welcome to a by the daily Christian meditations I'm Tyler boss today I'd like to invite you to try the number one Christian meditation app abide is that word alone abide or to remain in Christ is why I love this app so much it continually encourages me to remain in my Creator which helps me grow in so many ways and I hope you find that same encouragement as well you can text abide to 22433 for 25% off the abide app just text abide to 22433 now let's meditate and abide in Christ
 welcome to this abide meditation I'm Tyler boss
 do you remember how difficult and maybe even frustrating it was when you first learned a new skill
 perhaps playing an instrument speaking a new language
 did you have learned it without help from someone else
 take a moment
 to breathe deeply
 slowing your heart rate
 and studying your mind
 did you think about that question
 now think of a time you didn't learn a new skill
 because you didn't have anyone there to teacher guide you
 learning to draw closer to God is similar in a way
 we need others to help us see our blind spots
 Psalm 141 verse 5 David Longs for the kind guidance and feedback that will help him grow spiritually
 even if it means exposing painful truths
 he says
 Let The Godly strike me
 it will be a kindness
 if they correct me it is soothing medicine
 don't let me refuse it
 who do you have speaking truth into your life
 if you didn't come up with a name
 I know that God would bring someone into your life
 it will give you spiritual guidance
 it's not easy for any of us to hear hard truths about our weaknesses
 what how far we have to go
 our pride wants to hold us back
 but when you find the courage to find trusted guidance they can help you grow in ways we could never imagine
 you have nothing to fear from the truth
 and everything to gain
 let's pray together Lord
 thank you for loving me unconditionally
 I really confessed it often I resist truly growing in you
 because it's easier just to stick with what I know
 and to admit I'm wrong
 it's easier to pretend I'm okay
 then admit how desperately I need your healing
 help me to trust you enough to surrender my pride
 help me to rest in your peace in this journey of walking and growing with you
 amen
 finding humility in being at peace with opening yourself up to change and be pretty tricky can it
 the second few moments now to practice resting in God with a trusting heart
 did you take some slow
 deep breaths picture your breath
 that's God's spirit in you
 holding you
 comforting you
 and giving you strength
 listening to the counsel of others requires humility
 a willingness to admit that you might be wrong
 letting God cleanse you from sin requires humility as well
 because it means admitting your faults
 bring to God anything that needs to be confessed to him today so that you might continue your time with him without anything holding you back
 while the Holy Spirit
 is our ultimate teacher and guide
 God created us to need others
 will you allow other godly people to speak into your life
 listen closely to Psalm 141 verse five in the new international version
 with the righteous man strike me
 that is a kindness
 let him rebuke me that is oil on my head
 my head will not refuse it
 for my prayer will still be against the deed of evildoers
 does anything stand out to you from this passage
 perhaps a phrase that can fix
 startles or even comforts
 listen carefully once more
 Let the righteous man strike me
 that is a kindness
 let him rebuke me that is only along my head
 my head will not refuse it
 from my prayer will still be against the Deeds of evildoers
 how do you feel when someone you respect as a fellow follower of Jesus
 corrects or rebukes you
sometimes we resist correction because of criticism we've experienced in the past
 which is merely a personal attack
 oh my God be inviting you today to be more vulnerable and seeking healthy accountability
 listen again as I read the first part of Psalm 141 5 in the New Living Translation
 Let The Godly strike me
 it will be a kindness
 if they correct me it is soothing medicine
 don't let me refuse it
 there once was a shipwreck because a small piece of metal from a broken knife was left in a compass
 that metal hold the compass off its true reading
 resulting in the ships running aground
 a slight deviation if left uncorrected
 can result in great devastation
 ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any deviation in your heart
 it may need correction
it might be hard to hear correction from someone you know who isn't perfect
 but isn't that everybody
 ask God to soften your heart so that others might help you correct your course when they see something leading you astray
 sometimes we feel God leading us to give correction to someone else
 what are some steps he might ask for you to take in your own life before you approach your friend
listen carefully as I read Psalm 141 verse 5 one last time from the New Living Translation
 Let The Godly strike me
 it will be a kindness
 if they correct me it is soothing medicine
 don't let me refuse it
 imagine finding yourself in a murky swamp
 Shoreline is merely yards away but with each attempt to step forward you find yourself sinking deeper
 weeds tangle around your ankles
 fuel that for a few moments
after struggling for a long time
 you've barely moved in your body has sucked down past your waist
 suddenly a stranger appears on the shore shouting and pointing urgently at a spot in the water just a foot away from you
 are you willing to listen to their counsel
you decide to take the risk
 and do what they say
 relief washes through you as you find yourself stepping onto a flat Solid Rock
 but you couldn't see from your Vantage Point
 new strength and hope fill you as you hear the stranger's voice guiding you to safety
 how do you feel
 have you felt God's rescue from such a desperate situation did he use someone else in your life to help rescue you
 to help point you in the right direction
 spend some time thanking God for his Deliverance
 Lord thank you that no matter how dark things feel around me or inside me
 your spirit reaches out
 sometimes through your people
 sometimes through a still small voice calling in my heart
 forgive me
 for the pride that keeps me from seeking out Godly guidance at times
 I want to be soft hearted
 and open to the guidance of other people
 thank you for putting people in my life
 help me draw closer to you
 amen
 if opportunity comes to receive constructive criticism from someone
 try to take a deep breath and whispered to God to give you the right reaction
 don't allow yourself to take it personally
 but think of it as a gift
 someone is taking time
 to help you grow
 until next time
 may you abide in Christ