Daily Readings at Southeast

  True or False Inside my head is a gal named “Worst Case Scenario Cindy.” She often gets entangled in a lie that flows from a thought that stems from the fear of  what could happen . She’s been known to entertain this fear more than she should. I find myself going down an unhealthy road in my mind the moment unwanted circumstances present themselves. But just because bad things can occur doesn’t mean they will occur. If you find yourself engaging in this toxic mental tradition, let’s change that.  A spiritual stronghold is a thinking pattern that’s harmful because it’s built on falsehood. Strongholds can come from a variety of places: our surroundings, other people, and of course, the forces of darkness directed by our spiritual enemy. They affect our feelings, responses, and freedom. While a stronghold in ancient times was meant to keep enemies out, the forces of evil want to erect a stronghold to prevent negative thought patterns from ever leaving our minds. They work ...

  In the Beginning Was the Word You may have heard that words have power. In fact, in the book of John, chapter 1, Jesus is referred to as “the Word.” It says that the Word was with God and was God. Why did God choose to use this particular language to describe Himself? Perhaps one facet of it is because, like God, words can make, change, and renew life. I am living proof.  Some four years ago, my life was in complete chaos. Feeling far from God, confused, and alone—I took the step to attend a women’s LifeGroup. One night at group, our leader began to talk about engaging with God’s Word. This wasn’t wholly unfamiliar to me. I used to be a Bible study junkie. I liked the Bible. But  engaging  with it? Letting it renew my mind? Reading my Bible had become a once-a-week box to check off. I honestly had no idea what engaging with it would even look like. This leader challenged each of us to read the Bible using the YouVersion Bible App every day for 30 days.  In the...

  You’re a Preacher We’re currently occupying a unique space in time and history, when resources are bottomless. Inspiring books, enlightening sermons, and encouraging podcasts are literally at our fingertips and in our back pockets.  But what about those overwhelming and unexpected moments when you’re unarmed, unprepared, and the wind is knocked right out of you? Questions overflow, but answers run bone-dry. The pain screams louder than your faith. Fear is wrapped so tightly around your neck that you can hardly breathe. In those split seconds when your thoughts start running wild, remember:  you’re a preacher.   The writer of this psalm peered inside himself, proclaiming, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5 NIV Just like the psalmist, you’ve been empowered to search your soul and preach to yourself. However, your preaching will only be as good as your preparat...

  Think About What You Think About Have you ever seen those cartoons where a character is presented with a temptation, and then a little red-horned devil appears on his shoulder in an attempt to lead him astray but then, a white-robed angel pops up on the opposite shoulder to lead him down the path of righteousness? Yeah, me too. And unfortunately, I can relate all too well to the scenario. I’ve learned there comes a time in life when those voices in your head (or on your shoulder) start to compete with each other. Suddenly, things that were once clear become murky. I cannot tell you how many times that little red devil whispered in my ear:  You’re a bad mom, a bad wife—you’re just bad in general . Clarity was lost and suddenly my mind was filled with so much static that I couldn’t discern the truth. Finally, when I had enough, I decided to flick that little red devil off my shoulder for good! Here are the life-altering steps from Scripture that I found helpful for fighting th...

  The Self-Talk Struggle Is Real Isn’t it funny how we can admire people from a distance, believing no one could do life better than they could, but when we get to know them deeply, they’re often just as insecure as we are? We can’t rely on human admiration or self-talk to get us through life. If we don’t depend on God alone, we’ll find that things crumble with another person’s bad day, an off-hand comment that sits wrong in our minds, or beating ourselves up over a forgotten task. We’ll spiral out of control in our own thoughts if we continually lead ourselves down negative paths in our minds. Here’s the best news: God offers a better way. God is clear that He must come first. Matthew 6:33 NIV says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ...” We can all practice putting God first in our own lives and our self-talk by filling our minds with Scripture—memorizing it.  I’ll know what to do in a moment of negativity if I have His Word of truth hidden deeply in every par...

  Mastermind Imagine you own a house. Every day, you take the same route from the street to the front door—straight through the yard. Over time, a well-worn path scars your front lawn. Your mind is a lot like that front lawn. It is intricately and mysteriously tied to the electrical chattering between the neurons in your brain. The communication paths used most become strong and reinforced. Some of those paths help you learn math and laugh at jokes. But some create scars. They wire you to shut down, react in violent rage, or become addicted to harmful substances and behaviors. As our Creator, God understands the complex relationship of our minds to our brains. He also created your mind to be much more than the brain’s system of electrical impulses: it is your sense of self, your identity, your memories, hopes, and dreams. And in that, there is hope. When you choose to follow Jesus, your old, scarred self is made new. God’s Holy Spirit gives you miraculous power to master the scarri...