“The worst of times are often the best of times; they just don’t feel like it at the time.”
A key to the deeper life is learning to speak to your soul, rather than letting your soul speak to you. How can we use the Word of God to encourage ourselves?
Pastor Daniel Henderson says it is possible. He challenges Christians to follow the example of the psalmist – preach the gospel to yourself.
“Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God.” – Psalm 42:5
The theme in Scripture is one of choosing to declare the truth instead of believe the lies, especially when the truth seems hidden or challenging. Daniel explains.
“When you get on the other side of it, you look back and you realize grace was being poured out that you didn’t recognize at the time. The worst of times are really the best of times – we just don’t always feel like it at the time. It’s during those difficulties that we are sinking our roots, and we’re learning new disciplines that the easy seasons of life don’t teach us.”
In Daniel’s book, , he urges us to examine the eight core longings of our soul and use those to bring us closer to God.
“The proper self-image is seeing yourself as God sees us, no more and no less. Others have come up with a list of what the Bible says to be true about us. And I just meditate on that list over and over again and identify again some of those truths about myself that so clearly.”
We can preach these truths to ourselves through what Daniel calls a personal identity statement. He shares his own, written from Scripture and recited to himself each morning.
“I, Daniel B. Henderson, am a new creature in Jesus Christ.
Completely loved, fully accepted, totally empowered child of the most living, most high, most holy God.
And I’ve been created by His amazing grace for a life full of good works and God’s glory through Christ my Lord.”
On days when he struggles with feeling insecure or inadequate, that truth always brings Daniel back to the reality of what God says.
“Not what the world tells me, not what my own subjective thoughts tell me, but what really is true.”
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Featured Songs: Give Me Jesus by Danny Gokey; Winter Snow by Chris Tomlin & Audrey Assad; You’re Here by Francesca Battestelli
