Self Emptying: Beyond Fear-Based Faith

**A Raw Conversation About True Discipleship**

What happens when two friends dive deep into the uncomfortable truth that our very efforts to protect ourselves—and even to love others well—might be the very things keeping us from the abundant life Jesus promises?

In this unfiltered conversation, our hosts explore the tension between self-preservation and self-denial, unpacking why rehearsing what we’ll say before difficult conversations might reveal more about our faith than we’d like to admit. From Hudson Taylor’s radical trust to the surprising difference between “flesh 1.0” and “flesh 2.0,” they wrestle with questions that challenge conventional Christian thinking:

•  Is trying to relate to others in healthy ways actually *the problem* rather than the solution?
• What does it really mean to “deny yourself” beyond surface-level interpretations?
• How do we distinguish between adaptive fears that protect us and the deeper fears that keep us from true intimacy with Christ?

**Key Moments:**

• A breakthrough realization about the difference between loving others “as your current self” vs. discovering who God made you to be
• - Why even successful Christian behavior might be another form of “flesh”
• - A vulnerable story about embracing “self-loathing” as a path to freedom
• - The concept of “FTWC” (Following The Way of Christ) as an alternative to self-protection

  This isn’t your typical discipleship discussion. Expect technical difficulties, honest confusion, and the kind of spiritual wrestling that leaves you with more questions than answers—exactly where transformation begins.

  *Warning: This conversation may challenge your assumptions about what it means to follow Jesus.*

  **Listen if you’re ready to explore what lies beyond the safety of your current understanding of faith.**