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A Devotional for the Anxious Heart: Psalm 23:4
Scripture: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.” (ESV) Thought: Psalm 23 paints a picture of a shepherd watching over his flock. As believers, we are part of this flock. Because of David’s relationship with God, he experiences rest, renewal, righteousness, comfort, blessing, mercy, and a place in God’s house. In the entire of this psalm, God is the giver and David is the receiver. Because of God’s graciousness and love, David lacks nothing. We lack nothing. Application: We are the recipients of God’s grace, mercy, and goodness.…
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The Truth Model: The Truth Will Set You Free
Last week we discussed the sin model of human growth, as discussed in How People Grow (Cloud & Townsend, 2001). This week we will cover the truth model. The truth model argues that if we just understand truth, we will be set free from sin and struggle. The underlying premise behind the truth model is that if you don’t experience “freedom in Christ,” you lack or don’t understand the “truth”. The solution? Read, study, and memorize scripture. If you do this enough, eventually, you will be set free and know the truth not just in your mind but also in your heart (Cloud & Townsend, 2001). I can see this…
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The Sin Model: The limits of confessing sin.
My mother, sisters, and I have recently started a bible study together. I ran across a study called How We Grow by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (2001). I have previously worked with and used materials related to boundaries created by this duo and was interested in reading more of their information. As licensed psychologists and believers, their work focuses on bringing biblical truth to light regarding personal and relational issues. The study, so far, has been enlightening, and I plan on sharing a few of our insights from the study over the next few weeks and months. The first enlightenment I received was four different models of how people…