Sometimes the mercy of God is not only found in being rescued...Sometimes the mercy of God is found in being stopped.

Scripture of the Day:

Proverbs 4:23: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (NLT)

Jonah 2:6: I went down to the bottoms of the mountains;

The earth with her bars was about me for ever:

Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. (KJV)

Proverbs 20:9: Who can say, I have made my heart clean,

I am pure from my sin? (KJV)

In this first devotional of The Salvation of Telling Ourselves No series, we reflect on Proverbs 14:8-10, 12 and Jeremiah 17:9 to examine the danger of being led by every desire of the heart. Sometimes what feels right can still lead us away from wisdom, peace, and wholeness. This episode is a reminder that telling ourselves “no” can be an act of protection, discipline, and spiritual rescue.

Scripture of the Day:

Proverbs 14:8-10, 12: 'The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: But the folly of fools is deceit. Fools make a mock at sin: But among the righteous there is favour. The heart knoweth his own bitterness; And a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.

Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Have you heard the saying, "Experience is life's most expensive lesson"?....what if we can cut the price in half, or possibly make it free?

Scripture(s) of the Day:

Proverbs 12:26-27(B): The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray...But the diligent make use of everything they find. (NLT)

John 5:14: But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you. (NLT)

Our proverbial "horse", which signifies how we are traveling through life, has only one seat. Whatever sits on that seat, controls the reins of our lives.

Scripture of the Day:

Proverbs 11:7: When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: And the hope of unjust men perisheth. (KJV)

Ecclesiastes 10:7: I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. (KJV)

God can bring us out of our “38 years,” but we must learn to master the sin, habits, and desires waiting at the door so we do not return to what once kept us bound.

Scripture of the Day:

John 5:14: Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Proverbs 27:12: A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and are punished.

Proverbs 25:28: He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Genesis 4:7:You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

If this episode blesses you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who may need encouragement today. Sometimes one shared message can meet someone right in the middle of their own “38 years” and remind them that they do not have to stay where they are.

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Joshua@complexmindmedia.com

KEEP WALKING FORWARD!!!

When pressure comes, it doesn’t create our weaknesses, it reveals it.

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 24:10: If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. (NLT)

Chasing everything the world offers will leave us exhausted and empty. And leaning on our own “cleverness” to figure out what will make us whole will leave us just as stuck, and just as empty

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 23:4: Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. (NIV)

Power without discipline is dangerous. Strength without guidance is destructive. The ox is a symbol of work, progress, and provision—but only when it is trained. Left untrained, it doesn’t just sit idle—it tears up fields, ruins potential, and wastes what could have been a season of increase.In the same way, our gifts, our ambition, even our desires—if left unchecked—can damage the very life we’re trying to build.Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 14:4: Without the help of an ox there can be no crop, but with a strong ox a big crop is possible.