Weekly Discipleship Training (1.4.26)

Week of: Theme: Vulnerability Over Self-Preservation

This Week's Truth

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39

You've built walls around your heart and called it wisdom. You've avoided hard conversations and called it peace. You've protected your image and called it integrity. You're not being wise, you're being a coward.

Oswald Chambers said, "The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse me at any moment from all sin, but I have to come into the light and confess my sin."

Your self-protection is killing you.

What you're guarding isn't worth keeping.

What you're hiding is destroying what you claim to love.

Your discipleship has been too safe.

Daily Reading & Action Plan

MONDAY: Read John 12:24-26

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

Action: Identify one relationship where you're holding back truth to protect yourself. A spouse. A friend. A leader. Today, have the conversation you've been avoiding. Don't rehearse. Don't script perfection. Just speak truth in love. Even if your voice shakes.

TUESSDAY: Read Proverbs 28:13

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Action: What are you concealing right now? Write it down on paper. Every detail. Every lie. Every rationalization. Then text your accountability partner: "I need to meet today. I've been hiding something and I'm ready to bring it into the light." Meet before sunset.

WEDNESDAY: Read Ephesians 5:8-14

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them... But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light."
Action: Identify one "fruitless deed of darkness" you've been protecting. The app you use in private. The relationship that crosses boundaries. The habit you justify. Delete it. End it. Confess it. Today. No transition plan. No weaning off. Expose it to light and watch it die.

THURSDAY: Read 1 John 1:5-10

"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth."
Action: You've been lying to someone about your spiritual condition. Maybe your spouse. Maybe your small group. Maybe yourself. Today, tell them the truth: "I've been pretending I'm doing better than I am. Here's what's really going on..." Don't polish it. Don't minimize it. Just truth.

FRIDAY: Read Galatians 6:1-5

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Action: You know someone who's struggling but you've stayed silent to avoid awkwardness. Today, reach out: "I've noticed [specific observation]. I care about you. Can we talk?" Don't wait for them to come to you. Love moves first. Even when it's uncomfortable.

SATURDAY: Read James 4:6-10

"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Action: Pride has kept you from seeking help. You've been trying to overcome sin alone because asking for help feels like weakness. Today, humble yourself. Call a pastor. Join a recovery group. Hire a coach. Schedule a counseling appointment. Stop trying to white-knuckle your way to freedom.

SUNDAY: Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
Action: Share your testimony of this week with someone who needs to hear it. Text or call someone you know is struggling: "This week I stopped hiding and started healing. Here's what I did... If you need to talk, I'm here." Your vulnerability might be the permission they need to be honest.

This Week's Question