DAY 4: The Keeper of Your Soul

God is the keeper of our souls.

Psalm 121:5 says The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The 23rd Psalm tells us He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, and He restores my soul.

Another example of that soul-care/self-care concept is Proverbs 4:23:

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the issues of life."

This means you should study your heart and become an expert on it.

No one is in a better position to do this than you.

No one knows the impulses of your heart, the concerns on your mind, and the burdens on your body better than you.

It's crazy how so many of us exist in this world and never really know ourselves or acknowledge the posture of our hearts to actually tap in when our hearts are out of alignment with God and His will for our lives.

So be honest with yourself, and identify what makes you tired, ill, frustrated, or overwhelmed so that you can guard against it and navigate around or through it and release it to God.

As a good caretaker, God does expect us to care for the vessels or bodies that He has entrusted to us - these amazing temples we have, according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, that are fearfully and wonderfully made, as David writes in Psalm 139:13-14.

And because God is the chief advocate for soul care, He must be concerned about my self-care.

This means He wants you to experience the abundance of love, peace, joy, and even rest, because those are things He promised us in his word if we are following Him, believing in Him, and serving Him.

He wants you healthy.

He wants you joyful.

He wants you in community.

He wants you fulfilled.

This lifestyle reminds us not to fill our spaces of emptiness and voids of unfulfillment with stuff like being or staying busy as an escape, working to cure boredom, taking no breaks, pushing through, and then having unrealistic expectations about what your life really means to you.

Answer these questions and reflect on your answers:

1. How can you integrate your moments of intimacy with God into your self-care routine?
2. What areas of your life need more attention to foster a deeper connection with God?
3. How does pursuing intimacy with God contribute to your overall sense of fulfillment and well-being?

Affirm and declare these statements:

• I find connection with God through prayer and meditation. It is the anchor for my soul.
• I am self-aware; I will no longer neglect my self-care.
• I will rely on God’s word to guide my choices for self-care.

Pray in petition to God to pursue His will and way.