Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW015102S
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00:19 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw,
00:22 thanks for joining me. When it comes to matters 00:25 of faith, matters of the Bible, faith in God is, 00:28 by very definition, a rather intellectual exercise, 00:32 that is to say, what does the Bible say? 00:36 And beyond that, what does the Bible mean? 00:39 However, faith in God is faith in God. 00:43 It's not just about a belief system. 00:46 A person who has faith in God enters into a relationship 00:50 with an individual. So far from simply the intellect 00:54 being involved, the emotions are and must be involved when 00:59 it comes to matters of faith. How can a person be emotionally 01:04 healthy, and how does that, or even does that, affect 01:08 our relationship with God? We're going to find that out 01:11 today, because my guest, my special guest, 01:13 is Dr. Neil Nedley, the president of 01:16 Nedley Health Solutions. Dr. Nedley, thanks for being 01:19 here, welcome to It Is Written. NN: Thank you. 01:21 Great to be here, John. JB: Intelligence. 01:24 NN: Yes. JB: It's not just about the 01:26 mind, it's about the emotions, because I'm hearing more 01:29 and more, and I'm hearing quite a bit of it from you, 01:32 about emotional intelligence. NN: Yes. 01:36 JB: Now, what's that? NN: Emotional intelligence 01:38 is really five things. Knowing our emotions, 01:42 in other words, being aware of what we are feeling 01:46 and why, precisely, why we're feeling that way. 01:49 Secondly, managing our emotions. People with low emotional 01:54 intelligence are managed by their emotions. 01:57 People with high emotional intelligence still 02:00 have emotions, but they are managing those emotions. 02:03 JB: That's a really key point, that, isn't it? 02:06 NN: It is. JB: Not being controlled by, 02:07 but controlling your emotion. NN: Exactly. And controlling 02:10 your emotions is also vital for part of the psychological 02:14 good life that's been emerging in a lot of studies, 02:17 called self-control. Those who have self-control 02:22 actually psychologically are far better off than those who don't. 02:26 The key element of that is managing our emotions. 02:29 That's part of self-control. JB: And what are the 02:32 other three? NN: The third one is recognizing 02:34 emotions in others and really having some empathy 02:37 towards others, which is part of recognizing emotions in others. 02:41 Fourth is managing relationships with others. 02:44 And then five, in the word "emotion" is the word "motion." 02:49 And so the fifth part of emotional intelligence 02:52 is motivating yourself to achieve your goals. 02:54 JB: What do we talk about when we talk about our emotions? 02:57 They are joy, sadness, you tell me. 03:00 NN: Sure. Actually, calm is an emotion too. 03:02 Sometimes we think calm is not feeling. But no, 03:05 the emotion of feeling calm is actually normally a good thing. 03:09 Bitterness, sadness, disappointment. 03:13 JB: Okay. So why is emotional intelligence 03:18 important? NN: Well, IQ is our capacity 03:21 to learn, retain, and apply knowledge. 03:24 And emotional intelligence is being able to manage our 03:29 emotions, to know them, manage our relationships with others, 03:33 and proper motivation. JB: Do we need to make 03:36 a big deal out of this, or can't people just be people? 03:38 NN: Oh, people can be people. I'm not saying that we shouldn't 03:42 be ourselves and be people. But we should, actually, 03:45 be balanced people and in control of ourself. 03:49 JB: It's not being managed by your emotions 03:51 but managing your emotions. NN: Exactly. We all go through 03:55 nuisances of life. Studies show that successful 03:58 and enjoyable living is much more connected 04:01 to emotional intelligence than general intelligence. 04:04 JB: Okay, that's key. You can be someone who's 04:06 emotionally intelligent, but you can lose your grip. 04:09 NN: You can lose your grip. JB: With bad consequences. 04:11 NN: And what is ideal, I mean, not only is it ideal, but it 04:14 really ramps it up, is when we have comprehensive emotional 04:18 intelligence all the time. And it's possible. 04:22 Not only is it possible; it is something that every human being 04:26 can actually achieve. JB: How do you take this thing 04:29 under, get your emotions under control and function 04:33 really positively? NN: There's two main ways. 04:36 One of the ways that often, you know, studies focus in onto 04:41 is what we're putting into our body and what 04:44 we're doing with our body. So, for instance, if you're on 04:47 a regular exercise program, it helps your emotional 04:50 intelligence. If you're getting adequate sleep, it helps 04:53 your emotional intelligence. If you're eating 04:55 the right foods, it helps the emotional intelligence. 04:58 So those are important, but, it turns out, 05:00 not the most important. As important as those are, 05:04 the most important thing affecting our emotional 05:07 intelligence is our beliefs, our evaluation of events, 05:13 the way we think about problems, and our silent self-talk. 05:19 This is the moment-by-moment messages we give ourself. 05:24 That is the most crucial aspect to emotional intelligence. 05:28 JB: But you can eat your way to healthier emotions? 05:31 NN: A few years ago there was a businessman who won the contract 05:35 for the California prisons. The first thing he did was 05:40 he had a nutritionist interview the prisoners coming in 05:44 to the California state prison. And the nutritionist told them 05:49 what they were eating could actually have an effect 05:51 on their emotions and emotional intelligence. 05:54 And it turns out that the diet that she was recommending-- 05:57 and, of course, there's scientific backing for this-- 05:59 was a plant-based diet. And some prisoners thought 06:03 it was punishment enough to be in prison, but to be on a 06:06 plant-based diet would be cruel and unusual punishment, so they 06:09 chose the typical American diet. But it turns out 06:13 over 90% of the prisoners chose the plant-based diet, 06:18 meaning that she was a good educator, and they were 06:21 motivated to try this diet. Within a few weeks, they 06:27 mentioned how, you know, for anyone who's been in a prison, 06:29 there are stressful things that happen in that prison, 06:32 from the other prisoners and from the guards and herding 06:34 the prisoners around, and... lot of stressful things. 06:37 But they noticed that they were able to manage their emotions, 06:40 and they were able to talk to the security guard, even if they 06:43 were upset, they were able to talk to him in measured tones, 06:45 and the security guard actually listened to them. 06:48 And they said, "You know what, I think if I were eating 06:50 like this on the outside, I probably never would have 06:53 ended up in there." The people that got out-- 06:56 it was actually a correctional facility. 06:59 And so they were corrected, to a large part, 07:02 in regards to what they were putting into their bodies. 07:04 So it can have a crucial impact. JB: Controlling your emotions, 07:07 you can control your emotions and be emotionally intelligent. 07:13 And that's gonna have a powerful impact 07:15 on your relationship with God. Don't go away. We'll have more 07:18 in just a moment. ♪[chime]♪ 07:23 JB: Christianity builds its hope of forgiveness and eternal life 07:26 on a relationship. It's kind of sad, then, 07:29 that we find ourselves rushing through life, checking the news 07:32 or social media while we're inhaling our breakfast. 07:34 We often don't have time for God. Doesn't a relationship 07:38 as important as this one deserve quality time? 07:42 To learn more, request our free booklet, "Quality Time." 07:46 Just call 800-253-3000 and ask for your copy of "Quality Time." 07:52 If the line's busy, please try again. 07:54 Or you can write to It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 07:58 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your 08:02 address in North America. Again, our toll-free number 08:06 is 800-253-3000, and our web address is 08:10 ItIsWritten.com. 08:13 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 08:16 Thank you for joining me today. I'm being joined by 08:18 Dr. Neil Nedley, the president of Nedley Health Solutions, 08:21 and today we're discussing emotional intelligence. 08:26 We hear about IQ, but what about EQ? 08:31 We're learning that a person can be in control of their emotions 08:36 rather than be controlled by their emotions. And, Dr. Nedley, 08:40 there are so many people who loathe themselves 08:42 because they lose their temper, or there are people 08:45 who wish that they could be up because they continually 08:47 seem to be in a funk. And I know that right now lights 08:51 are going on, and people are saying, "You mean I don't have 08:53 to be a slave to my emotions?" NN: No, absolutely not. 08:56 In fact, we have the evidence. In just 10 days--now, 09:00 it's a comprehensive program, but, you know, for instance, 09:03 right now even as we're speaking here, I'm running 09:06 a 10-day program for those with severe depression 09:09 and anxiety. One of the tests they take is 09:11 an emotional intelligence test when they come in. 09:14 And when they leave, they'll take it again, 10 days later. 09:18 Our program enhances the frontal lobe, analyzes the way they 09:23 think, those sorts of things. It's not specifically for EQ, 09:27 but what happens in the average mentally ill individual 09:32 is their emotional intelligence goes up by well over 09:36 two standard deviations. They start out below average 09:40 in general, and they end up in the top 20 percentile 09:43 of the country in most instances. 09:46 So not only do they leave depression- and anxiety-free; 09:49 they also are poised for success on a level that's far higher 09:55 than people who've never suffered from depression 09:57 and anxiety. So the point is, in 10 days, 10:01 if you focus in on it in the right way, it can dramatically 10:04 change for the better. So emotional intelligence 10:07 can be learned. It's not just inherited. 10:09 JB: If I believe a certain race of people have no right to live, 10:15 this is going to dramatically affect the way I express 10:19 my emotions--hate, persecutional--that may be 10:22 not an emotion--and that's going to affect how I act out 10:25 towards people. NN: Yes. 10:27 JB: If I believe in "love your neighbor as yourself," 10:30 surely then that's going to impact my emotions. 10:32 NN: Exactly. JB: What was number 2? 10:35 NN: Our evaluation of events. JB: Meaning something happened, 10:38 and how do I perceive that and weigh that up. 10:40 NN: Exactly. JB: Explain that. 10:41 NN: What we want to do is to be very objective 10:45 in our evaluation of events. JB: For instance, that lady 10:49 who served me at the checkout, she was rude; 10:52 she had an attitude towards me. I'm so ticked off. 10:56 However, somebody else says, "You know, I saw that she had 11:01 just dropped a box on her toe and she was under some stress, 11:03 and therefore..." Is this what we're talking 11:06 about, evaluating events? NN: Our bad emotions 11:09 are not caused by things outside of ourself entirely. 11:13 JB: Okay. NN: For instance, if the person 11:16 was very rude to you at the counter, what you need 11:19 to recognize is for you to get upset at that, you have 11:24 to actually not only be treated rudely, but you have 11:28 to allow that individual to get you upset. 11:31 JB: That's true. You have to make a decision-- 11:33 NN: There's a decision and there's a thought-making 11:35 process there. JB: That's really interesting. 11:36 NN: And part of emotional intelligence is recognizing 11:39 that we are actually responsible for our own emotions. 11:44 JB: Point three and point four. Evaluating events, 11:46 that's learning to look objectively at things 11:47 that have taken place, and not loading an event with 11:50 the kind of baggage that's going to weigh you down emotionally. 11:53 What was three and four? NN: The way we think 11:55 about problems. When you have a practical 11:57 problem, for instance, your car breaks down, and you're in the, 12:01 you know, you're in the middle of having to get to work 12:04 on time, and it's very crucial for you to get to work on time. 12:08 That's a practical problem. But if you have an emotional 12:11 reaction to that problem, of such where you're so angry 12:15 and upset that you can't even wisely help direct people 12:19 to get your car off of the road and to the side, and you're 12:24 so emotionally upset that you can't think properly to how 12:28 it's going to get fixed, that's going to be a major issue. 12:32 And so, often people, when they have a problem, 12:35 they actually introduce another problem that is 12:37 often worse, and that is their emotional reaction to it. 12:41 And when they realize, hey, that practical problem is going to be 12:43 there whether I'm miserable about it or not, so why not just 12:49 give up my misery over it? And then they can actually think 12:52 far better, actually be far more better relationship partners, 12:57 and they can actually get to the root of the problem often 13:01 and correct it far better. JB: Point four? 13:03 NN: Point four is our silent self-talk. 13:06 Those are the moment-by-moment messages we give ourself. 13:08 JB: Okay. NN: And here's the issue 13:10 in regards to that. Our feelings, actually, 13:15 what we think has more to do with our emotions than what is 13:18 happening in our life. And what a lot of people 13:23 don't realize is research has documented that 13:27 negative thoughts, which cause emotional turmoil, nearly always 13:31 contain gross distortions. On the surface it appears valid, 13:36 but often when we have these very negative emotions, 13:39 we have some irrational beliefs, our thinking often is twisted 13:44 or just plain wrong, and, actually, twisted thinking 13:48 is a major cause of suffering. JB: Boy, there's so much 13:51 we could talk about here, but I want to get to how we think, 13:55 how a person can learn to think positively and productively. 14:02 And we're going to see how this powerfully impacts 14:05 one's relationship with God. Learning to think straight 14:09 and be emotionally intelligent. More in just a moment. 14:13 "Every Word" is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 14:17 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 14:19 especially for busy people like you. Look for "Every Word" 14:24 on selected networks or watch it online every day 14:26 on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 14:30 ♪[upbeat melody]♪ 14:37 JB: A Mayo Clinic study has found that pessimists 14:40 have higher death rates over a 30-year period 14:43 than do optimistic people. The Mayo Clinic says optimism is 14:47 the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative 14:50 events are temporary setbacks to be overcome. 14:53 That's a lot like Romans 8:28, isn't it, which says that 14:56 "all things work together for good to them that love God, 14:59 to them who are called according to His purpose." 15:01 That's not to say everything that happens is going to 15:04 make you happy. But faith in God enables you 15:07 to believe that things are going to work out okay in the end. 15:09 Why? Because God's in charge. You can afford to look 15:12 on the bright side, because God is ultimately going to work 15:15 things out okay. And that kind of optimism 15:18 can lead to a very long life. I'm John Bradshaw 15:23 for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 15:30 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, 15:33 joined today by Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, we're talking about 15:37 emotional intelligence, how to manage your emotions rather than 15:41 being governed by your emotions. NN: Yes. 15:45 JB: We've talked about some fascinating things. 15:47 In just a second I want you to tell me how to think straight. 15:49 NN: (laughs) Okay. JB: But give me an example of 15:51 somebody who was confronted with a negative situation, rather 15:55 than caving into the situation and just bottoming out, 16:00 they approached it in a positive light with good consequences. 16:06 NN: Well, a good ancient example is actually Paul and Silas. 16:08 You know, they were taken against their will; they were, 16:12 they had done nothing wrong deserving of this. 16:14 They were beaten 39 times with a cat-o'-nine-tails, and then they 16:18 were put on an irregular dirt floor, not a nice even floor, 16:23 their feet were put up in stocks. 16:25 JB: Yeah, that's a bad scene. NN: And you would think 16:28 that they would be crying uncontrollably in prison 16:31 and saying, "Why us, Lord?" JB: And in fact, they had gone-- 16:35 this was in Philippi, and they had gone there-- 16:37 I think it's Acts, chapter 16-- they'd gone there 16:39 to do God's work. NN: Yes. 16:41 JB: They followed God's leading to this city to do 16:43 this great work for God, and all they get for it is this. 16:46 NN: Exactly. JB: And how would-- 16:48 how would you react? NN: Yeah. 16:50 JB: You know? NN: Instead, they had happy 16:52 looks on their faces, and they were singing praises to God. 16:56 And what that demonstrates is that our thoughts have much more 17:01 to do about how we're feeling than what is actually happening 17:06 in our life. So what was happening in their life, 17:09 they should be feeling terrible. But their thoughts were not 17:13 pop psychology thoughts. Pop psychology might say, 17:15 imagine you're on a beach in Hawaii. That would have 17:18 worked for no more than 1.2 seconds. 17:20 JB: That's right. NN: But they were thinking true 17:21 and accurate thoughts. And those true and accurate 17:24 thoughts were so powerful that, even under the most torture-some 17:27 conditions, they could have a happy look on their face, and 17:31 they could sing praises to God. That's how powerful 17:34 the thoughts are. JB: Isn't it true--I've done 17:36 this in group sittings-- isn't it true that you can 17:39 choose to feel miserable, and very quickly 17:42 you're miserable? NN: That's right. 17:44 JB: If you focus in on something and you think of something 17:46 negative, very quickly-- at the same time, you can choose 17:50 to think positive thoughts, and I mean productive, 17:52 not airy-fairy stuff. NN: No, that's right. 17:55 They have to be accurate thoughts, but they can be 17:58 on the positive side. And what we have a tendency 18:02 to do is think of only one side of the equation 18:06 and not balance it out with the whole better worldview 18:10 that would help our emotions. JB: There's a lot of "Poor me, 18:12 "I didn't deserve this; Life is so unfair." And that 18:15 doesn't tend to make positive, productive, healthy people. 18:19 NN: No. And what we need to realize is, if we live 18:22 in this world, we are going to be treated unfairly. 18:24 JB: That's true. NN: Sometimes very 18:25 significantly. I mean, this is a world of sin. 18:28 To me, I get excited when I actually am treated fairly, 18:33 because I expect that in this world of sin we're just going 18:36 to be treated unfairly at times. But how we deal with the fact 18:39 that we are being treated unfairly has a lot to do with 18:42 our emotional intelligence. JB: So how do we learn to 18:44 think straight, to think right, to think healthily? 18:47 Because this here is going to-- 18:50 this is life-changing stuff! NN: Yes. 18:52 JB: Walk us through some of these ways that we can 18:56 think straight. That's my terminology. 18:58 NN: The first thing we need to do is to analyze our thoughts. 19:01 So we're not going to be able to think straight unless 19:04 we are able to actually analyze the thoughts that we have. 19:08 JB: That sounds like something only someone with a PhD 19:10 could do. NN: (laughs) Sometimes 19:12 the people that have the most difficulty, 19:14 I've noticed, are really into the National Football League. 19:18 So I'll give them an example that they can understand. 19:20 JB: All right. NN: I'll say, listen to the 19:22 John Madden in your thoughts. You know how there's a big, 19:25 you know, event that occurs, you know, the big play. 19:28 And John Madden goes, and then he explains and slows it down 19:31 and says, "Okay, now this happened because of this, 19:34 and this happened because of that," 19:35 and so it's all laid out. JB: All right. 19:37 NN: So when things happen, listen to the John Madden 19:40 in your thoughts and analyze what happened. 19:43 JB: What really happened. NN: Secondly, you have 19:46 to look for distortions in your thoughts. 19:48 JB: What is a distortion in your thoughts? 19:50 NN: Turns out there's ten different ways 19:52 of distorted thinking. And so all-or-nothing thinking, 19:56 for instance-- JB: What's that? 19:58 NN: ...most of the time it's distorted. An example 20:00 of that would be a patient that I had that came to me 20:03 who was a successful businessperson, but he ran for 20:06 Congress, and he lost the race. And he comes to me and he says, 20:10 "Dr. Nedley, I lost the race for Congress. I am a big zero." 20:15 That's all-or-nothing thinking. Just because you lose a race 20:18 doesn't mean you're a big zero. Just because you get a divorce 20:20 doesn't mean you're a big zero. Just because you flunked a test 20:23 doesn't mean you're a big zero. But that's where all-or-nothing 20:26 thinking leads to. JB: Mmm, okay. 20:29 NN: And it can happen the other way around as well, where just 20:31 because I hit a home run, that my team won the World Series, 20:35 I'm the most valuable player and there's nobody better than me. 20:39 That's actually a setup for an emotional disaster as well. 20:42 And so both of them are actually distorted thoughts 20:46 that are gonna lead to problems. JB: Okay. 20:48 NN: And then there's other things, like a mental filter. 20:50 You know, an example of this is someone who came to one 20:52 of our programs recently. He says, "You know, my life 20:56 is just, it's just terrible." And I said, "Well, explain." 20:58 He says, "You know, my wife nags, 21:01 I've got bills piling up, my boss yells at me 21:05 almost constantly. And furthermore, I'm going bald, 21:11 and I'm short and fat," and, you know, that was 21:14 his side of the equation. As we continued the 21:17 conversation, I realized he had a wife who was very attractive, 21:21 he actually had kids that he had a good relationship with, 21:26 he actually enjoyed his church, he had good friends, and even 21:29 though he was short and fat, he could still walk 21:32 and feed himself. JB: So how did he get this thing 21:34 so far out of whack, and what could he do to adjust this? 21:37 This just takes looking at this with new eyes, right? 21:40 NN: That's right. When you have a mental filter, 21:42 you have to be intentional and forceful for looking 21:46 for evidence that supports a different way of thinking. 21:49 JB: Glass half full, glass half empty? 21:52 NN: That's right. JB: You can learn to look 21:53 on the positive side. NN: Yes. 21:55 JB: Wow. NN: And sometimes 21:56 it does take time. It has to be intentional 21:58 and forceful. You know, Joseph suffered from PTSD, 22:01 post-traumatic stress disorder. He could smell the smells 22:05 of the pit; he could hear the exact voices; 22:08 he knew what those brothers did. When he was faced with them, 22:11 of having all of that poor emotional reaction, he refused 22:14 to have a mental filter, and he was intentional 22:18 and forceful for searching for a different way of thinking 22:21 about his brothers. And it took him time, 22:23 but he found that different way of thinking about his brothers, 22:25 and that's when he revealed himself, and that great 22:28 family moment occurred. JB: What are some other ways 22:31 to learn to think-- to learn to think? 22:33 NN: Over-generalization would be another one. 22:35 JB: They're all alike. They all treat me bad. 22:37 Is that an over-generalization? NN: That's an 22:39 over-generalization. My roommate in college, 22:41 I remember he had his eye on a girl for about six months 22:44 before he mustered up enough courage to ask her out. 22:47 And when he comes back, and she turned him down, you know, 22:50 he's ready to cry, and he says, "Neil, I'm destined 22:54 to be lonely and miserable the rest of my life." 22:56 JB: All right. NN: And he over-generalized 22:57 two ways. One way is because she turned him down once; 23:00 he knew she was always going to turn him down. 23:02 Did he really know that to be true? No. 23:04 Secondly, 100% of eligible women had identical taste to hers, 23:08 and thus he would be endlessly rejected. 23:10 JB: Uh-huh. NN: And so people with 23:11 that cognitive distortion have a fear of rejection, 23:14 fear of trying new things. And it's actually 23:17 the cognitive distortion that can affect even great people. 23:19 JB: Yeah, that is a distortion, isn't it? 23:22 NN: When we have the ability to generalize, which is high IQ, 23:25 we have a tendency to over-generalize. 23:27 And over-generalization is going to cause emotional problems. 23:31 JB: In Philippians chapter 2, verse 5, the Bible says, 23:35 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." 23:40 Verse 13: "It is God which worketh in you both to will 23:45 and to do of His good pleasure." So is the key here 23:48 being connected to God and remaining connected to God? 23:50 NN: The Bible says, "Be transformed by the renewing 23:54 of your mind." That means correcting 23:55 the distorted thoughts. And David said to God, 23:59 "Search me," "try me," "know my thoughts!" 24:02 What he was saying is, see if there's any distorted way. 24:04 I want to know about it. I may not see the distortions, 24:07 but see if You can point out the distorted ways, so that I can 24:11 be led to life everlasting. And so it's not just 24:15 knowing the truth as far as doctrinal teaching. 24:19 The psalmist also said, well, who's going to dwell in 24:22 Thy tabernacle, Thy holy hill? Those that walk uprightly and 24:25 state the truth to themselves. Not just telling others 24:29 the truth, but telling themselves the truth. 24:32 That is really those that will be ultimately successful. 24:35 JB: The wonderful thing is, we can, we can take responsibility, 24:41 implement some theoretically simple steps and practices. 24:47 We can have new minds. NN: Exactly. 24:50 JB: Think new thoughts, and it can certainly be done as we 24:53 allow Christ into our mind. We can start thinking His way 24:58 and be healthy emotionally. NN: "Bringing every thought" to 25:01 "the captivity...of Christ." JB: Amen. Dr. Nedley, thanks. 25:05 NN: Thank you. JB: What a blessing to know 25:07 that emotional intelligence is something you can possess, 25:09 and when your mind is renewed, your relationship with God 25:13 is going to be like it's never been before. 25:17 ♪[music]♪ JB: It's basic. 25:22 While most world religions are built around the idea of earning 25:25 your way to a better future, Christianity builds its hope of 25:29 forgiveness and eternal life on a relationship. 25:32 It's kind of sad, then, that we find ourselves 25:34 rushing through life, checking the news 25:36 or social media while we're inhaling our breakfast. 25:39 We often don't have time for God. Doesn't a relationship 25:42 as important as this one deserve quality time? 25:46 That's what God longs for, and He invites you 25:49 to spend meaningful, life-changing time with Him. 25:53 To learn more, request our free booklet, "Quality Time." 25:57 Just call 800-253-3000 and ask for your copy 26:01 of "Quality Time." If the line's busy, 26:04 please try again. Or you can write to 26:06 It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. 26:11 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 26:15 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 26:19 it possible for us to share God's good news with the world. 26:22 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address 26:25 on your screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 26:29 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. Again, 26:33 our toll-free number is 800-253-3000, 26:36 and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 26:41 JB: Dr. Nedley, we've covered some ground today, 26:44 and I wish we could've covered a whole lot more. 26:45 What a magnificent topic. Thank you very much 26:48 for joining me today. NN: Thank you. 26:50 It's been great being here. JB: I think we'll take 26:51 the opportunity to pray now. Join us, would you, 26:53 as we pray together. ♪[gentle melody]♪ 26:55 Our Father in heaven, we can be transformed 26:59 by the renewing of our mind. By Your grace we can bring 27:01 "into captivity" every thought "to the obedience of Christ." 27:05 And I ask You that You would take possession of us to such 27:08 an extent that our minds would be one, the mind of the believer 27:12 and the mind of the great God of the universe. 27:15 So, Sovereign Lord, I pray, give us a new mind, 27:19 let us think Your way, transform us emotionally, 27:25 and grow us that we can be one with You now 27:29 and for all eternity. In Jesus' name we pray, 27:33 amen. 27:35 ♪[gentle melody fades]♪♪ 27:44 JB: Thank you so much for joining me today. 27:46 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:49 Until then, please remember: "It is written, 'Man shall 27:54 not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 27:59 from the mouth of God.'" ♪[swelling orchestral theme]♪ |
Revised 2022-05-04