Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / 5 Benefits of Using the Enneagram for Spiritual Growth (Enneagram 101 part 4)

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5 Benefits of Using the Enneagram for Spiritual Growth (Enneagram 101 part 4) · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Simply Wholehearted Podcast with Amy Wicks, your wholehearted life and business coach.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: You should know this podcast will inspire you to grow in self-awareness, be passionate about your faith, and get clear on your calling.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you are new here, then welcome to the community of multi-passionate women who love to go deep on topics like faith, Enneagram, relationships, leadership, and community.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: This conversation might provide the step you need to make the change you desire.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I love sprinkling those stories, whether it's my Enneagram at Work series, my spring and summer series of the Enneagram, and different tales along the way.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, those stories are yet to come in the summer series ahead, but today I'm going to just focus on five specific benefits or five specific ways to utilize Enneagram with spiritual direction and to experience transformation in your spiritual life.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, if you're new to the Enneagram and you're still trying to discern what it is and what it's not, I hope you listen to all the different episodes in this spring series and that you also check out all the resources listed in the show notes.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: I've got plenty of things to help you on your wholehearted journey and utilizing the Enneagram as a tool that will benefit you.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, benefit one from using the Enneagram is helping you to appreciate God.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think the primary reason to learn any personality system is to grow in your love for the Lord Jesus and to learn from Him how to better serve God with your whole heart by understanding yourself better.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And when you understand how you are uniquely wired, you learn how to use your gifts and talents in a way that better serves you and the kingdom of God.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: I believe we can use typology tools like the Enneagram to know ourselves under the banner of knowing God because ultimately we are made in his image.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the Enneagram highlights nine different ways that you are a reflection of your creator.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I love sharing ways that each personality is represented in the person of Christ because he embodies each personality type differently.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can celebrate the goodness of each personality and be reminded of how you are in need of a savior so you can learn to live more like him.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Our spiritual growth hinges on our willingness to engage in self-examination, which ultimately can lead us to self-awareness.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: When we're willing to engage in self-examination and we then utilize self-awareness, it can help us deepen our dependence on God.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, we can become more aware of where we fall short and remember how much we need Him.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oswald Chambers reminds us in the classic My Utmost Forest Highest that our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so maybe you've added all the qualities, but at least speaking for me, I've got a long way to go.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Ineogram provides a shortcut to the self-awareness process because it gives us language to our inner motivations and what we lack when we operate in our own strength.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think over time that you can celebrate where you are in your spiritual walk and in your relationship with the Lord while acknowledging that you will never be done growing until heaven.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: The invitation is to increase our habit of abiding in Christ so that we might add his qualities to our life to become more like him.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, benefit number two, the Enneagram defines the three core emotional struggles.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Every human being desires significance, security, and control.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Or as Keating states, we are born with three sets of essential biological needs: security and survival, power and control, affection and esteem.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes our childhood experience expanded, reinforced these desires.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: And a confession of faith and trust in Christ invites you to get your desire for control, significance, and security met through our Heavenly Father.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: But how often, when you are in the messy middle and striving to get your needs met, do you know how to define your root emotional struggle?
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: When life doesn't seem fair and all seems unjust and out of control, it's so easy to forget God's perfect care and defense, and you may have found yourself sinning in your anger.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: When your desire for significance is unmet, but you fail to surrender your desire for affection to God, the enemy can quickly come in and twist it into shame.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: And more than likely, when you feel as if your safety or security is being attacked, you may forget to trust God and develop anxiety.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: The Enneagram provides us some vocabulary and language around this, but it is the Word of God that provides the key.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: I take great comfort from Luke chapter 4 that Christ was faced with a temptation for all three of these areas, control, significance, and security.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And each temptation Jesus faced in the 40 days alone in the wilderness was crafted by Satan to see if Christ really understood who was in control, his worth, and where he would place his trust.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: First, Christ faced the temptation to turn stones into bread.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it would only be fair to satisfy his human need for food in order to have control over his human needs.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: But Christ responds with the word of God, I will not, for it is written in the scriptures, life does not come only from eating bread, but from God.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Life flows from every revelation from his mouth.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Those words declared his trust for God and the outcome instead of taking control over the situation.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Christ placed his confidence that his heavenly Father had a better plan than anything the enemy could conjure.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Second, Satan tempted Jesus with temporal worship and adoration.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: He said, I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them because they are mine to give anyone I please.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I will give it all to you if you will worship me.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: But here again Christ responds with Scripture to esteem the creator of heaven and earth and acknowledge where his value and worth came from.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: You must worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: See, Christ knew his mission on earth was not to be worshipped, but to tell others of the love of his Father and bring God glory, not Himself.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't need man's praise to believe his significance.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Last, the enemy comes in to tempt Jesus with his perverted ideas of security and safety with the words If you are the Son of God, jump off.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: However, Jesus is not deceived.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: He would not doubt the care of Jehovah or give in to fear.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Christ knew his ministry on earth would eventually lead him to death on the cross, but the Lord would surrender to God's timing and trust his Father for the outcome.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: This proclamation of truth by the Messiah states he is placing all of his trust in the guidance he would receive from his heavenly Father.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: You must not test the Lord your God.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you take some time to examine Luke 4 through the lens of these three emotional struggles we all face, we see firsthand the battle is fought in one with Scripture.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Christ was able to stand against all three temptations, and he allowed the Father to bestow upon him provision, worth, and protection.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: The same goes for you and for me.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: When we can identify how the enemy is triggering or activating our unique desire for control, significance, and safety, we can have the victory to be more effective in our purpose and our calling.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit number three, the Enneagram can help you identify the message your heart longs to hear.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: As you begin to explore your story through the Enneagram lens, you begin to learn that you long to be told that you are successful, good, valuable, desirable, more than enough, and not too much.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: As a believer, you know these things can only be fulfilled in Christ.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're like me, sometimes you might feel guilty and burdened because you still desire those things.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So what if I told you it's okay to desire those affirmations?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, what if I told you that you were created with these innate longings?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: You were born with a desire to be told that you're enough, good enough, valuable enough, desirable enough, and successful enough.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: You long to have your needs and desires met, and God strategically set it up this way.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, He gave you these unique desires in order that you would feel your way toward the Creator God.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: There's a cool passage in Acts 17, specifically verses 26 to 28 that I have just paraphrased for you.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the deal: because of sin, you have been tempted to walk away from God's loving presence.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: You strive, push, toil, and you wear yourself thin to grasp a sense of satisfaction to satisfy the message your heart wants to hear.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: And at best, you experience fleeting relief once you feel like you have attained it.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, and most often, you receive the opposite and you feel the pressure to continue the endless toil to grasp what your heart longs to hear.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, the world has come up with its own self-help solutions.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's mantras, affirmations, and they do feel good for a time, but they don't last.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: As you continue to explore your dominant Enneagram type, you begin to get language for the longing you were created to hear.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: There's validation, a settling sense of being known, and it's affirming that you're no longer alone in your desire.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then the Word of God begins to speak to your longing in a new way.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Passages you've read previously ministered to your need to be known and the message your heart longs to hear.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: You look for the ways the Lord is speaking to your unique desire, and you communicate to those closest to you and how you need to be affirmed and loved.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit number four.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: When you know yourself, you have humility.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Every Enneagram type story is in direct opposition to the story of grace.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: We strive to get our needs for security, significance, and control met by the world's standards.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: But we are also motivated by the root of sin.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because of your sin nature, we are all fallen and fallen short of the glory of God, it's so quickly to not see what we're doing and to get stuck in destructive or maladaptive behaviors and habits.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: But thanks to the work done by Evagoris, the passions or deadly sins that were identified in the fourth century were anger, pride, deceit, envy, greed, fear, gluttony, and slothfulness are connected to the nine personality types.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, that's a long list, and you have more than one struggle or one of these deadly sins.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: But when it is spelled out clearly, you may get a fresh look at an old sin habit.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Friend, we all need God's forgiveness, grace, and power through faith in Christ to be healed of our destructive patterns and to be transformed in the image of Christ.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's just that the Enneagram's observations of the nine passions or nine root sins can be very helpful.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: They're a succinct reminder that all of us have sinned and we all need to be humbled or approach the throne of grace with humility, knowing that all of these things on these lists are something that we have struggled with once, twice, or many times.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: As you read each personality type's tendencies and motivations, it is clear that we are all in desperate need of a savior because of our behavior.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then when you receive God's grace and mercy, it's an opportunity to also grow compassion for yourself, which leads to following the second greatest commandment.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: As you rely on the Spirit of Jesus and utilize the insights of the Enneagram, you can grow more in humility and receiving and giving God's grace.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit number five, you develop compassion and empathy for others.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you didn't know already, my siblings, I'm the oldest of four, well, the four of us couldn't be more different.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: We were all raised in the same house by the same two people, and we spent much time together.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we even ate around the same dinner table almost every night.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yet when we were young, it was evident we had personalities, preferences, and passions in all different directions.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't always easy for any of us to appreciate each other's unique qualities.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, there have definitely been those times where we would meet eye to eye in a moment of, oh my word, we are so very related.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Such as when my youngest sister and I feel like we're on the exact same wavelength.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: But often we've walked away from a single experience with four distinct interpretations.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: This fact used to drive me crazy because I could not understand their perspective or why they would react in such a different way.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: But now I get it.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: We each interpret life through a filter of underlying fears, distorted beliefs and desires, and we have losses that are unique to each individual.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: We often lacked understanding because of our different internal operating systems that just didn't always sink.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: But once we gained awareness about ourselves and about each other, we were able to go a different path, learning the internal motivations and messages of each other to accept, trust, and communicate better.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing how much easier we are able to reconcile and to get on the same page in communication.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: And when I had three small kids, ages four and under, I attempted to attend moms groups and play dates, but I often spent a great deal of time trying to get my kids into childcare, or even having to focus on behavior issues rather than enjoying fellowship with the other moms.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, this challenge felt incredibly limiting, and I just couldn't understand why it seemed like other moms didn't have this challenge or why their kids didn't behave the way mine did.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: And now I have insight that helps me understand that each of my children is innately wired as assertive types.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: They aren't just strong-willed and stubborn.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: They were created to get their needs met by externalizing their questions, emotions, and connection.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: So when my house feels really loud compared to a friend who has even more kids than me, I don't worry about what I'm doing wrong.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, I recognize what my kids need.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just not the same as what her kids need.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: So not only can the Enneagram be a resource for personal transformation, but it can also provide knowledge to improve all your relationships.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: When you learn how others work and how their Enneagram types are masking who they truly are, you can have newfound compassion.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: The Enneagram gives you a framework and insight for understanding others because it does speed up the process it takes to learn how others operate.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: When you have this understanding, it enables you to communicate and come alongside to support others' needs.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you consider the individual personalities as different viewing lenses, you can step out of your perspective and try on theirs.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then this often means less time misinterpreting and misunderstanding others.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: As I have learned how other personalities view the world, I truly have grown in compassion and understanding.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think Colossians 4.6 states it so well.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: This verse does inform my methodology, and the Enneagram helps to spell out the language of those who think, feel, and respond differently than me.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you combine the understanding of the Enneagram within the framework of relationships, you can begin to tolerate the differences and you can learn to appreciate them.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: When all is said and done, the Enneagram can significantly contribute to spiritual direction and spiritual growth by providing a framework for self-awareness.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, self-awareness in a biblical context illuminates your true essence as one created in God's image, tapping into the deeper story of your longings and motivations.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: It'll help you examine what is below the surface of your outward behavior, and it will clarify how you are held captive by habitual patterns and distorted beliefs.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Since we covered a decent amount of material in this conversation, let me recap the five benefits again of using the Enneagram with spiritual direction or for spiritual growth and transformation.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit one, it helps you appreciate God.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit two, it defines the three core emotional struggles.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit three helps you identify the message your heart longs to hear.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit four, when you know yourself, you have more humility.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: And benefit five, you develop compassion and empathy for others.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: I like to quote my friend Tyler Zack with the term sniper sanctification.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: I do think the Enneagram can cut through the muck and all the noise and helps us get to the heart of the issue or the root of the problem that we need to pull out.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: I really do think there are loads of benefits to utilizing the Enneagram, but I think that these five sum it up nicely.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear about your experiences in spiritual growth utilizing the Enneagram, whether you've been coached or it's just something that you've read and studied on your own.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you are enjoying this series about what the Enneagram is, what it's not, and how it might benefit you.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love it if you would take the time to share this with friends and family who might benefit from this conversation and the other ones in this series.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Just use the share feature on this podcast platform to put it in your Instagram stories, send it as a text, or however you want to get the word out about these conversations.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you can count on me to bring more beneficial conversations like this to you next week as we continue this spring series and we go into a summer in the Enneagram.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, friend, until next time, continue to pursue God's perspective, purpose, and plan for your simply wholehearted life.