writing his word on my heart...with technology

There is so much value in memorizing scripture. It can encourage you, strengthen you, transform you, and also help you to do the same for others. Back when I first started the Soul Detox reading plan on You Version, I really wanted to focus on taming my tongue, specifically when it comes to how I react and speak to my kids. Going to get really transparent here- I am not always the nicest person when it comes to talking to my kids. I can be so short with them and so quick to snap at them, even when they aren't really doing anything other than just being kids. I stop and think, "If they talked to me like that, they would be in big trouble, and if some other adult was speaking to them like that I'd be going ALL kinds of momma bear on them. So why am I doing it? What is wrong with me?" Soul Detox covers toxic thoughts and speech right off the bat, and I knew that I needed to take my thoughts captive if I wanted to speak to my kids the way the Lord wanted me to speak to them. So along with repenting and daily, if not hourly, confessing to God that I am weak and cannot parent these blessings without His help, and asking the Holy Spirit to fill me up so that my mouth would over flow with His words and not mine, I also purposed to have a verse that I could say to myself before I opened my mouth to speak to the kids.

I know a lot of people will write verses on note cards or post-its and place them up around their house. At first that was what I intended to do, but I don't have any post-its and all of my scotch tape seems to be M.I.A. I didn't want to just forget about it, so I took a verse that I had screen capped on my phone and set it as my image that comes up when I go to unlock my phone (which is ALL the time.) This way, I constantly see the verse through out the day, and not just at home, but everywhere I go! I'm sure there are probably other people that do this, too, but I haven't had my iPhone for very long and I just figured out how to even take a screen cap a week ago or so, but I thought I would share this for anyone else who needs a help for memorizing scripture. If you don't have a smart phone, you could always take a picture of the verse you want to remember in your actual bible and set it as your background or something.

The first verse I set out to remember, and thus repeat to myself through the day was Proverbs 15:4

I would specifically repeat the first half of the verse to myself every time I looked at my phone, and again every time I needed to speak to the kids, especially if they were frustrating me. It has been incredibly helpful to have God's word constantly being put back into me. In just a couple of days there was already a complete 180 in the way not only that I speak to them, but the way I think about them as well. God's word changes us, and transforms us. Instead of dwelling on toxic thoughts about my kids (Why are they being so loud? Don't they know I'm trying to xyz? Why can't they just do what I told them to? etc.) and then consequently toxic thoughts on myself, (How dare you talk to those kids that way! What is your problem! You're being such a witch!) I'm dwelling on the Lord and His heart and His thoughts, and THAT is how you take your thoughts captive and you are transformed by the renewing of your mind! It's exciting to see God working on me and how it not only is for me, but for my whole family!