Preach the Gospel to Yourself

[Daycee]

Welcome back! thanks for taking the time to think through this and respond. I think this is an area we keep growing in in every stage of our faith journey.

[Taliya]

For me, preaching the gospel to myself helps me remember the weight of it. It’s so easy to allow something so profound to become only head knowledge when you grow up in it. When I practice preaching the gospel or when I remind myself of the Good News that allows it a chance to seep deeper into my heart, and become something that shapes my day-to-day life rather than just remaining head knowledge. I think the element I need to grow in understanding of is the sacrifice and response. Jesus really gave His life for us… am I going to respond with a willingness to sacrifice my life for Him?

The book, The Discipline of Grace, explains well how yes, we are saved by grace, but having discipline in our lives also reflects that grace. Grace is an ongoing gift that results in our transformation and sanctification. When preaching the gospel to yourself frequently you’re submitting your mind to be transformed.

Being disciplined in spiritual practices (by the strength of the Holy Spirit) is a great tool for growth. It is never a way to earn God’s love, only a way to dig deeper into understanding of his unconditional love for you an to grow into a deep relationship with God.

A quote I loved from chapter 3 is this: “The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us both the desire and the power to live a disciplined life. It is His work in us that enables us to obey God's commands and grow in holiness.”

[Jaylen]

I think that this section transitions well from the last topic, at least in it did with the types of things that stuck out to me.

I’ve really been considering the activities of the enemy in the context of missions, especially in our preparation season, we’ve seen a heightened level of “thwarting” in our lives since we began the preparation season. It’s tangible, to say the least.
So the book from Brooks is a great resource because I think as it pertains to the enemy’s schemes knowledge is power. If we understand what the enemy is doing- if we can see and detect his lies and activities -then we have the opportunity to pray/act against it. The enemy does his work in the shadows and does his best to poke little lies into our lives without us noticing.
So Brooks’ suggestions on how to combat the enemy are all surrounded by shedding light on these things and countering them with Godly things. We combat Lies with Truth, we combat death with life, we combat isolation with community, and we combat bad habits with discipline. This battle against the enemy is exhausting and constant, but it is worth every tribulation because at the end of it all we can face God and know that we gave our lives for him as living sacrifices.

[Daycee]

Excellent! find a verse or two that boost your faith and “preach” those to yourself regularly in this area.