Daily Devotional
Do You Speak Truth to Your Soul?

January 2, 2023

Ponder This

Did you know there’s someone who’s always talking to you? There’s that old flesh, and it is constantly talking to you, and that’s where negative thinking comes from. That mindset is the one we inherited from Adam. That soul is saying, “You deserve this. You can never be better. You’d be better off dead.” In those moments, do you know what you need to do? You need to talk back. That’s what David did. He took his soul by the scrap of the neck, looked it in the face, and said, “Why are you this way, O my soul?”

Do you ever talk to yourself? You should. David was talking to himself. He was taking a firm inward look and doing some spiritual analysis. He asked himself this question, “Why am I depressed?” You need to ask yourself that question and be honest. You can answer it perhaps better than anybody else because nobody knows you like you. There are so many reasons we find ourselves in this state, whether it is from a hurting heart or the loss of something or someone we love. I challenge you in those times when life looks grey to ask yourself that question: Why am I so depressed? “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” If you are struggling with clinical depression, go get a checkup. When you take this inward look, don’t tiptoe around it. Talking to yourself may be the first step to healing.

• What kind of negative self-talk do you struggle with? What have been some of the reasons for that?
• Who do you know who is struggling? How can you encourage that person today?

Practice This

Think about someone you know who may be struggling with loneliness or depression after the holidays. Find a way to encourage or serve that person today.