August 26, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode, Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar discuss the cultural obsession with self-discovery and the idea that we must look inward to find our identity. The guys redirect this focus toward the Creator, explaining that true identity cannot be achieved through self-exploration but must be received through Christ. Looking inward often leads to confusion and despair, while seeking God reveals our purpose, origin, and worth. From examining idols and emotional reactions to embracing solitude and surrender, the guys offer practical ways believers can better know themselves by knowing God. Through honest self-reflection and reliance on the gospel, listeners are reminded that they are redeemed, loved, and called to let Christ shine through their lives. In a world full of noise and confusion, the path to true identity starts not with self, but with the Savior.
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You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.
Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.
You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!
Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.
Ray Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is an interesting topic that I believe
Oscar recommended.
It was, yeah, yeah, Oscar'sinto knowing himself.
That's his passion in life.
But this might sound weird tothe ears of some of our friends.
Like what do you mean?
Know yourself?
Speaker 3 (00:15):
It sounded weird to me.
I had to call you and saywhat's this about?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yeah.
So, Oscar, why don't youintroduce this subject to us?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, help us.
What do we mean?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
by know thyself.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, I think it's a valuable subject because, while
you know, depending on whatgeneration you grew up in, that
might not be that appealing toyou, that idea, but the younger
generations are definitelyasking that question how do I
know myself?
You may hear people talk aboutit as the authentic self to
become who you were meant to be.
(00:45):
It's a pursuit that many youngpeople are taking on now, and we
can listen to that language andreject it entirely, or we can
listen to that language andrecognize the longing of their
heart and redirect that longingto knowing God.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
This generation, this generation of this modern time
modernity is the word that Oscarused that they cannot escape.
Even when they fall asleep,they will ask these questions
what is going on?
Is it really us versus them,and why?
If there's no meaning, wellthen why is it us against them?
And then it just becomes ayelling match.
(01:23):
You know You'll neverunderstand your identity until
you start with your origin.
Well then, why is it us againstthem?
And then it just becomes ayelling match.
You'll never understand youridentity until you start with
your origin.
And this is where Genesis 127comes in.
So God created man in his ownimage.
You were created with a purposeand with a plan to know your
maker.
This is nothing new.
This has been argued anddiscussed since the beginning of
time.
This has been argued anddiscussed since the beginning of
(01:46):
time.
Augustine he said in his bookSoliloquies, or book one, he
said, grant Lord, that I mayknow myself, that I may know
thee.
In other words, you cannottruly know who God is until you
recognize who you are.
And that's where the law of God, the commandments, come into
play.
Have you ever come into theplace where you said, god, the
commandments come into play.
Have you ever come into theplace where you said, man, I
(02:06):
can't believe I did that sin?
Or when we hear of a pastorfalling into sexual sin, or he
dipped into the benevolent fund,we begin to think how dare he?
Paul Washer said the only reasonwhy there's not eight billion
Adolf Hitlers walking thisplanet is because of God's grace
and mercy.
You and I are both capable ofdoing the exact same thing, or
(02:27):
much worse, when you get torealize that there's no good
thing that dwells within you,that your heart is deceitful and
desperately wicked above allthings.
You are capable of that andmuch worse.
Why haven't you God'ssustaining grace upon a society
that has snubbed its noseagainst God?
You want to know yourself.
You must know yourself in lightof the commandments, and then
you turn to Christ and you canlive.
(02:48):
That's the ultimate solution.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I love it, mark.
Do you know that that Augustinequote is the reason why, after
reading that, I texted EZ andwas like we need to do a podcast
on knowing yourself?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Oh, is that really.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, that's the one that was resonating in my mind
too.
This is what I have to say thatwe're living in incredibly dark
times where we look at newsitems of people committing
suicide that are an absolutesuccess and popular and
good-looking and young and theytake their lives.
And if any time in history thechurch needs to step up to the
plate, it's now, because we'renot Very few Christians share
their faith with a sense ofurgency, which was a long time
(03:30):
ago.
There was a song called Is thatAll there Is.
Any of you guys heard of it?
It was the most hopeless, sadsong and it was a hit.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Can you sing it for us.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
The words yeah, I won't sing it, but I could if I
was alone.
Is that all there is, my friend?
Then let's keep dancing, let'sbring out the booze and have a
ball.
And it just starts off thislady talking.
Her name was Peggy Lee and shesays when I was a little girl,
my daddy loved me and I ran tohim and hugged him and then, as
I grew up, I did this and I didthat, and it just comes back to
(04:00):
is that all there is, my friend?
Then let's keep dancing, let'sbring out the booze and have a
ball.
Yeah, it's ecclesiastes.
And the futility of life whendeath is coming, the
hopelessness of having no hopein your life or reason to live,
and no hope in your death.
And it's coming closer andcloser and it's haunting, as
Hebrews says.
(04:20):
I think what's happened to thisgeneration is what happened to
me in my testimony.
I actually grew old prematurely.
I had attained everything inlife at the age of 20,
absolutely everything.
I had attained everything inlife at the age of 20,
absolutely everything.
Not the degree of Solomon, buta smaller degree Own home,
beautiful wife, made a kid,money go surfing when I wanted
(04:42):
just everything I wanted.
I thought what?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
do I do next?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And this generation has seen the world via its phone
.
It's had sex and doneeverything via the phone and
there's nothing left.
It's just is that all there is,and they take their lives.
So they're in darkness, they'relike groping blind men and
we've got to get an urgency inour heart as Christians and say
Lord, take away my fears, let melive daily for the lost and be
(05:09):
concerned about them and notmyself.
What firefighter would everstand around while people are
burning to?
death concerned about them andnot myself.
What firefighter would everstand around while people?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
are burning to death.
So we have this incredibleobligation that we must fulfill,
amen.
So let's get a little practicaland get into knowing ourselves
as it relates to our temperament, our weaknesses.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You mean?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
as a Christian, yeah, as believers.
Now I'd love to hear from youguys on some of those sorts of
things and maybe how you canencourage people Like how do you
examine yourself?
How do you get others involvedin helping you to know yourself?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think Paul Tripp's a huge help here.
I can't remember what book hesays this in, he's probably said
it multiple times, but I thinkyou know a path forward.
I call it the three D's discern, dismantle and desire.
And so the first one isdefinitely Paul Trippian, if I
can say that, which isdiscerning our idols.
(06:03):
He points out that every strongemotion that we have, whether
it's anger, fear or anxiety,what it's actually doing is
revealing something we love most.
Like you're interacting withyour family and your spouse says
something, your kids dosomething, a situation happens
and out of you comes fear,anxiety, anger.
(06:25):
What Tripp points out is that,ultimately, what's happening is,
when somebody puts one of youridols in danger, you respond out
of anger and fear and anxiety.
And so, instead of like there'ssomething wrong with them,
that's a sign there's somethingwrong with me.
I need to discern what is theidol of my heart in this moment.
(06:48):
Is it comfort?
Is it reputation?
Is it power?
What could it be?
And once you discern your idol,then you have to dismantle it.
You have to ask yourself whatlie am I believing?
What truth of the gospel am Inot believing?
How is Christ on the throne,the true fulfillment of my
(07:09):
deepest desires, where I willfind true humility and grace.
And then, finally, is to desireChrist Ultimately, how do we
repent?
It's when we come to desire himabove all else, as Thomas
Chalmers calls it, the expulsivepower of a new affection.
(07:31):
True, deep repentance is whenwe see Christ as so great that
our idols simply no longer makesense and they melt away.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
That's so good.
I mean, it really is a goodthing to examine yourself, it's
a good thing to recognize thatyou are decrepit, because if
you're decrepit, you need help.
Yeah, and you're without hope,and Christ is both our help and
our hope.
Yeah Right, psalm 139, searchme and try me.
(08:06):
Oh, you just stole it.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
That's where I was heading.
I was thinking they're going topraise me for this when I
mentioned that verse Search me,oh God.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Right right, right, it was a humble revelation Carry
on Mark.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
I've got it in front of me here, so do I.
Yeah, yeah, boy, carry on.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Go ahead, carry on.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
You ruined my day there's liberty, and there's
freedom in handing God aflashlight and saying check out
any hidden areas of my heart.
Right, Search me, right.
Have you ever lost somethingthat's valuable to you?
It's like you want everybody tohelp you find it.
(08:44):
This is the most importantthing.
And everybody pulls out theirphone, they turn on the
flashlights, full speed, fullbrightness, and you're down on
your hands and feet and you'relooking for that.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Ultimately, our identity is to be found in
Christ.
Paul put it best in Galatians2.20,.
I've been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist lives in me and the life
which I now live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son ofGod, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
You know those again that try toclaim that the Bible is just
(09:15):
this made up, fabricated thing.
You hear words like that.
This is a human being who wastransformed and revolutionized.
These are not human words.
I have been crucified withChrist.
It's no longer I who live, butChrist lives in me, the life
that I live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son ofGod who loved me and gave
(09:39):
himself for me.
I mean, oh, as Christians like,we resonate with that, you know,
and that's the ultimate in howwe know ourselves.
This is who I am.
I am now the crucified one withthe crucified one.
I'm now the resurrected onewith the resurrected one, and
his life now is manifestedthrough me.
I live to magnify Christ who'sliving in me and through me.
(10:04):
And ultimately, ray, to tie itin with what you said, that I
mentioned is the heartbeat toour ministry, that God now,
through Christ Galatians, 2Corinthians 5, he now wants to
plead through us to the world bereconciled to God.
And so let that Christ who's inyou, who now defines you as you
(10:25):
learn who you are and knowyourself, let him now plead
through you to the world to bereconciled to God.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Amen.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's highlights from the
Living Waters podcast.
Friends, we value your time, sowe've created a bite-sized
version of our podcast forlisteners who want to get
equipped.
Without the jokes andfellowship, Be sure to check out
the full episode every Thursdaywhere we dive deeper into the
topic.
Until then, you can watch thefull podcast episode available
(10:54):
now on livingwaterstv.
This is an interesting topic that I believe
Oscar recommended.
It was, yeah, yeah, Oscar'sinto knowing himself.
That's his passion in life.
But this might sound weird tothe ears of some of our friends.
Like what do you mean?
Know yourself?
Speaker 3 (00:15):
It sounded weird to me.
I had to call you and saywhat's this about?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yeah.
So, Oscar, why don't youintroduce this subject to us?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, help us.
What do we mean?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
by know thyself.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, I think it's a valuable subject because, while
you know, depending on whatgeneration you grew up in, that
might not be that appealing toyou, that idea, but the younger
generations are definitelyasking that question how do I
know myself?
You may hear people talk aboutit as the authentic self to
become who you were meant to be.
(00:45):
It's a pursuit that many youngpeople are taking on now, and we
can listen to that language andreject it entirely, or we can
listen to that language andrecognize the longing of their
heart and redirect that longingto knowing God.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
This generation, this generation of this modern time
modernity is the word that Oscarused that they cannot escape.
Even when they fall asleep,they will ask these questions
what is going on?
Is it really us versus them,and why?
If there's no meaning, wellthen why is it us against them?
And then it just becomes ayelling match.
(01:23):
You know You'll neverunderstand your identity until
you start with your origin.
Well then, why is it us againstthem?
And then it just becomes ayelling match.
You'll never understand youridentity until you start with
your origin.
And this is where Genesis 127comes in.
So God created man in his ownimage.
You were created with a purposeand with a plan to know your
maker.
This is nothing new.
This has been argued anddiscussed since the beginning of
time.
This has been argued anddiscussed since the beginning of
(01:46):
time.
Augustine he said in his bookSoliloquies, or book one, he
said, grant Lord, that I mayknow myself, that I may know
thee.
In other words, you cannottruly know who God is until you
recognize who you are.
And that's where the law of God, the commandments, come into
play.
Have you ever come into theplace where you said, god, the
commandments come into play.
Have you ever come into theplace where you said, man, I
(02:06):
can't believe I did that sin?
Or when we hear of a pastorfalling into sexual sin, or he
dipped into the benevolent fund,we begin to think how dare he?
Paul Washer said the only reasonwhy there's not eight billion
Adolf Hitlers walking thisplanet is because of God's grace
and mercy.
You and I are both capable ofdoing the exact same thing, or
(02:27):
much worse, when you get torealize that there's no good
thing that dwells within you,that your heart is deceitful and
desperately wicked above allthings.
You are capable of that andmuch worse.
Why haven't you God'ssustaining grace upon a society
that has snubbed its noseagainst God?
You want to know yourself.
You must know yourself in lightof the commandments, and then
you turn to Christ and you canlive.
(02:48):
That's the ultimate solution.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I love it, mark.
Do you know that that Augustinequote is the reason why, after
reading that, I texted EZ andwas like we need to do a podcast
on knowing yourself?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Oh, is that really.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, that's the one that was resonating in my mind
too.
This is what I have to say thatwe're living in incredibly dark
times where we look at newsitems of people committing
suicide that are an absolutesuccess and popular and
good-looking and young and theytake their lives.
And if any time in history thechurch needs to step up to the
plate, it's now, because we'renot Very few Christians share
their faith with a sense ofurgency, which was a long time
(03:30):
ago.
There was a song called Is thatAll there Is.
Any of you guys heard of it?
It was the most hopeless, sadsong and it was a hit.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Can you sing it for us.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
The words yeah, I won't sing it, but I could if I
was alone.
Is that all there is, my friend?
Then let's keep dancing, let'sbring out the booze and have a
ball.
And it just starts off thislady talking.
Her name was Peggy Lee and shesays when I was a little girl,
my daddy loved me and I ran tohim and hugged him and then, as
I grew up, I did this and I didthat, and it just comes back to
(04:00):
is that all there is, my friend?
Then let's keep dancing, let'sbring out the booze and have a
ball.
Yeah, it's ecclesiastes.
And the futility of life whendeath is coming, the
hopelessness of having no hopein your life or reason to live,
and no hope in your death.
And it's coming closer andcloser and it's haunting, as
Hebrews says.
(04:20):
I think what's happened to thisgeneration is what happened to
me in my testimony.
I actually grew old prematurely.
I had attained everything inlife at the age of 20,
absolutely everything.
I had attained everything inlife at the age of 20,
absolutely everything.
Not the degree of Solomon, buta smaller degree Own home,
beautiful wife, made a kid,money go surfing when I wanted
(04:42):
just everything I wanted.
I thought what?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
do I do next?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And this generation has seen the world via its phone
.
It's had sex and doneeverything via the phone and
there's nothing left.
It's just is that all there is,and they take their lives.
So they're in darkness, they'relike groping blind men and
we've got to get an urgency inour heart as Christians and say
Lord, take away my fears, let melive daily for the lost and be
(05:09):
concerned about them and notmyself.
What firefighter would everstand around while people are
burning to?
death concerned about them andnot myself.
What firefighter would everstand around while people?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
are burning to death.
So we have this incredibleobligation that we must fulfill,
amen.
So let's get a little practicaland get into knowing ourselves
as it relates to our temperament, our weaknesses.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You mean?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
as a Christian, yeah, as believers.
Now I'd love to hear from youguys on some of those sorts of
things and maybe how you canencourage people Like how do you
examine yourself?
How do you get others involvedin helping you to know yourself?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think Paul Tripp's a huge help here.
I can't remember what book hesays this in, he's probably said
it multiple times, but I thinkyou know a path forward.
I call it the three D's discern, dismantle and desire.
And so the first one isdefinitely Paul Trippian, if I
can say that, which isdiscerning our idols.
(06:03):
He points out that every strongemotion that we have, whether
it's anger, fear or anxiety,what it's actually doing is
revealing something we love most.
Like you're interacting withyour family and your spouse says
something, your kids dosomething, a situation happens
and out of you comes fear,anxiety, anger.
(06:25):
What Tripp points out is that,ultimately, what's happening is,
when somebody puts one of youridols in danger, you respond out
of anger and fear and anxiety.
And so, instead of like there'ssomething wrong with them,
that's a sign there's somethingwrong with me.
I need to discern what is theidol of my heart in this moment.
(06:48):
Is it comfort?
Is it reputation?
Is it power?
What could it be?
And once you discern your idol,then you have to dismantle it.
You have to ask yourself whatlie am I believing?
What truth of the gospel am Inot believing?
How is Christ on the throne,the true fulfillment of my
(07:09):
deepest desires, where I willfind true humility and grace.
And then, finally, is to desireChrist Ultimately, how do we
repent?
It's when we come to desire himabove all else, as Thomas
Chalmers calls it, the expulsivepower of a new affection.
(07:31):
True, deep repentance is whenwe see Christ as so great that
our idols simply no longer makesense and they melt away.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
That's so good.
I mean, it really is a goodthing to examine yourself, it's
a good thing to recognize thatyou are decrepit, because if
you're decrepit, you need help.
Yeah, and you're without hope,and Christ is both our help and
our hope.
Yeah Right, psalm 139, searchme and try me.
(08:06):
Oh, you just stole it.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
That's where I was heading.
I was thinking they're going topraise me for this when I
mentioned that verse Search me,oh God.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Right right, right, it was a humble revelation Carry
on Mark.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
I've got it in front of me here, so do I.
Yeah, yeah, boy, carry on.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Go ahead, carry on.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
You ruined my day there's liberty, and there's
freedom in handing God aflashlight and saying check out
any hidden areas of my heart.
Right, Search me, right.
Have you ever lost somethingthat's valuable to you?
It's like you want everybody tohelp you find it.
(08:44):
This is the most importantthing.
And everybody pulls out theirphone, they turn on the
flashlights, full speed, fullbrightness, and you're down on
your hands and feet and you'relooking for that.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Ultimately, our identity is to be found in
Christ.
Paul put it best in Galatians2.20,.
I've been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist lives in me and the life
which I now live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son ofGod, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
You know those again that try toclaim that the Bible is just
(09:15):
this made up, fabricated thing.
You hear words like that.
This is a human being who wastransformed and revolutionized.
These are not human words.
I have been crucified withChrist.
It's no longer I who live, butChrist lives in me, the life
that I live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son ofGod who loved me and gave
(09:39):
himself for me.
I mean, oh, as Christians like,we resonate with that, you know,
and that's the ultimate in howwe know ourselves.
This is who I am.
I am now the crucified one withthe crucified one.
I'm now the resurrected onewith the resurrected one, and
his life now is manifestedthrough me.
I live to magnify Christ who'sliving in me and through me.
(10:04):
And ultimately, ray, to tie itin with what you said, that I
mentioned is the heartbeat toour ministry, that God now,
through Christ Galatians, 2Corinthians 5, he now wants to
plead through us to the world bereconciled to God.
And so let that Christ who's inyou, who now defines you as you
(10:25):
learn who you are and knowyourself, let him now plead
through you to the world to bereconciled to God.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Amen.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's highlights from the
Living Waters podcast.
Friends, we value your time, sowe've created a bite-sized
version of our podcast forlisteners who want to get
equipped.
Without the jokes andfellowship, Be sure to check out
the full episode every Thursdaywhere we dive deeper into the
topic.
Until then, you can watch thefull podcast episode available
(10:54):
now on livingwaterstv.
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