SATURDAY 5.2.20
ENNEAGRAM! Below we will provide you the link to a quick test and another link to explain the Enneagram if you are not familiar with it.
FRIDAY 5.1.20
Devotion: Battle of the Mind
We are emotional beings and our emotions steer us in many directions affecting our mood, tone, and behavior on a daily basis. Many are taught from childhood that emotions are bad so we invest considerable time trying to ignore them in the hope that they will just go away. They don’t! They simply hang around like annoying back-seat drivers blocking our ability to build and maintain good relationships.
If we allow it, our internal chatterbox voice will transmit negative thoughts about the self and the people around us. Such lies impact on our expectations, govern our behavior, and lead us to view experiences in a way that re-enforces those lies. The lies become repetitive loops playing with our thinking and when left unchecked become constraints, choking the abundant life God intended for us. Jesus describes Satan as the ‘Father of lies’ and much of our stress, anxiety, and negative responses to situations flow from believing Satan’s deception.
The good news is that we have Christ in us who combats any scheme that Satan tries to play in our minds. Any time you revisit your past without remembering how God sees and loves you, you subject yourself to the spirit of deception which is why we must guard against having any ‘self-talk’ that differs from God’s truth. When we learn how to understand and develop our emotional responses we increase our ability to be relational.
THURSDAY 4.30.20
Journal Prompt: What needs to change in your approach to emotions from how you were raised to where you are now?
Read BELOW on How to Journal:
Journaling can be intimidating and it can be hard to know where to start. Don’t worry about what others are doing, do what is best and beneficial for you. Also, journaling doesn’t mean you are writing in a diary, unless that is something that would help you. Journaling is the perfect way to sort out your thoughts and process any feelings that you need to acknowledge.
Here are some practical tips from Pastor Dave on how to journal:
- Buy a comfortable journal.
It’s got to be something you like AND something you see of value. Investing a few bucks on it will help bring value to what you are doing. Also, it’s got to be comfortable to write in. I need lines; you may not.
- Start simple.
Write down what scripture you read today and a thought or two. Don’t think you need to write a lot and don’t think you need to have a specific order to your words. Some days I write 3 sentences. Some days a whole page. I put bullet points, draw arrows, I circle words, and create hashtags.
- Find your time.
It doesn’t matter the time but work to find consistency. You may try it and discover that journaling is tough because of the time of day. Don’t get discouraged, just change the time that fits you.
- Make it accessible.
I keep mine in my backpack with my computer. When I get ready to work, the journal comes out with my work read for me to write. When I go into a meeting, I like to have it handy in case I need to write down a thought to process later. If I don’t have it, I use an app on my phone and make a notation that this is a “journal thought.”
You’ve got this. As difficult as it was to begin, it has helped me become a better man, husband, father, pastor, and preacher. The stewardship over our thoughts, if handled well, can position us to be more effective Kingdom builders. And like many things, the most difficult things we root into our habits, develop the sweetest fruit in our lives.
TUESDAY 4.28.20
Go to YouVersion to listen to the passage of 1 Kings 18: 41-46. To listen, go the right corner and click on the sound icon.
- As you listen to the passage, close your eyes and imagine what is going on in the story.
- Listen to the passage again and put yourself into the story.
- Reflect:
- What did you picture when you listened to the story?
- Who did you imagine you were you in the story? Why?
- How does this help you understand the story? Does it help you see this passage in a different way?
pdave.me 