Hello, Eight!
You’re not just a reliable anchor for us during our tough times but a fierce protector—a bear guarding its cubs. You’re the general who leads us fearlessly into the battle; the seasoned sea captain who navigates the stormy waters of conflict. When life turns cold and desolate, you’re the roaring flame that warms us all. If you were a key on a keyboard, you’d undoubtedly be the exclamation mark, consistently grabbing our attention when God wants to deliver a message..
Have you ever felt taken aback by how people perceive you, wondering, Why do they think I’m always ready for a fight? You’ve been a challenger since the womb, and not everyone gets that. But guess what? God does. He understands that you are one of the most misinterpreted personalities out there.
Your unwavering confidence is often misinterpreted and not always appreciated, even if you do seem to rise faster than others up the chain of command and earn everyone’s respect. Even I, at times, have confused your self-assurance as pride—especially as someone on the other end of the spectrum who struggles with false humility. But what I once saw as your weakness, I now see as your greatest asset. That’s why I chose the title “Defender” over “Challenger”—the tired moniker most Enneagram teachers use for this type—because it is truly your strengths that define you above all else.
But like every personality type, your greatest strengths can also become obstacles when disconnected from God’s grace. Let’s explore how the gospel both affirms and challenges the unique qualities of Type Eight.
The Gospel Affirms Defenders
God sympathizes with the worldview of a Defender. This unfair and apathetic world lacks justice in many ways, and is filled with oppressors, cowards, and chronic critics. We need strong, passionate doers who will empower us to reject apathy, lead courageously, protect fiercely, and overcome adversity. Your life is our daily reminder that “faith apart from works is dead.” All Defenders will be happy to know the Bible affirms the following beliefs:
- God created us to be strong and courageous. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
- God created us to be doers who take initiative. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
- God created us to seek justice and protect the vulnerable. “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:17)
- God created us to work hard and never give up. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
- God created us to be direct and decisive. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:37)
- God created us to be victorious conquerors. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
- God created us to be righteously angry. “Be angry and sin … .” (Ephesians 4:26a)
- God created us to live with passion. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)
The Gospel Challenges Defenders
The gospel also provides specific challenges to Defenders. We’ll explore the most common lies Eights believe and see how the Bible provides much better promises and blessings. We will move deeper into each of these throughout the next 40 days.
- Lie #1: I’m loved for being strong and tough. Eights are a gift to the world, displaying God’s power and strength. However, this role gets exaggerated when they believe they will only be respected or loved when they are strong enough to be feared. But the truth is: Jesus died on the cross for your vulnerable self, not your invincible self. This book is a call to put down your weapons, take off your armor, and return to the Eight’s core virtue of childlike innocence. When you fall into the arms of your Father and Defender, you’ll receive protection from all your enemies, mercy for all your guilt, and finally realize there’s nothing left to prove. He couldn’t be more proud of you right now.
- Lie #2: Vulnerability is a sign of weakness. Living in a world where the strong eat the weak, Eights avoid vulnerability at all costs to protect themselves and garner respect. They tend to not tolerate any weakness in themselves or others, confuse vulnerability for weakness, and deny their softer emotions. Eights must embrace the truth that becoming vulnerable paradoxically makes you stronger, not weaker. After all, Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb, proving that becoming more tender doesn’t make you less tough. Embracing vulnerability and transparency will only develop your emotional intelligence, giving you the ability to understand and manage your feelings and making you a more approachable friend, lover, and leader.
- Lie #3: Bigger is better. The vice of an Eight is lust. Much more than sexual interest, it is a desire for intensity in all of life. Eights work hard and play hard. They want to squeeze the most out of every moment, which may lead them to over-do everything and become the proverbial bull in a china shop, causing them to burn out or burn bridges. The truth is that, more often than not, less is more and bigger is not always better. Living without limits is what’s actually limiting you. Therefore, God places boundaries around your passion for intensity, not because He’s a kill-joy, but because He wants to protect your pleasure. Spreading yourself too thin or putting your relationships on thin ice actually jeopardizes your potential joy, so tap the brakes and embrace rest as renewal rather than an inconvenience.
- Lie #4: I will be betrayed. The core fears of an Eight are being controlled, harmed, or betrayed. Their childhood message was: It’s not okay to trust or be vulnerable with others. This explains why many Eights have trust issues and rely solely on themselves. Some may constantly test and challenge others, trying to uncover hidden motives, but this approach only results in increased loneliness or low-grade paranoia. The good news is that Jesus, who experienced rejection and betrayal from both His enemies and closest friends, says, “I will never betray you.” Knowing you are safe in Christ will lead you to live with open hands rather than closed fists, knowing there are people who are ready to love you fiercely when you have the courage to let them in.
- Lie #5: I must take justice into my own hands. When the Eight’s fear of betrayal comes true, or they witness a bully misusing their power, they may take action, believing every battle is theirs to fight or that it is their sole responsibility to balance the scales. Because the Eight’s fixation is vengeance, they may believe that revenge works, but mercy will only invite further exploitation. However, taking on the role of the vigilante will only continue the cycle of hostility and violence in the world, blocking our path to reconciliation and understanding. Just as it was God’s kindness, not vengeance, that led you to repentance, so you must seek to forgive rather than repay. Forgiveness demands greater courage than punishment, but it’s the only way to set you free from the chains of anger and bitterness that can hold you captive for years.
- Lie #6: No one can tell me what to do. As autonomous and independent creatures, Eights want to stay in control of their present environment and future destiny. They may suffer from the illusion of invincibility, believing they are more powerful than the rest of us weaklings and aren’t bound by the same human limitations. The Eight’s defense mechanism is denial, which leads them to dismiss inconvenient truths that don’t fit into their way of seeing things, but they must swallow the pill that excessive self-confidence can actually derail their vision. The solution is to trust in the Lord and not lean on your own understanding, considering yourself a “fool” rather than “wise” in your own eyes. The path to greatness and leaving an unforgettable legacy involves surrendering your willfulness to God’s will, allowing yourself to decrease so that He may increase.
As you can see, the gospel will challenge your perception of the protagonists and antagonists in your life. In the Defender’s Kingdom, the world is divided into “the strong” and “the weak”: your heroes are those who stand up for themselves and prove to be tough, extremely loyal, fully committed, truthful, and resilient. They also don’t try to get in your way, giving you all the autonomy and independence you think you need. Conversely, your villains are those who undermine your decisions, act subversively behind your back or try to catch you off-guard; they persistently challenge your authority, try to manipulate or control you, or portray you as the “angry bad guy.”
God’s kingdom will not be filled with those who use Christ’s authority as an excuse to fight their enemies but by men and women who have learned to forgive. In God’s economy, mercy is the currency. In this place, we exchange guilt for grace, ego for empathy, suspicion for trust, dominance for exercising dominion, and we embrace the reality that might doesn’t always make right. Here, we prioritize feeling before doing, listening before acting prematurely, and acknowledge that true fulfillment is not found in powering up but in the presence of God.
Are you still skeptical of the Enneagram? Check out my FREE resource called “Should Christians Use The Enneagram?” where I discuss the roots and origins of the Enneagram.
Next Step: Get the 40-Day Devotional
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far, there’s good news! I’ve written an entire 40-day devotional just for the Type Eight Defender.
For the Enneagram Eight—the Defender—life is all about protecting and empowering others. While our unfair and apathetic world desperately needs your big heart and bravery, sometimes your desire for intensity causes you to either burn out or burn bridges.
That’s why I wrote this 40-day devotional. I want to help you hear from God and encourage you as you make the world a more just place with your passion, determination, and resiliency.
Inside, you’ll discover how to conquer your fear of vulnerability, develop greater emotional intelligence, master the art of slowing down, navigate the complexities of being misunderstood, adopt mercy as your new currency, and find peace in God’s presence rather than springing into action. Be prepared to encounter a powerful God who wants to refine those smooth edges without compromising your true self.
Get the “The Gospel for Defenders: A 40-Day Devotional for Powerful, Challenging Protectors (Enneagram Type 8)” on Amazon right now. Click here to receive a free 5-day devotional to test drive the book.
Check out this page to view the other 40-Day devotionals in this series by Tyler Zach. This will make the perfect gift for a family member or friend. You can also subscribe to the email list to get Book Launch announcements and an invite to receive Advance Reader Copies.
Follow Type·ish to join the growing tribe of 48K!
