Speaking Truth Into Me

I saw a post on Instagram by Shelley Giglio almost a week ago that proposed a challenge: what if we read these verses from Psalms over our lives every day for thirty days, because in thirty days you can form a habit and if these words become habit for how we think of our lives, imagine what can happen.

"Lord, You alone are my portion and my cup; You make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." - Psalm 16:5-8

I loved this idea and immediately took a screen shot of the verses and decided that I would indeed read these verses over my life each day.

I desperately need this reminder, and not just when I happen to come across Psalm 16 during my quiet time. I need to intentionally remind myself of the truth in these words.

Why?

Because so much of my life screams the opposite of these words. And I need the truth to ingrain itself in me deeper than the lies can reach.

Lord, You alone are my portion and my cup.... He is enough for me when I feel like I have nothing else to lean on. When I feel empty, He fills me.

You make my lot secure.... My life is safe in God. Even when I can't see what He's doing and I don't understand His ways or His timing. I'm still safe. Even when I fail, He's not done. I'm still safe.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.... I don't have to be afraid of the future. God has good things planned for me. I may not know how things will work out, but He does and it will be for my good.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.... It's so easy to look away from Him. Every day is a struggle to realign my heart to His. But He is by my side and because of that, I am able to live.

I love the power of speaking truth over myself. I never knew until recently how important this is in keeping my heart where it needs to be, and in fighting the darkness of depression.

I've been learning the past couple months to wake up each morning and begin the day by declaring what does and does not belong in my heart and my life. I speak over me that depression and fear does not belong here; that truth and love do. I try to pray truth into me and remind myself or who I am in Jesus and who He is in me.

Reading the verses from Psalm 16 fits in perfectly with this, and is another way to remind my heart of what is real.

I've come to understand that this journey is not about getting to a place in life where I can't hear the lies of fear and doubt anymore...I don't think that place exists. (There's a great book about this called Crash The Chatterbox by Steven Furtick, but more on that in a later post.) I used to think that as long as the lies were there, it meant I was still not making any progress, that I wasn't getting any closer to being who I was made to be. But I'm starting to see now that this is not how my healing is happening. It's not going to be an instant victory. It's going to be one step of faith after another, day by day. It's in learning to hear the truth and believing in that truth more than anything else. It's in making a point each day to decide what I'm going to believe.

I need to have the truth planted so deep in me that the lies can't shake it. And slowly, step by step and day by day, my heart is being made whole by the One who speaks the truth and is teaching me how to hear it.

❤🌸

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