Believe & Speak

Speaking truthful declarations aloud will help to drown out lies that beat us down and wear us out. The lie that drove me to the Scripture verses I chose for today’s podcast works overtime to make me feel guilty. Lots of lies condemn us, but today I want to focus on why we shouldn’t let the guilt we feel over being worn out drive us to picking up and taking on burdens we were never meant to carry.

I recently received an email from my publisher about a review that started out with this positive feedback: Can I just say, wow! I picked up a review copy of Shawna Marie Bryant's Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance and found that God met with me through her book as he gently reminded me once again who I am in Christ. The reviewer ended with this encouraging endorsement: you better bet I'll be recommending this amazing book, Longing to Belong, to friends so they too, can experience freedom and joy of acceptance. I hope you will pick one up for yourself and tell your friends. This is a very timely book for anyone feeling cut off by social distancing and sheltering in place.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture:

Matthew 11:28-29

Last weekend my pastor preached while standing between two tall pillars. The one on the left side of the platform was labeled “Goodness” and the other “Control”. He said we experience God’s peace when we dwell between those two pillars. When we rest in the knowledge that God is good and God is in control, then we can trust Him to take care of us. When we cannot control our circumstances, trusting in God’s goodness and surrendering to God’s control keeps us from being anxious. My desire to dwell peacefully between the pillars of God’s goodness and control inspired my choice of Scripture for today’s episode.

The summer is winding down and students are preparing to go back to school. My new book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance, will make a great gift for young women heading off to college—especially if they are feeling isolated because of the CDC guidelines regarding Covid-19.

Longing to Belong is available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture:

Psalm 27:1–5, 8

I once heard it said that we are human beings not human doings, and yet we always feel like we need to be doing something. Right now, especially, I feel the need to do something, say something, make things better somehow. But how?

In today’s episode, I read Bible verses that hold a promise that God will not only give us the ability to do the right thing, he will also give us the desire to do the right thing. Even more than simple ability, God gives us the power to do the things he calls us to do. If I don’t have the desire to do something that I feel like I ought to do, then there’s a good chance God’s power won’t be in me to do it. If God puts something on my heart to do, then he will also give me the ability to do it.

If you hear yourself saying, “I really should…” Please stop and consider your motivation. Why should you do that thing? What is compelling you to do it? Guilt? Shame? Pride? Or conviction? When I read Philippians 2:13, I hear God saying to me, “Shawna, I will give you the ‘want to’ and the ‘can do’. This knowledge helps keep me from getting tripped up by an ‘ought to’.” This sounds like a good segue to pitch my book. After all, I wrote it to help set you free from those nagging voices in your head. But—in light of today’s message—rather than say, “You should buy my book,” I’ll simply tell you it’s available and let you decide if it will meet a need.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture:

Philippians 2:5–13

This morning, as I meditated on the Scripture I chose for this week’s episode, a thought came to mind. It may not be very original, but it’s the first time I ever thought of it. The tongue with all its power is located between the brain and the heart. If we want to get something out of our heads and into our hearts, it must pass by the mouth. Will your tongue trap lies and release truth as your thoughts journey from brain to bosom, or will your words wound your heart with the knowledge in your head?

You can uproot wrong beliefs with your tongue. You can also plant truth in your heart with the words you speak. If you’re new to my podcast, you need to know that I believe the Word of God is true. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

I want to discipline my mind to carefully measure the messages I allow into my heart, and I want to help you do the same. I hope the format of this podcast empowers your tongue with truth by:

depositing Scripture into your head,

placing a declaration of truth on your tongue, and

joining your heart to the Father’s heart with prayer.

I wrote my new book to help readers replace negative patterns of thinking that stem from lies about who they are and what they are worth with the truth about what their Creator says about who they are and how valuable they are. Believing and speaking truth helps us take captive the negative thoughts roaming around in our heads.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture:

John 8:31-32

Today is a good day to note that the Believe & Speak podcast was inspired by my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance. I can’t help but point that out because I just released my book yesterday.

The verses that I read during today’s episode from Psalm 37 kept me awake late into the night Monday night—the night before my book released—because this book has been a LONG time in coming. God gave me the desire to write books for his glory a LONG time ago. I even asked him to take the desire away because it wasn’t happening for me.

But now my book is here! My very first traditionally published book is finally here!

You can find Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. You’re also welcome to visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com.

I wrote Longing to Belong to go deep into exploring how believing and speaking truth can chase the lies out of your head by filling your mind with truth. Believing and speaking truth can help you cancel the negative effects of the lies you have believed because of the power of your tongue. I remind you of that truth every week at the end of each episode of the Believe & Speak podcast by saying this: Your tongue has power. Use it for good.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture:

Psalm 37:3–6

Last weekend Americans like me celebrated our independence. My family lit a few small fireworks in the large gravel driveway at my house. We also had sparklers in various primary colors. I have loved sparklers since I was a child. They don’t make loud pops or piercing whistling sounds. They’re not scary because you can hold them in your hand. Even today—as old as I am—I grin and giggle as I hold one sparkler in each hand and draw circles and twirl figure eights in the night. I love how the light shoots into the darkness. That’s what believers are called to do—shine like dazzling light shooting into the darkness.

Darkness seems especially dark right now…with peaceful protests overshadowed by violence and rioting. But Isaiah promised that the Lord will be our everlasting light and that our days of sorrow will end. That happens when we become like sparklers in this dark world. I want to be a sparkler that pierces the darkness with the everlasting light of the Lord. I want peace to be my governor and well-being to be my ruler. Don’t you?

This week's scripture:

Isaiah 60:1–3, 17b–20

With today’s episode, I hope to remind you that you don’t have to work at perfection. God perfected you when he purified you with the blood of Jesus. Jesus died not only so that you could live, but so that you could live free of guilt and shame. Free of striving to be good enough or righteous enough. Because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross, your whole spirit, soul and body can be kept blameless. Isn’t that a relief?

Today’s Scripture promises that God will do the work of sanctifying you. He makes you holy by the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus took all your sin upon himself so you can be free, faultless, forgiven. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior means you’re covered, redeemed, forgiven. Blameless.

This week's scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

This week’s episode has been brewing in my heart and mind for more than two weeks. I actually knew what the Scripture and declaration would be well in advance of this date. I was simply waiting for the right time.

I’ve been dealing as best as I could with the onslaught of emotions I’ve felt since the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest that has torn apart so many of our nation’s communities. I have been moved with tears of joy at the response of my hometown here in Central California—where leaders of the Black community and heads of law enforcement stood together and pledged unity and demonstrated sincere support of the entirely—not mostly, but entirely—peaceful protests at our city hall. These men and women modeled Christ in their response. They showed our city the power of love to overcome evil with good.

This week's scripture:

James 1:19–25

My pastor made a point last weekend about how those of us who are in Christ shun shame and shaming. In other words, I am who God says I am. I am who God created me to be. And so are you. You and I have no reason to feel shame in our identity, for we are God’s people.

Anyone who trusts in God will never be disgraced. God called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, and he gave you an identity that goes way deeper than what people may see when they look at you. You are holy, and as a result, you can show others the goodness of God.

This week's scripture:

1 Peter 2:6-10

Mary’s prayer: We choose thoughtful in-person discussions around dinner tables to hollering our opinions to masses on the Internet.

Yesterday, Mary DeMuth shared a prayer of repentance from racial injustice on her podcast, Pray Every Day. She based her prayer on a few different scriptures, and one of the passages was Nehemiah 1:6-7. In today’s episode of Believe & Speak, I share those two verses as well as the surrounding verses. I also highlight a promise we can declare from them. Nehemiah had just received news that the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down, its gates had been burned with fire, and his people were in great trouble and disgrace. Nehemiah knew these dire circumstances were a direct result of generations of sins committed by his people.

Even as Nehemiah confesses the sins he and his family committed, he reminds God of His promises to restore His people. In the midst of Nehemiah’s mournful repentance, he knows that God’s love is unfailing.

The Bible says that God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. His kindness. We repent knowing God’s love is unfailing, even when we fail Him and the people around us. God’s kindness leads us to repentance when we know that He never stops loving us. We know we have already been forgiven by a God who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us.

This week's scripture:

Nehemiah 1:4-11