, I'vesmashed my mirror too, I've let
go of that idol, and what Ifound on the other side, it's so
much better.
Look, maybe it's time to stoptrying so hard to hold it all

(12:13):
together.
Maybe it's okay to stop staringinto that mirror, trying to be
something you're not.
Maybe the spotlight was nevermeant for us in the first place.
What if we just gave all thatup, the pressure, the
performance, the need to be seen, and started chasing something
real, not our image, but Christ,not what we can build, but who
he already is.
That's where the freedom is,that's where the peace lives and
, honestly, once you've tastedthat kind of grace, you don't

(12:34):
really want to go back.
There's a kind of silence thatonly shows up when you finally
stop pretending.
Not the awkward kind, not thekind that makes you feel like
you have to say something justto fill the space.
I'm talking about a deep,grounded kind of silence, the
kind that says you don't have toprove anything anymore.
And when you reach that place,when you stop trying to manage
your image and start lettingChrist shape your life,
something changes.
You begin to live the way youwere meant to, free and

(12:58):
unchained from the weight ofneeding approval.
But let's be honest, that is notwhat the world celebrates.
The world pushes visibility.
It rewards relatability.
It measures worth by influence.
Even inside the church we canfall into that same trap.
We start thinking that beingseen is the same as being
valuable, that the morefollowers you have, the more
spiritual fruit you must beproducing, that the louder the

(13:19):
voice, the deeper the wisdom.
But God does not measure thingsthat way.
He sees what happens in secret,he honors what is hidden, he
lifts up what is humble and moreoften than not he chooses the
ones no one else is payingattention to.
Think about David.
Before he was king, before thebattle with Goliath, he was just
a shepherd left out in thefield while his family lined up
to meet the prophet Samuel.

(13:40):
They did not even call him in.
But first Samuel, chapter 16,verse 7, says but the Lord said
to Samuel.
Do not look on his appearanceor on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him,for the Lord sees not as man
sees.
Man looks on the outwardappearance, but the Lord looks
on the heart.
That is the difference.
People look at the mirror.
God looks past it, and maybethat is the thing he wants to

(14:01):
heal in us.
Maybe it is not just our needto be seen.
Maybe it is the lie that if weare not seen, we are not
valuable, that if no one noticesus or celebrates us or gives us
affirmation, then we do notmatter.
But the truth is, you matteredbefore anyone ever saw you.
You were loved before anyoneever clapped for you.
You were chosen before anyoneever followed you.
That's not a poetic sentiment,that's scripture.

(14:22):
Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 4,says, even as he chose us in him
before the foundation of theworld, that we should be holy
and blameless before him.
Before the foundation of theworld, that means before you had
a platform, before you builtyour reputation, before you made
your mistakes.
You were already chosen.
And if that's true, then youdon't have to fight for your
place, you just have to walk init.
One of the most powerful momentsin the Bible is when Jesus

(14:43):
washes the disciples' feet.
It's a shocking act of humility, especially because it happens
in John chapter 13.
Right before he is betrayed,jesus knows the cross is coming,
he knows he has all authority,and yet he stoops low, he gets
on his knees, he takes theposture of a servant.
And John chapter 13, verse 3,makes it clear Jesus knowing

(15:06):
that the Father had given allthings into his hands and that
he had come from God and wasgoing back to God.
Did you catch that?
Because he knew who he was,because he was secure in his
identity, he was free to serve.
He didn't have to protect hisimage, he didn't have to prove
his worth.
He could lay it all downbecause he was anchored in the
truth of who sent him and wherehe was going.

(15:27):
That is the kind of confidencethe gospel gives us, not puffed
up pride, not an ego that cravesthe spotlight, but a steady,
rooted, unshakable identity inChrist, the kind that frees us
to go low, to serve, to quietlystep off the stage when needed,
to keep walking in obedienceeven when no one sees it.
There is something beautifuland a little ironic about how
the kingdom of heaven works thehigher you climb in the eyes of
the world, the more tempted youare to protect your image.

(15:48):
But the lower you go in God'seyes, the more secure you become
in who you really are.
That is why Jesus said inMatthew, chapter 23, verse 12,
whoever exalts himself will behumbled, and whoever humbles
himself will be exalted.
And this is not just a messagefor pastors or people with a
platform.
This is for every single one ofus For the parent who feels
overlooked.
For the creative who feels liketheir work is invisible.

(16:09):
For the young adult scrollingthrough highlight reels and
wondering if they matter, foranyone trying to figure out who
they are in a world that keepstelling them to keep reinventing
themselves.
This is for you.
You do not need to reinventyourself.
What you need is to return.
Return to the one who made you,to the truth found in his word,
to the voice that speaks louderthan the noise around you and
more gently than your own innercritic.

(16:31):
Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 1,says but now, thus says the Lord
, he who created you, o Jacob,he who formed you, o Israel,
fear not, for I have redeemedyou, I have called you by name.
You are mine.
You are not your brand, you arenot your reflection, you are
not your resume, you are his andbeing his means.
You are secure enough to stopchasing approval.
You do not have to hustle foraffirmation or wear a mask just

(16:53):
to feel accepted.
You can live open, surrendered,real.
But this goes deeper than just apersonal issue.
This is a cultural crisis.
We are living in a time whenidentity is constantly being
redefined, where truth bends andshifts depending on the day,
where image feels like currencyand where people confuse
influence with integrity.
In that storm, the church iscalled to be a lighthouse, not a

(17:14):
museum of perfect people, not aplatform for self-promotion,
but a community of surrenderedsaints who say we've laid our
mirrors down and we've picked upour crosses.
And when we do that, peoplenotice Because it's different,
it's rare, it's refreshing.
You don't need to be an animefan to notice that some of the
best stories out there wrestlewith the same struggles we all
do Pride, purpose, control,compassion.

(17:36):
These themes show up again andagain in the lives of characters
and sometimes they hit a littletoo close to home.
Take Death Note and DemonSlayer, for example.
In Death Note, you meet LightYagami.
He starts off with what seemslike a noble goal he wants to
bring justice to the world, butsomewhere along the way that
goal gets twisted.
He begins craving power,control.
He wants to be feared,worshipped, seen as a god and

(17:57):
he'll do whatever it takes tokeep that image alive.
Now look at Demon Slayer and thecharacter of Tanjiro Kamado.
He's not trying to dominate orcontrol anyone.
He's not seeking recognition orpraise.
He's carrying heartbreak.
And in the middle of that pain,he chooses mercy, he chooses
love.
He fights for others, not forhimself.
He stays soft where othersharden.
He stays grounded in compassionwhen it would be easier to

(18:19):
chase power.
One becomes obsessed with beingmore than human.
The other never lets go of hishumanity and in the end, light's
story ends in isolation anddownfall.
Tanjuro's ends in hope, healingand redemption.
The Bible's been telling thatstory all along.
James, chapter 4, verse 6, saysbut he gives more grace.
Therefore, it says God opposesthe proud but gives grace to the
humble.

(18:39):
We don't need more ambitiondisguised as ministry.
We need grace.
We need grace to stop buildinga version of ourselves for the
world to admire.
Grace to let go of the pressure, to always be on.
Grace to believe that when Godpulls us into hidden places, he
is not punishing us.
He is protecting somethingsacred.
He is growing something quietand deep that does not need
constant validation to be real.
If it feels like you're in aseason where no one really sees

(19:02):
you or notices what you're doing, maybe there's a reason for
that.
Maybe God is pulling you intothe quiet so you can see him
more clearly.
Sometimes the spotlight justgets in the way of what he's
trying to do in us.
When he's the one shaping yourheart, you don't have to chase
results or prove anything, andwhen the time comes to move
forward, it won't be aboutgetting attention.
It'll be about pointingeverything back to him.

(19:22):
Following Jesus was never meantto be a performance, but let's
be honest, sometimes we turn itinto one.
We polish things up, we filterwhat people see, we try to make
it all look just right, andsomewhere in the middle of all
that effort we forget who thiswalk is really about.
We take our eyes off the onewe're actually here to follow.
But God is not asking for apolished version of you.
He is not waiting for you tohit some imaginary standard

(19:43):
before he uses you.
He is simply saying come as youare, walk with me, trust that I
see the parts of your life noone else claps for, and those
are the parts I want to use.
There's this moment in Acts,chapter 4, verse 13, where
people are watching Peter andJohn.
They're amazed at how boldthese two are, but not because
they were well known or highlyeducated.
In fact, by most standards theywere pretty ordinary.

(20:04):
Nothing about them screenedimportance.
But there was somethingdifferent.
The people could tell they hadbeen with Jesus and, honestly,
that's what really stands out insomeone's life.
It's not the talent or thecredentials, it's not how many
people follow you or howpolished you seem.
It's the presence of Christthat makes people pause.
They might not be able to nameit, but they feel it.
There's peace where thereshould be pressure.

(20:24):
There's joy where you'd expectstress.
There's something real andgrounded that doesn't feel
manufactured.
When you're living out of thatplace, just walking closely with
Jesus, you stop trying so hardto impress.
You're not constantly editingyourself or trying to fit into
what people expect.
You just show up with a heartthat's open and real, even when
things feel messy or unsure, andthe beautiful thing is that's
more than enough.

(20:45):
You don't need to keep checkingyour reflections, chasing likes
or proving your worth.
You don't need to wear theweight of performance or build
an image to stay relevant.
What you really need is to hearhis voice, and he's still
speaking.
Maybe today is the day to stopcarrying all that pressure.
Maybe it's time to take allthose pieces of yourself you've
been managing and hand them overto the one who actually knows
what to do with them.
Maybe you ask yourself honestlywhat version of you have you

(21:07):
been trying to protect?
Have you been chasing successjust to feel like you matter?
Have you made being seen moreimportant than simply being
obedient?
Have you been hiding parts ofyourself so you could look
stronger than you really feel?
Whatever it is, it's not worthholding on to Bring it to the
cross, set it down and thentrust Him enough to leave it
there.
What's waiting for you on theother side is not a void, it's

(21:27):
fullness.
It's not silence.
It's the steady voice of yourFather saying you are mine.
When that voice becomes youranchor, the noise loses its
power.
You stop needing to perform forlove, you stop tying your
identity to what others thinkand that constant fear of not
being enough starts to fade,because in Christ you already
are.
And that truth, that quiet,steady, soul-level truth is what

(21:47):
sets you free.
There's a kind of freedom thatcomes when you stop trying to be
your own savior.
It's not loud, it's notdramatic, but it's strong, and
it shows up in the little things, in moments where you choose to
apologize instead of defendyourself, in times where you
tell the truth, even when noone's cheering you on In the way
you take a backseat, notbecause you think you're
unworthy, but because you'resecure enough to know you don't

(22:08):
need the front row to matter.
That's what a life rooted inhim looks like Quietly, bold,
gently, strong, free.
When you look at how Jesus lived, it's honestly kind of
surprising.
He didn't go chasing big crowds.
In fact he often pulled awayfrom them.
He would heal someone and thenask them not to tell anyone.
He taught truth even when itmade people uncomfortable.
He didn't water things down tostay popular.

(22:29):
He said hard things because heloved deeply and he never
sugar-coated what it meant tofollow him.
In Luke, chapter 9, verse 23,jesus says If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himselfand take up his cross daily and
follow me Daily, not just once,not just when it's easy, every
single day, choosing tosurrender, choosing to let go of
being the main character inyour own story.

(22:49):
And something amazing happenswhen you start living like that,
your soul begins to breatheagain.
You start to feel lighterbecause, truthfully, you were
never meant to carry the weightof being the center.
That pressure to hold it alltogether, to always be enough to
keep up appearances it wasnever yours to carry.
That is why constantly tryingto prove yourself gets so
exhausting.
The mirror turns into a prisonwhen you spend all your energy

(23:10):
trying to convince yourself andeveryone else that you're enough
.
That is what happened to Lucifer.
He did not fall from heavenbecause of some dramatic outward
rebellion.
It started with pride.
It started when his heart saidI will rise above, I will take
the throne, I will be like themost high.
The first sin wasn't just aboutbreaking a rule.
It was about putting self aboveGod.
And honestly, we do the samething every time.

(23:31):
We try to run our own liveswithout him at the center.
But when we take ourselves offthat throne and put Christ where
he belongs, everything startsto change.
We stop living like we havesomething to prove, we stop
grinding just to feel worthy, westop comparing ourselves to
everyone else and finally findpeace in where he has us.
That is not easy to do in theworld we live in.
Everything around us pushes theidea that your identity is

(23:52):
something you can swap out orredesign whenever it suits you.
There's this constant pressureto reinvent yourself, to stay
current, stay impressive, stayseen.
And it's not just out there inculture, it's crept into the
church too.
Now it's not just aboutpreaching truth, it's about
building a brand.
Pastors are expected to bepersonalities.
Teaching becomes performance,ministry turns into marketing,

(24:12):
and somewhere along the way welose the point.
But the cross, it's not aplatform, it's an altar, and God
isn't after your image, he'safter your obedience.
He's not asking you to put on ashow, he's asking you to lay
your life down, because that iswhere real transformation begins
Not in trying to look the part,not in chasing attention, but
in surrendering your whole selfto the one who gave everything

(24:33):
for you.
John the Baptist had the rightperspective when people tried to
stir up drama between him andJesus, tried to turn it into a
rivalry.
He didn't take the bait.
His response was simple, clearand grounded.
He said in John, chapter 3,verse 30,.
He didn't take the bait.
His response was simple, clearand grounded.
He said in John, chapter 3,verse 30, he must increase, but
I must decrease.
That wasn't insecurity, thatwas confidence in his purpose.
John knew exactly who he wasand who he wasn't.

(24:53):
He wasn't trying to be thelight.
He understood he was there topoint people toward the light
and because of that he didn'tneed the spotlight.
He didn't fight to stay visible.
He was able to step back, tolet go, because it was never
supposed to be about him in thefirst place.
That kind of clarity, that'sreal maturity and, honestly,
it's the kind of maturity thechurch could use a little more
of right now.
Not a lot of platforms, notflashy messages, just people who

(25:16):
know how to let Christ takecenter stage without trying to
steal it.
Now, that doesn't mean wedisappear.
It doesn't mean you stop usingyour voice or avoid stepping
into leadership.
It just means that when youshow up your heart's in the
right place, it's not aboutbeing impressive, it's about
being faithful.
You're not chasing thespotlight, you're surrendered to
the mission.
That's how Paul lived too.
He planted churches, wroteletters that became scripture,

(25:38):
went through beatings,shipwrecks, rejection and prison
, and through all of it he nevermade himself the focus.
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 2,verses 1 and 2, he wrote and I,
when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you
the testimony of God with loftyspeech or wisdom, for I decided
to know nothing among you exceptJesus Christ and Him crucified.
That was his message.
Not Paul the great leader, notPaul the visionary, just Jesus,

(26:01):
just the cross.
But if we're honest, a lot of usare building our lives around
everything but the cross.
We center our identity on ourgoals, our talent, our hustle,
our vision boards, and whenthings go well we assume we're
spiritually healthy.
But that's not always the case.
Just because the mirror looksgood doesn't mean the soul is
full.
Sometimes we're winning on theoutside and starving on the
inside.
That's why David's prayer inPsalm 139 is so powerful.

(26:25):
He says search me, o God, andsee if there's any grievous way
in me and lead me in the wayeverlasting.
That kind of prayer takescourage.
It comes from someone whotrusts that whatever God reveals
, he also wants to heal.
So what does it actually looklike to live free from the idol
of self?
It looks like choosingobedience in the small things,
even when no one's watching.
It looks like showing upwithout trying to take over the

(26:48):
room.
It looks like loving people whocan't boost your status.
It means saying yes to God,even when there's no recognition
tied to it.
It means believing that hiseyes on you are enough, because,
at the end of the day, ifChrist is at the center, you
don't have to be, and that iswhere real freedom begins.
One of the most powerfulcontrasts in fandom culture is
the difference between BruceBanner and the Hulk.
When Banner is in control, he'shumble, thoughtful, aware of

(27:10):
his limits, but when the Hulktakes over, when anger and ego
explode, the result isdestruction.
The same person, differentcenter.
One is led, the other is driven, and that's what happens when
we're led by the spirit versusdriven by the self.
The spirit doesn't rush us intoperformance.
He roots us in peace.
He doesn't demand spotlight.
He guides us in secret and hereminds us that our worth isn't

(27:33):
measured by what we produce, butby who we belong to.
Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22through 23, outlines the fruit
of a life that's surrendered.
But the fruit of the spirit islove, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Notice what's missing Image,fame, influence.
Those are not fruits of thespirit, but love and gentleness.
Those matter deeply and theyonly grow in the soil of
surrender.
Let's be honest when youridentity is wrapped up in how

(27:56):
you appear to others, beinggentle can feel like weakness.
When your image or brand takescenter stage, peace can feel
like you are backing down.
But in God's kingdom it'sdifferent.
It is the gentle who end upwith the inheritance.
It is the peacemakers who arecalled his children.
It is the ones who are humbledand hurting who are called
blessed.
So maybe the goal is not tostand out more.
Maybe the real goal is toreflect him more clearly, to let

(28:17):
people see Christ in the way wespeak, in the way we live and
in the way we love, so that whenthey encounter us they are not
impressed by us but drawn to him.
That changes everything.
It shifts the questions we ask.
Instead of wondering how tostand out, we start asking how
he can be seen in what we do.
Instead of performing to beloved, we live from a place of
knowing we already are.
And instead of being afraid ofbeing unseen, we begin to find

(28:38):
beauty in the quiet places whereGod is doing his deepest work.
Because when the mirror finallybreaks, the light does not
disappear, it breaks through.
There's something special aboutbeing in a season where you
feel unseen, even though theworld would never call that a
blessing.
Everything around us says youneed to stand out, be impressive
, make sure people notice you,but the way the kingdom of
heaven works is completelydifferent.
Just because people overlookyou doesn't mean God has.

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In fact, some of the mostpowerful stories in scripture
began in quiet places, far awayfrom any spotlight, and maybe
that's the point.
Maybe real character is notbuilt on the stage, maybe it's
shaped in the background, in themoments no one else claps for.
Built on the stage, maybe it'sshaped in the background, in the
moments no one else claps for.
Think about Joseph Long beforehe ever wore Pharaoh's ring or
sat in a palace, he was just aprisoner, learning how to trust
God in the dark.
Moses spent years in thewilderness just tending sheep

(29:23):
before he ever heard God's voicefrom a burning bush and Jesus.
He spent 30 years in Nazarethbefore his public ministry ever
began.
30 years of silence, no crowds,no miracles, no fame began.
30 years of silence, no crowds,no miracles, no fame.
Just showing up, just listening, just walking with the Father.
And all of it mattered Everyone of those years, because
identity has to be rooted insomething deeper than attention.

(29:44):
If your sense of worth isn'tformed with God in the quiet,
it'll crumble under the weightof the spotlight.
That's what happens to a lot ofpeople with talent but no
foundation.
They get pushed into influencebefore they're ready.
Their platform grows but theirroots don't, and eventually the
pressure becomes too much.
That's why hiddenness isn'tsomething to fear.
It's not a punishment.
It's not God putting your lifeon pause, it's a gift.

(30:05):
Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 2,says it like this he made my
mouth like a sharp sword In theshadow of his hand.
He hid me.
He made me a polished arrow Inhis quiver.
He hid me away.
Think about that In his quiver,not discarded, not forgotten,
held, protected, being aimed.
So if it feels like you're inthe shadows right now, remember
this you're not being ignored,you're being refined and when

(30:28):
the time is right, when yourheart is ready for the weight of
what he's calling you to carry,he'll bring you forward.
There's this deep pull in ourculture to be seen, to be
noticed, and if we're notcareful, that craving can start
to twist the good things we'vebeen given.
Before we know it, our giftsstart to feel more like tools
for attention than tools forservice.
Ministry starts looking morelike marketing.
Worship becomes more about theaudience than about God, and it

(30:49):
all shifts when we start askingthe wrong questions.
Instead of asking how can Iserve, we start thinking how can
I get noticed?
Instead of listening for whatGod is actually saying, we get
caught up in wondering howpeople will respond.
That's when the mirror becomesour guide.
That's when everything startspointing back to us.
But here's the thing what ifyour calling never comes with a
spotlight?
What if the most meaningfulthing you ever do never gets

(31:10):
posted or celebrated or evenacknowledged by anyone but God?
Would you still show up?
Would you still do it?
Jesus had something to sayabout that In Matthew, chapter 6
, verses 3 through 4.
He said but when you give tothe needy, do not let your left
hand know what your right handis doing, so that your giving
may be in secret and your father, who sees in secret, will
reward you.
That quiet faithfulness.
That's what heaven celebrates.

(31:31):
The kind of obedience where youpray, serve, forgive and give
and no one sees but him, andyou're not bitter about it,
you're not looking around to seewho noticed.
You're just faithful, you'resteady, you're present.
That kind of life does not makesense to most people In a world
obsessed with stats and likesand algorithms.
You look like you're behind.
You won't be trending, youwon't be marketable.
Trending you won't bemarketable, you won't have the

(31:55):
numbers to show off, but you'llhave something way better You'll
have peace, and that'ssomething the world just can't
fake.
You want a great example ofquiet strength?
Look at Samwise Gamgee from theLord of the Rings.
He is not the strongest, he isnot the chosen one, he is not
the one leading the charge, buthe stays, he shows up, he
carries the weight when hisfriend can't.
He never tries to steal thespotlight, he just refuses to
walk away from the one who wascalled to carry the ring.

(32:16):
And by the time that story ends, you realize something big
Without Sam, the whole missionwould have fallen apart.
That is what it looks like tolive without needing the mirror.
Sam never asked to be noticed.
He is not chasing recognition,but his loyalty, his quiet
courage, his willingness tosacrifice, that is what holds
everything together.
That is real influence, thekind that lasts long after the

(32:40):
applause fades.
So what happens when we stopneeding to be the main character
?
We begin to look more likeJesus, because Jesus was not
trying to go viral, he was notcrafting a personal brand.
He came to build a kingdom, andthe way he built it was not
through hype or pressure, it wasthrough love and surrender.
He did not grab power, he gaveit up.
He did not posture to gaininfluence.
He laid himself down.
Philippians, chapter 2, verses 8and 9, says and being found in

(33:01):
human form, he humbled himselfby becoming obedient, to the
point of death, even death on across.
Therefore, god has highlyexalted him and bestowed on him
the name that is above everyname.
That is the order Humilityfirst, obedience first, then the
honor comes, then the elevation.
Let's be honest A lot of uswant the reward before the
surrender.
We want the spotlight withouthaving to walk through the

(33:22):
shadows.
We want to be lifted up,celebrated, maybe even admired,
and then maybe we'll starttalking about humility.
But that's not how the kingdomworks.
God isn't asking us to climbhigher.
He's asking us to come lower,to lay ourselves down.
That's where realtransformation begins, not when
we've mastered the image, butwhen we're willing to let go of
it, when we stop chasing theversion of ourselves that
impresses people and startletting God shape the version

(33:44):
that carries his presence,because he won't share his glory
with something fake.
If we're performing instead ofsurrendering, we're not giving
him much to work with.
Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 8,says I am the Lord.
That is my name.
My glory I give to no other,nor my praise to carved idols.
That includes the idol of self.
And let's be clear that idolcan look really good from the
outside.
It can look like passion, itcan look like excellence, it can

(34:07):
even look like ministry, but ifit's rooted in self-promotion
instead of surrender, it's stillpride dressed up in church
clothes.
If we really want revival, wehave to start with repentance.
And I'm not just talking aboutthe obvious stuff.
I mean the things we keeptucked away, the attitudes we
rename so we can feel okay aboutthem, like calling pride drive
or convincing ourselves it'sholy to hope someone notices how

(34:27):
faithful we've been or thosemoments when we use God's name
to move our own plans forwardinstead of pointing people back
to him.
That's where the mirror comesin, not so we can fix our image,
but so we can check our motives.
We have to ask the questionthat stings a little who am I
actually doing this for?
Because if the answer isn't him, what's the point?
If it's not about his glory,it's not going to last Deep down

(34:47):
.
We already know that A platformcan grow fast, sure, but
without him it won't grow deep,it won't carry weight, it won't
hold up when things get real.
But here's the thing he's notwaiting to catch us messing up.
He's not standing over us withjudgment.
He's standing there with grace,calling us back, not to shame
us but to ground us, to bring usback to something solid,
something real, something thatdoesn't fall apart the moment

(35:09):
the lights go out or theapplause fades.
Ecclesiastes 1.2 says Vanity ofvanities, says the preacher.
Vanity of vanities, all isvanity.
That word vanity doesn't justmean pride, it means vapor,
something that looks real untilyou try to grab it.
That's what the idol of selfgives you A quick hit of
approval and then emptiness, aflash of being seen, followed by

(35:29):
that familiar ache of stillfeeling unseen.
But life with Christ is notlike that.
His presence does not evaporate, his love doesn't fade when the
crowd disappears.
It's steady, strong.
He does not need filters orfanfare.
He just needs your surrender.
And you don't have to wait for abetter moment or a bigger
opportunity to come back to that.
You can start now, right here,right in the middle of whatever

(35:50):
season you're in.
Maybe that starts with a prayerthat's simple but honest,
something like Jesus I don'twant to be the focus anymore.
I want to make you know.
That kind of prayer does notrearrange your to-do list, it
rearranges your heart.
Suddenly, the pressure lifts,the fog clears.
You stop feeling like you haveto earn your place in every room
.
You stop trying to get peopleto understand or validate you.

(36:10):
You stop running so hard togain what Jesus already gave you
.
That is what freedom looks like, and when you start living free
, you don't spend your timemanaging your image anymore.
You're not showing up forapplause, you're showing up
because he's worth it.
The cross has a way of cuttingthrough all the noise.
It does not cater to our ego.
It does not hand us amicrophone and ask us to perform
.
It invites us to die to ourpride, our need to be seen, our

(36:33):
obsession with image, and livein something real.
And yeah, in a world that runson attention and platform, that
kind of surrender feels upsidedown.
But it's actually grace,because the cross doesn't just
take away what was false.
It clears space for what's true.
It calls out the real you, theone God created, not the version
you polished, not the one youcrafted to be accepted.
Just you, the one he alreadysees, the one he already loves.

(36:56):
Jesus said in Matthew, chapter16, verse 24, If anyone would
come after me, let him denyhimself and take up his cross
and follow me.
Not fit him into your plans,not sprinkle him on top of your
dreams.
Deny yourself.
That means stepping away fromthe part of you that wants to
stage, that wants to be rightall the time, that craves
validation.
It means letting go of thepressure to always be impressive
and the wild part when youfinally let go of all that you

(37:19):
don't lose yourself, youactually discover who you were
always meant to be, because thefalse version of you, the one
built on applause, was neverstrong enough to carry your
calling.
A lot of us are not juststruggling with pride.
We're struggling with a versionof ourselves.
We think people will accept theversion that gets the most
likes, the version that looksput together even when we're
falling apart.
But when life hits hard andtrust me it will that version

(37:40):
will crack.
The performance starts to feellike a prison and suddenly,
being known for the imagebecomes a burden, not a blessing
.
That's why your identity has tobe rooted in something that
holds Something unshakable.
It has to be the cross.
The cross doesn't care aboutpopularity.
It's not swayed by how relevantyou feel or whether your name
is trending.
It doesn't shift with whateverthe culture is chasing this week

(38:01):
.
It stays steady, always there,always calling you back to one
simple truth You're not thecenter Christ is, and that's
actually where real life starts.
Colossians, chapter 3, verse 3,puts it plainly.
For you have died and your lifeis hidden with Christ in God.
Hidden that word can sounddisappointing in a world that
celebrates visibility, butthere's something beautiful
about it.

(38:21):
When God hides you, he's notpushing you aside, he's pulling
you close.
It's in that hidden place whereyour roots grow deeper, where
the noise dies down, where yourfocus shifts away from yourself
and settles fully on Him.
When you're living from thatplace, tucked into His presence,
you stop stressing about everyclosed door, you stop chasing
every trend, you stop thinkingyou're falling behind just
because no one's watching.

(38:42):
If God knows where you are, thenyou can trust.
He knows exactly how and whento bring you forward.
That kind of trust.
It silences a lot of the fearFear of being forgotten, fear of
being small, fear that yourlife doesn't matter unless
people see it.
But God sees you Right now, inthe quiet, in the waiting, in
the parts of your life that feelordinary or overlooked.
And when you really believethat those fears start to lose

(39:04):
their grip, peace starts tosettle in, not the kind that
comes from pretendingeverything's fine, but the kind
that comes from knowing youdon't have to earn your worth.
You can breathe again, notbecause you stopped caring, but
because you stopped caring whatyou were never meant to.
That's when everything shiftsSuddenly.
You're not trying to be in thespotlight anymore, you're just
trying to stay close to thecross.
Your idea of leadership changes.

(39:24):
It's no longer about gainingfollowers, it's about following
Jesus.
Well, ministry looks differenttoo.
It's not about buildingplatforms, it's about building
people.
Even friendship becomessomething deeper.
It's not networking orpositioning, it's love, real
love, love that listens, lovethat sticks around, love that
doesn't need anything in return.
You're not using people to feelwhole anymore.

(39:45):
You're loving them because youknow you already are and that
right.
There is what the church wasmeant to be Not a room full of
performers trying to keep upappearances.
But a room full of performerstrying to keep up appearances,
but a table full of familyPeople who have laid down their
mirrors, picked up their crossesand finally found the kind of
freedom that doesn't shout forattention, it just quietly shows
up in the form of steady faith,humble obedience and deep,
unshakable love.

(40:06):
That kind of church, it doesn'tneed to be loud, it just needs
to shine, and it will, becauseChrist is right in the middle of
it.
In anime, we often see acharacter arc that mirrors this
transformation.
One that stands out is Dekufrom my Hero Academia.
At the beginning he's weak,overlooked, written off, but his
power doesn't come from tryingto be someone else.
It comes from receivingsomething he didn't earn and

(40:26):
choosing to carry it withintegrity.
He never forgets who gave himhis strength, he honors it, and
that makes Him trustworthy withit.
That's what our spiritual giftsare like, not badges of honor,
not status symbols, gifts givenby God to be stewarded, to be
shared and to be submitted backto Him again and again and again
.
Romans, chapter 12, verses 3through 6, says For, by the

(40:47):
grace given to me, I say toeveryone among you not to think
of himself more highly than heought to think, but to think
with sober judgment, eachaccording to the measure of
faith that God has assigned.
For, as in one body we havemany members and the members do
not all have the same function,so we, though many, are one body
in Christ and individuallymembers one of another, having
gifts that differ.
According to the grace given tous, let us use them.

(41:07):
Having a clear, honest view ofyourself, what scripture calls
sober judgment is a big deal.
It's the opposite of makingyourself the center.
It means seeing your place inthe body of Christ, without
shrinking or inflating it.
You show up with what God gaveyou, your story, your gift, your
calling and, instead of usingit to impress people, you lay it
at Jesus' feet, not forattention, not for applause, but

(41:28):
for worship.
Let's be real.
A lot of us say we want to serve, but what we really want is to
feel important.
We want to matter, and whilethere's nothing wrong with
wanting your life to meansomething, significance and
service are not always the samething.
Serving isn't always loud.
Most of the time it's not.
It happens in the background,without applause or recognition.
You might show up, help out,and no one says a word, but

(41:54):
that's often where the HolySpirit moves the most right, in
those unnoticed moments.
And let's be honest, chasingsignificance without surrender
just turns into anotherperformance, another mask.
But when you're rooted in whoyou are, in Christ, the way you
serve changes.
You don't need to be seen,you're not doing it to prove
anything.
There's a quiet strength inthat and it speaks louder than
any spotlight ever could.
That's why Jesus said thegreatest among us would be the
servant, not the speaker.
That's why Jesus said thegreatest among us would be the
servant, not the speaker, notthe trendsetter, not the one

(42:15):
with the biggest platform theservant, the one who shows up
even when no one's watching.
This whole journey we've been onthe wrestling with image, the
pressure to perform the idol ofself.
It all leads here To a choice.
Are we going to keep chasing aspotlight that was never meant
for us or are we going to livefor something better?
Because, let's be honest,living for yourself is just too
small.
That kind of life will alwaysleave you restless.

(42:36):
You were made for somethingbigger.
You were made for him.
When all you're focused on isyour own reflection, it doesn't
just mess with how you seeyourself.
It starts to affect how youtreat the people around you too.
If everything in your worldrevolves around keeping up an
image, you stop seeing peoplefor who they are.
Instead, they become somethingelse Maybe a threat, maybe an

(42:56):
audience, maybe just someone tomake you feel better about your
own story.
That's what happens when selfbecomes the center.
Relationships stop beingrelationships and start feeling
like transactions Instead ofconnection.
You end up with constantcomparison Instead of grace.
There's pressure Instead offriendship.
It becomes this quietcompetition where everyone's
trying to stay one step ahead.
But when your identity isrooted in Christ, something
changes.
You stop needing to measureyourself against everyone else.

(43:19):
You're no longer filteringevery interaction through the
lens of how it makes you look orfeel.
You can actually see people theway God sees them, not as a
threat or a reflection, but assomeone he created and deeply
loves.
You stop needing to proveyourself, and that frees you to
actually love people.
Well, that's where realmaturity starts showing up.
Not when you can quote a bunchof theology, not when people
know your name, but when you canshow up for someone without

(43:41):
expecting anything in return.
That kind of love speaks louderthan any platform ever could.
1 John, chapter 4, verses 11 and12 says Beloved.
If God so loved us, we alsoought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God, butif we love one another, god
abides in us and his love isperfected in us.
Think about that.
People can't see God with theireyes, but they can see his love

(44:02):
through us.
That's what we are called toreflect Not ourselves, not our
brand, but his presence in theway we treat others.
And let's be real when we'restill caught up in our own image
, that kind of love gets pushedout.
It becomes really hard togenuinely celebrate someone else
when you're worried about howtheir win makes you look.
Someone else's joy can stir upyour own insecurity.
Even someone's pain can makeyou uncomfortable, not because

(44:23):
you don't care, but because itforces you to think about how
their story compares to yours.
You start asking what does thismean for me, instead of just
being with them in it?
That kind of thinking wears youdown and, if we're honest, it's
not just a personality issue.
It's idolatry.
Romans, chapter 12, verses 15and 16 says.
Those verses are direct.

(44:50):
They don't leave a lot of roomfor ego, but they do offer a
different way to live, a waythat's not about spotlight or
status, a way that looks morelike Jesus, when the Holy Spirit
is the one leading you.
You stop walking into roomstrying to figure out where you
fit on the ladder.
You stop scrolling throughother people's lives and feeling
worse about your own.
You learn to be fully presentwith someone else, whether
they're celebrating or grieving,and not turn the moment back

(45:12):
onto yourself.
That kind of freedom, the kindthat comes from being secure in
who you are, in Christ, it makesyou a safe person to be around.
Not perfect, but safe, and in aworld full of comparison,
that's rare and really needed.
I know that word might notsound spiritual, but it's one of
the most Christ-like things.
A person can be Safe.
A safe person is someone otherscan be real with, someone who

(45:33):
can handle honesty withoutjudgment, someone who won't use
your weakness to build theirplatform.
Our world is full of noise.
It is hungry for safety.
Not polished people, notpowerful people, just safe ones.
Jesus was safe.
That's why people ran to him,not because he lowered the bar,
but because he made room forgrace.
He didn't flatter people or usethem, he saw them, he spoke

(45:54):
their names.
He didn't just tolerate thebroken, he moved toward them.
He didn't use people's pain togain influence.
He made time for the unseen.
He reached for the outcasts andwhen the crowds tried to twist
his mission, he quietly steppedaway.
He wasn't chasing a throne or afan base.
He came to carry a cross, andthat's the motto.
Not image, not performance, notapplause, just love.

(46:14):
Real love, the kind that laysitself down, the kind that makes
room, the kind that says Idon't need to be everything
because I know the one who is.
When you break the idol of self, you become a refuge for others
, because you're not constantlypulling the attention back to
yourself, you're not addicted tobeing the center of every
conversation.
You're free to serve, to notice, to listen.
That's what love does.

(46:36):
1 Corinthians, chapter 13,verses 4 through 5, reminds us
love is patient and kind.
Love does not envy or boast, itis not arrogant or rude, it
does not insist on its own way,it is not irritable or resentful
.
That's not the kind of love youcan fake.
It only flows from a heartthat's been unhooked from the
mirror and re-centered on Christ.
Here's the crazy thing when youstart living like that, the
pressure just lifts.

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You're not constantly trying toprove something or chase
approval.
You're not waking up wonderinghow people will respond to you
that day.
You're not defining yourself bywho claps or who stays quiet.
Instead, you're grounded, andwhen you're steady like that,
it's a whole lot easier to showup for others without feeling
like you're falling apart inside.
You can give without fear oflosing who you are.
That's what Jesus meant in Johnchapter 15 when he said Abide in

(47:19):
me.
He didn't say perform for me.
He didn't say impress me.
He said abide, remain, stayconnected, let your roots go
deep, because when they do, thefruit takes care of itself.
But when you're trying toproduce fruit without abiding,
you end up faking it.
You smile on the outside whileyou are drowning on the inside.
You perform for the churchwhile you are aching in secret.
You say the right things whileyour soul is empty, because

(47:40):
mirrors don't give life, butChrist does.
Abiding in Him means trustingthat your worth doesn't go up
and down based on yourproductivity, your gifting or
your image.
It means you can rest.
It means you can say no.
It means you can disappointpeople without spiraling into
shame, because your identityisn't on trial anymore.
The verdict came in at the cross.
You are loved fully, now,forever, and when that's the

(48:02):
foundation, your relationshipsstart to reflect it.
You become the kind of personwho's more concerned with other
people's hearts than your ownreputation.
You become more interested inhealing than hype.
You become more present, morekind, more generous.
You become more interested inhealing than hype.
You become more present, morekind, more generous, more open,
because your life isn't acommercial anymore, it's a
witness, and that's what thisworld needs, not more curated
personalities, more crucifiedones, more people who have

(48:24):
looked in the mirror, seen theidol and smashed it.
People who have said I don'twant to be the center anymore, I
want Christ to be seen.
People who aren't trying tooutshine each other but
out-serve each other.
People who aren't trying tobuild empires in their name but
make disciples in His.
That's the call To break themirror, to lay down your right
to be impressive, To becomenothing, so Christ can be
everything, and that's not aloss, it's the beginning of real

(48:48):
joy.
There's a point in everybeliever's life when the
question has to change from whatdo I want to be seen as to who
do I want to be formed into?
It's a shift, a deep one, thatmoves us from image to identity,
from performance to presence,from striving to surrender, and
in a world that profits fromyour insecurity, nothing is more
radical than a person who nolonger lives for their own
reflection.
That's what the gospel does.
It doesn't just change yourdestination, it rewires your

(49:10):
desire.
It pulls you off the stage andplaces you at the feet of Jesus.
It says you were never thepoint, but you are deeply loved
by the one who is.
That kind of clarity isdangerous to the kingdom of
darkness, because a person whodoesn't idolize themselves is a
person who can't be manipulated.
You can't bribe someone whoisn't looking for attention.
You can't threaten someone whodoesn't fear obscurity.
You can't distract someonewhose eyes are fixed on eternity

(49:33):
.
The idol of me only surviveswhen we give it daily attention.
It feeds on comparison, itgrows in performance, but it
dies in surrender.
The moment we stop living forour name, our image, our version
of greatness, it begins tocrumble and something stronger
rises in its place, somethingunshakable, because Christ isn't
just an addition to your story,he is the story.
He's not your side character,he's the story.

(49:55):
He's not your side character,he's the author.
Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 1and 2, says Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great acloud of witnesses, let us also
lay aside every weight and sinwhich clings so closely and let
us run with endurance the racethat is set before us, looking
to Jesus, the founder andperfecter of our faith.
Looking to Jesus, not atourselves, not at our reflection
, not at our audience.
Looking to Him, because that'swhere endurance comes from,

(50:16):
that's where freedom lives.
The thing about the idol ofself is that it promises freedom
, but it never really delivers.
It tells you that if you takecontrol, if you chase your own
truth, you'll finally feelpowerful.
But instead of peace, you getanxiety.
Instead of clarity, you getchaos.
It whispers be your own savior.
But then it disappears whenyou're crushed by the weight of
trying to hold your whole lifetogether.
But Christ doesn't leave youthere.

(50:37):
He simply says come to me allwho are weary and heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
That's the real offer.
And when you actually take himup on it, something shifts.
You don't feel like you have toput on a show anymore.
You stop living for theapplause or the likes or the
approval.
You're not trying to earn yourworth, you're just living out of
the truth that you already haveit.
When you start to understandwho you are in Christ.

(50:57):
It doesn't just change what youbelieve.
It changes how you show up ineveryday life.
You start to care less aboutproving something and more about
being honest.
You're not trying to impressanyone.
You just want to be faithful towhat matters.
You're not the center of yourstory anymore.
You're not a brand.
You're not trying to be aproduct for other people to
consume.
You're a person who belongs toGod.
You're a child, not a performer, and children don't earn love,

(51:20):
they just receive it.
That's what we're being invitedinto Not the pressure of a
stage, not the expectations ofperformance, but something
quieter, something more honest,a place where you don't have to
pretend, where you're allowed tojust be real.
The world tells you to build aplatform.
Jesus calls you to come sit atthe table.
He isn't looking for people whohave it all together.
He's looking for people who arewilling to say yes, even when

(51:41):
they're unsure.
Isaiah, chapter 41, verse 10,says Fear not, for I am with you
.
Be not dismayed, for I am yourGod.
I will strengthen you, I willhelp you, I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand.
That is where confidence comesfrom, not from how people see
you, but from knowing God isholding you steady, and when
that becomes your anchor, thenoise starts to lose its grip.
You still hear the lies.

(52:02):
They don't disappear, but theylose their power.
When the enemy whispers thatyou're not enough, you don't
panic.
You remember that Jesus alreadyis.
When you feel like you'refalling behind, you don't
scramble to catch up.
You remember you're not in arace with anyone.
When you feel small or ordinary, you don't shrink.
You remember that God oftenchooses the ones no one else
would.
It's not about being impressive, it's about being available.

(52:24):
Gideon's story really hitsdifferently when you understand
where he was coming from.
He wasn't some fearless leader.
He was scared, insecure.
When we first meet him in thebook of Judges, he's literally
hiding in a wine press trying tothresh wheat where no one could
see him.
He didn't see himself as braveor capable.
So when an angel shows up andcalls him a mighty warrior, it
probably felt like a joke.
But God wasn't speaking to whoGideon thought he was.

(52:46):
He was speaking to what he knewhe could do through him.
And even though Gideon was fullof doubts and questions, he
still responded.
He said yes, even while he wasunsure, and that yes, that was
enough for God to work with Godhasn't changed.
He's still using ordinarypeople who are willing to trust
him.
There's a big difference betweenbeing a mirror and being a
vessel.
A mirror reflects its own image.

(53:06):
A vessel is made to carrysomething beyond itself.
So here's the question what areyou becoming?
Are you focused on looking goodor on making space for the Holy
Spirit?
Are you trying to craft youridentity or are you receiving it
?
Are you measuring your life byhow far your name goes or how
deep your roots grow?
Because chasing image will wearyou down.
There will always be somethingmore to prove.

(53:27):
But the cross gives a differentanswer.
It tells you that you don'thave to be enough.
You just have to belong.
That changes how you live.
It shifts how you talk to God.
You stop trying to impress Himand you just start being honest.
It changes the way you thinkabout the future.
You're not trying to make aname for yourself.
You're listening for what hewants to do through you.
It changes your posture.
You stop trying to climb.
You start learning how to stayclose.

(53:48):
It's not exciting in the waythe world defines success, but
it's real and it's steady.
The people God used in scripturedidn't chase attention.
They followed him.
Sometimes we think followingGod has to look impressive, like
we need a platform, a bigmoment or the perfect words to
make it count.
But when you really look atscripture, it is full of people
who weren't chasing status.
They were just saying yes.
Ruth didn't stay because it waseasy.

(54:10):
She stayed because it was right.
Esther didn't step up becauseshe wanted attention.
She stepped up because themoment needed her.
Daniel didn't hold his groundto make a statement.
He just refused to compromisewhat mattered.
Mary could have said no, shehad every reason to, but she
trusted God and said yes.
Joseph chose forgiveness, notbecause it was deserved, but
because it was what freedomlooked like.

(54:31):
None of them were trying to beimportant.
They were just faithful in themoment they were given.
That's what makes their storiespowerful.
Not the spotlight but thesurrender.
That's what legacy really lookslike.
Your life doesn't have to beloud to matter.
It can be steady, consistent,rooted in grace.
So maybe it's time to set themirror down.
You don't need to keep checkinghow you're being seen.
That is not where your worthcomes from.

(54:52):
Pick up the towel instead ofthe spotlight.
Do the quiet things that noone's clapping for.
Help someone without needingrecognition.
Pray when no one's watching.
Love, even when it goesunnoticed.
Keep showing up, especiallywhen it's tough.
God sees every bit of it.
He sees the moments that feelinvisible, the ones where you're
tired but still faithful.
That's where his spirit reallystarts to move, in the humble,

(55:13):
hidden places.
Not when we're trying toperform, but when we're willing
to be poured out.
You don't need to promoteyourself.
You're not here to audition foranyone's approval.
You're here to walk with Jesus,and that's more than enough.
Galatians, chapter 5, verse 1,says For freedom.
Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, therefore, and donot submit again to a yoke of
slavery.
And for a lot of us, thatslavery is not some obvious sin,

(55:34):
it's the weight of alwaysperforming, always polishing,
always chasing validation.
You weren't rescued so youcould keep striving.
You were rescued so you couldrest, so you could reflect
something greater than your ownimage, so you could live for a
name that actually lasts.
Maybe today's the day you stoptrying to impress the mirror.
Maybe today is the day you sayJesus, I'm done trying to be
enough on my own.
You don't have to live underthe pressure to perform.

(55:56):
You don't have to keeppretending you've got it all
together.
You don't need to build somepolished version of yourself to
be accepted.
That's not what the cross isabout.
The cross doesn't offer a quickfix or a spiritual touch-up.
It offers a brand new beginning, a fresh start, and the
invitation is simple come justas you are.
Not cleaned up, not filtered,just honest, just surrendered.
That's all Jesus is asking forand that's where everything

(56:22):
begins.
Romans, chapter 10, verse 9,says If you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord andbelieve in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, youwill be saved.
That invitation is open to youright now, not once your life
looks better, not once you'vefigured everything out Right now
.
So if you've never said yes toJesus, if you've never laid down
the idol of self and steppedinto the freedom of salvation, I
want to give you that chance.
You don't need perfect words,just an honest heart.

(56:44):
You can pray something likethis God, I'm tired of trying to
be my own savior.
I've chased worth through myimage and it's left me empty.
I confess that I've sinned andI've tried to do life my own way
, but today I lay that down.
I believe Jesus is Lord.
I believe he died for me androse again.
I receive your grace.
I receive your forgiveness.
I receive your spirit.
Make me new, not just polished,transformed.

(57:06):
I belong to you now In the nameof Jesus, amen.
If you prayed that prayer today, welcome home Truly.
You just stepped into thegreatest kind of freedom and the
deepest love you'll ever know.
And if you already belong toJesus, maybe this episode was a
reminder, a little nudge to stepback from the noise, because
even as believers, we can stilldrift.
We can still get caught up inthe pressure to be seen, to be

(57:27):
admired, to be enough.
But you don't have to staythere.
You can make a fresh decisiontoday to stop looking in the
mirror and fix your eyes onChrist again, to center your
life around Him, not yourself.
If this episode spoke to you,encouraged you or helped you
take one small step towardfreedom, I'd love to hear from
you.
You can visit us anytime atgraceandgrindministriescom,

(57:53):
where you have access to freeresources to help in your faith
walk, or feel free to email medirectly at graceandgrindnyc at
gmailcom.
And just remember your storydoesn't have to be about
building up mirrors for peopleto admire.
It can be about breaking them.
You were created to reflectsomething far greater than
yourself.
You were made to shine with thelight of Christ, the kind of
light that never fades, nevercracks and never fails.
So until next time, keepwalking in truth, keep tearing
down the idols and keep living alife that points straight to
the one who made you and lovesyou completely.

(58:15):
This has been the CompassChronicles faith, fandom and
life podcast.
Thanks for hanging out with meand I'll see you soon.
Thank you.