Most of us intentionally or unintentionally write narratives for our ideal lives that include graduating college with very little school debt and marrying a godly man who will not only be handsome eternally but will also always read our minds when we have needs and always have the right answer for how to lead us into the future. Maybe you know what “unexpected” feels like. You see, this conviction to meet the jumbled-up thoughts and lies in my mind with the truth of God’s Word didn’t form out of a noble pursuit of spiritual discipline, but rather through the most brutal of seasons where my emotions and feelings about my life threatened to pull me under the tide of life’s unexpected waves of doubt, fear, exhaustion, and disappointment. What are the most common thoughts that fill your mind in the day-to-day? You can try to act or behave in a certain way, but ultimately, your actions will take the shape of what drives our hearts and minds. The principle here is that your heart and your mind are connected. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV). See how much your thoughts direct your days? Can you see why Tripp says no one is more influential than you are? My guess is that while those statements seem recognizable as lies when someone else says them, you too allow them to form in your mind about yourself and your own circumstances. I wouldn’t be going through these circumstances if I were a better Christian. I can’t minister or lead if I don’t have all the answers. I should be so much further along in my walk with the Lord-God must be disappointed in me. I shouldn’t trust people-I’ll inevitably get hurt. I’ll never change-I’ll never overcome this weakness. What are some of the thoughts that go through your mind in the day-to-day? Here are some of mine, even now: Just one quick inventory of the thoughts that dominated our thinking this day can leave us confronted with the truth: We are what we think. Turns out we are more influential in our own lives than we realize. Perhaps you’d think of a mentor, pastor, or close friend.īut Paul David Tripp tells it to us straight, saying, “no one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” 1 Oh, how true this is. If I were to ask you who your greatest influences are, you might cite your hardworking father, your witty grandmother, or maybe your eleventh grade history teacher. Sign up for our TruthFilled online Bible study here. Beginning June 10, 2021, we’ll be diving into this 7-session study of the Book of Colossians together. Understand how to apply Scripture to your own life.Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Ruth Chou Simon’s study, TruthFilled.Experience a beautiful, accessible theology.Trade the lies found in culture, our minds, and our hearts for the truth of God's Word.Scripture recommendations to help you preach truth to yourself.Beautiful full-color interior to enhance user experience.Personal study segments to complete between 7 weeks of group sessions.Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groups.In todays culture, theres no shortage of self help, easy fixes, and worldly advice, but only the truth of Gods Word was meant to fill you up and satisfy you fully. In every changing season of life, we can rest in Gods character, rehearse our identity in Christ, respond in faith, and remember Gods provision for us. Join Ruth Chou Simons in this 7-session study of the Book of Colossians as she leads us through a practice of preaching gospel truth to ourselves by studying Pauls example. Yet we often find ourselves in these seasons, struggling to embrace the gospel hope we need to fill our discouraged souls. No one plans to wrestle with her identity in Christ, to struggle to love her husband, to feel lonely in ministry, or to feel helpless in motherhood. Wed never intentionally write chapters of confusion, failure, loss, pain, conflict, or suffering into our stories. Many of us want Gods Word to dwell richly in us, but life can get in the way. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." ≼olossians 3:16a
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