October 18: Always Share the Truth

Affirmation: I accept my doubts and fears and move forward anyway.

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

Worry will discourage us to take even the smallest step. In many cases, it’s not that God’s unable to perform miracles rather it’s us who refuse to take that one small step needed to be the starting point for God’s miracle.

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Today, continue to personalize Proverbs 4:23. Talk to God about your heart and how to guard it. Ask Him to show you your heart. Pay attention to what flows from your mouth, flows through your mind. Journal what comes to mind. Be honest with yourself…God already knows.❤️ (Read about self-compassion from Brenè Brown & wisdom from Andy Andrews below.)

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Guidepost 2: Cultivating Self-Compassion and Letting Go of Perfectionism

“If you can’t give compassion to yourself, you won’t be able to give it to others.

Self-compassion has three main elements (as identified by Kristin Neff, a leading researcher in the field.)

“First, it’s self-kindness. This means being as nice to yourself as you would be to others when you make a mistake.

Second, it’s recognizing our common humanity. No matter what you’re going through in life, you aren’t alone. Anytime you’re struggling with something, know that there are other people out there who share in that challenge.

Third, it’s practicing mindfulness by allowing ourselves to actually feel what we’re feeling, without over-identifying with those feelings. All feelings are temporary. None define you. Acknowledging what’s there gives you the ability to move forward more effectively.”

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

The Guided Decision 

I will seek wisdom

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

-What are you reading or listening to? Be thoughtful about what you are filling your mind with each day. 

Try the Bible app for Verse of the Day and the Prayer Prompts to get started.

Also reading this blog with insight from the Bible, Brene Brown, Andy Andrews and Bob Goff is a good start 

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

October 18

If You Tell A Story About What Jesus Has Done For You, You’ll Always Be Sharing Truth.

He replied, “whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see! “John 9:25 
The Bible tells a story about a man who is born blind – the man Jesus healed with some mud and a touch of his hand. When the Pharisees caught wind of the story, they went on a tear to find the guy who had been healed. They wanted to hear his story. You get the sense that the Pharisees were threatened that Jesus was stealing their spotlight.

When they found the man who had been healed, he simply bore witness to the miracle Jesus had done. He admitted he didn’t know anything about Jesus. He didn’t know where he came from, he didn’t know if Jesus was a sinner or a savior. He just knew one thing: he had been blind and now he could see. He didn’t turn it into a lecture about illness or theology or try to convince the Pharisees they were wrong about the world; he just told them what he had seen Jesus do.

I’ve come to realize there are two ways of telling stories about ourselves. Our stories can stay focused on us, presenting us in the best light. Or our stories can be an entryway into telling the truth about what God has been doing in our lives, even if we can’t explain it.

Instead of telling stories to brighten your spotlight or hold onto power, simply talk about what you’ve experienced Jesus doing in your life. We don’t have to have the answers or look like we’ve got a big faith. We just have to be humble and tell it like we’ve known it.

With whom will you share a story about Jesus and his work in your life?