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Key Bible Verses: I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. (Psalm 40:1-2) Dig Deeper: Psalm 40:1-5

Years ago I met with a guy from our church I'll call Scott. For 20 minutes, he told me all the reasons that he had nothing to live for. "I'm not good at anything. No one loves me. I'll never get married. I'm a total failure." On and on he lamented.

I grabbed a notepad and told Scott, "Give me a hundred reasons you have to live." He stared at me blankly as I wrote the numbers, so I asked him, "What's the first reason?" Scott said, "I told you, I don't have any reasons to live." Not backing down, I pressed him [to try hard to come up with some reasons].

Before long, Scott started getting into the exercise. Once he worked past his negative self-talk, he actually did see lots of positive traits about himself. At the end of our time together, I prayed for Scott and gave him his list of reasons to live. Several months later, Scott moved to another town and I lost track of him.

A dozen years or so later Scott walked up to me after church to introduce his wife and son. Then he handed me the list. He said, "I don't need this anymore. God has written hundreds more reasons on my heart."

—Craig Groeschel in Soul Detox

My Response: When I catch myself in negative or destructive self-talk, I will counter it by reminding myself of a positive trait or ability I have.

Thought to Apply: Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.—Malcolm Forbes (publisher, businessman)

Adapted from Soul Detox (Zondervan, 2012) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Lord, make me aware of the things I say from day to day; help me to use my words to build others up.

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