Download the ebook
Get your copy of Lab Experiment #1: The Courage to Understand Yourself to print or annotate on your device.

---

Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” 

1 Kings 19:11-13 MSG

Miracles of discovery are missed by those who lose the whisper in the noise. In the story preceding these verses, the prophet Elijah was struggling to hear God’s voice through the noise. He was tired, discouraged, and afraid. But when God showed himself to Elijah, it wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle and quiet whisper. 

God is found in the whisper, and what he whispers gives us the wisdom to understand ourselves. But it takes courage to ignore the noise and listen.

God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things.

Proverbs 25:2 MSG

As we have learned in The Chemistry Lab, spiritual scientists seek to discover what God is eager to reveal. This was the secret of Isaac Newton, arguably the most influential scientist in history.

Edward Dolnick describes Newton’s view on the source of his groundbreaking insights and discoveries:

From his earliest youth, Newton had seen himself as different from others, set apart and meant for special things. He read great significance into his birth on Christmas Day, his lack of a father, and his seemingly miraculous survival in infancy. The depth and sincerity of his religious faith are beyond question, and so was his belief that God had set him apart and whispered His secrets into his ear.

Edward Dolnick, The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World

Newton was right that he was set apart for something special. And the Scriptures are clear that each of us is, too. Let’s listen for God’s whispered secrets with open ears, starting with the secrets of what makes up who we are. 

What follows is an experiment of discovery, which will include four steps to understanding ourselves and why we do what we do. It’s a chance to exercise the courage to slow down, listen to God, and discover who we are—and in discovering who we are, we’ll discover who we are meant to be. Let’s begin!

Reflection: Newton believed God whispered secrets about the universe into his ear. What would change if you believed God wants to whisper secrets about YOU into your ear—through Scripture, prayer, and the wisdom of others?

Step 1: Do a heart check.

Where is your heart right now regarding listening for God’s whisper about who you are?

• Resistant: I don’t want to deal with life or anything deep right now. If I’m honest, I often create my own noise so I don’t have to listen. Looking inward feels overwhelming, and keeping things surface-level feels safer than hearing what God might say.
• Reflective: I’m not sure I know how to hear God’s whisper or if I’d recognize it. I feel confused about my inner world and need help distinguishing God’s voice from all the other noise.
• Receptive: I’m willing to quiet the noise and listen to God through his Word, his Spirit, and the people he’s placed in my life. I believe God wants to whisper secrets about who I am, and I’m willing to discover what I’ve been missing or avoiding.
• Ready: I’ve been waiting for this. I’m ready to listen to God through his Word, prayer, his Spirit, and trusted spiritual friends. I just need the framework to hear what he’s been trying to whisper to me about myself.

Be courageous. Write a few sentences about why you checked what you checked. It takes courage to be honest about where your heart really is—to admit if you’re avoiding, confused, or ready. God already knows. This honesty is your first step toward hearing his whisper.

Download the ebook
Get your copy of Lab Experiment #1: The Courage to Understand Yourself to print or annotate on your device.

Step 2: Self-evaluate and discover your “one thing.”

It is the most amazing feeling to know how deeply You know me, inside and out; the realization of it is so great that I cannot comprehend it.

Psalm 139:6 Voice

Question 1: What obstacles keep me from understanding myself?

A recent Chemistry Lab newsletter discussed the story of Sybil—a woman with sixteen personalities, each protecting her from pain. Though we may not have a personality disorder like this woman did, we can have different “masks” we use to put up walls and protect ourselves from pain. But these walls keep us stuck and unable to move forward in our discovery journey.

What are the “masks” you show different people? (The competent professional, the spiritual one at church, the funny friend, the excellent student, the people-pleaser, the exhausted parent, the independent loner, etc.)

Pray, talk, or write about this: Which version of yourself do you most often present to others? Which version do you hide?

Question 2: What questions do I need to ask myself to begin to know myself better?

Here are a few questions to get you started in understanding yourself:

• What emotion do I feel most often that I never talk about?
• What do I fear people would think if they really knew me?
• What childhood experience shaped how I see myself today?
• When do I feel most like my authentic self?

Choose one question above. Spend 5 minutes praying aloud, talking through it with someone, or writing—whatever helps you process. Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Just be honest.

Question 3: How do I stay motivated to go deeper and resist the urge to create noise to distract myself?

List three distractions you use when self-reflection gets uncomfortable:

Now identify the pattern: What are these distractions protecting you from feeling or knowing?

My “one thing”: 

Complete this sentence: If I could change one thing about how honestly I understand myself, it would be…

And if I made that change, everything else would change because…

Step 3: Make a relationship connection.

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.

1 Samuel 23:16 NIV

Spiritual friends are essential to hearing God’s voice. In this step, you’ll build or deepen a friendship that will help you hear God and understand yourself.

Your assignment: Schedule a 30-45 minute conversation with a “discovery partner”—a spiritual mentor, friend, or prayer partner. Challenge yourself to do this within the next three days, before you are tempted to put any walls back up.

Share 

Courageously open your heart by sharing these discoveries:

1. Your “Heart Check” status and the sentences you wrote explaining it.
2. Your answers from step 2—especially the “versions” of yourself you show people.
3. Your distractions and what they’re protecting you from.
4. Your “One Thing” statement.

Ask

Take another courageous step by asking your discovery partner these questions:

• “What do you see in me that I might not see in myself?”
• “Where have you seen me avoid self-understanding?”
• “What would change in my life if I became more authentically known?”

After the conversation, pray about, talk through with them, or write down the most challenging thing they said. Why is it challenging? What thoughts and emotions does it surface? How could this entire experience help you grow into the person you long to be?  How could it lead to a significant life breakthrough? 

Focus

Complete this statement with the help of your discovery partner:

For the next 7 days, my one focus will be:

And if I stay at this, here’s how this change can change everything:

Grow

Growth doesn’t happen all at once! Choose a way to stay connected with your discovery partner this week. Use the action plan in the next section to guide your conversations.

My discovery partner will help me stay focused on listening for God this week by…: (choose one) 

• Daily text at _______ (time) 
• Every other day phone call 
• Three times this week in person/video 
• Other: _________________

Step 4: Take action for a week — see what happens!

Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith.

Hebrews 11:8 TPT

At this point, we should be discovering a lot about who we are and why we do what we do. Now is the time for action—to step out in faith. The key word here is step. Lasting growth doesn’t happen overnight, but one day at a time.

Over the next seven days, follow these small steps (with the help of your discovery partner!) toward discovering who you are and who you are meant to be.

Day 1:  Clear the noise, hear the whisper. 

Morning: Name your five strongest emotions right now and what’s causing them (such as anger at traffic, anxiety about work, joy from yesterday’s conversation, etc.). Getting the emotional noise out clears space to hear God’s whisper. Read Psalm 62:5,8 NLT. Then pray: “God, now that I’ve cleared the noise, open my mind, eyes, and heart to understand myself better today.” 

Evening:  Pray, write, or talk with your discovery partner about this question: 

• What did God show me about myself today that I’ve never seen before?

Day 2: God already knows.

Morning: Read Psalm 139:1-6 slowly. Circle every phrase that indicates God already knows you completely. 

Evening: Pray, write, or talk with your discovery partner about this question:

• What am I afraid to know about myself? 

Then thank God for already knowing these things—and loving you completely.

Day 3: Stop performing and start being real. 

Morning: Identify why you perform for people. Who are you trying to be instead of being yourself? What are you afraid will happen if people see the real you? Then read 1 Samuel 16:7.

Evening: Practice one authentic interaction with your discovery partner where you share your struggle to be real—and actually be real in that conversation. No performing, no mask.

Day 4: Notice your patterns.

Morning: Revisit your list of distractions from “Step 2: Self-discovery.” When you feel the urge to distract today, pause for 60 seconds instead and read Psalm 46:10.

Evening: Pray, write, or talk with your discovery partner about this question: 

• What was I avoiding when I wanted to distract?

Day 5: Ask the hard question.

Morning: Read Job 33:14. Then ask God this question in prayer: “What are you trying to teach me about myself that I keep avoiding?” 

Evening: Pray, write, or discuss the morning’s question with your discovery partner—whatever comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense yet.

Day 6: Widen the circle.

Anytime: Read 2 Corinthians 6:11-13. Share one thing you learned this week about yourself with someone new (not your discovery partner)—someone who would benefit from your honesty. 

Evening: Pray, write, or talk with your discovery partner about this question: 

• How did it feel to be known by someone new? What did I notice?

Day 7: What did God whisper? 

Morning: Read Psalm 119:130. How have you seen this to be true this week? 

Evening: Pray, write, or talk with your discovery partner about these questions:

• How has God’s Word unfolded to give me light this week? 
• What one thing has shifted in how I understand myself? 
• What did God whisper to me this week that I’d never heard before?

Final question: What changes are you experiencing in your life now that you understand yourself better?

Remember: Breakthroughs don’t come from one perfect insight. They unfold with every small, courageous choice to let God illuminate who we really are. You’re not fixing yourself; you’re discovering the person God has always known. And your experiment is successful when you can share with others what God has whispered to you.