Bristol Bay Church Bible Reading

If you're interested in a neural shift from negativity to positivity that leads to better health and general well-being, affirmations are the key.

While working as a Chaplain volunteer in the Alaska Department of Corrections, I noticed the lack of self-affirmations of good and godly character circulating through the system from person to person. Women often spoke poorly of each other and themselves. I met a woman in a tough relationship. She developed a facial scar. She blurted out, “Now my man will never love me, because I lost my beauty.”

To provide another perspective, I presented a teaching titled “New Year's Affirmations Leading to Health and Well-Being.”

I investigated this solely from the perspective of biblical affirmations. More recently, I have found neuroscience or brain studies on how affirmations increase mental health. We can change how neurons fire and connections develop through the brain's plasticity. Called neuroplasticity, we can change the workings of our brain by developing attitudes such as gratitude, encouragement, and positive talk. These attitudes generate neurotransmitters that send positive signals to our brain.

God’s Word is full of affirmations that will help us rearrange the neurotransmitters in our brains, changing our lives and creating mental stability. It’s like God knew our needs before scientists discovered the plasticity of our brains.

Affirmations should be repeated daily, as often as necessary. One person told me that when around family or stressful situations, he often begins to think poorly of himself. He then will affirm himself with simple words of truth or verses from God’s Word. He likes to use “I am” statements. “I am a child of the King.” “I am free from guilt.” “I am smart and wise.”

He repeats these affirmations whenever he begins to feel stressed or thinks negatively about himself. He knows in his head what he believes, but it has to travel six inches from his head to his heart. He maintains a daily routine to affirm his health and well-being.

Others meditate on the affirmations and pronounce them true in Jesus' name. They ask the evil one to flee from their thoughts, so their mind can be cleansed.

A foundational place to start is affirming our relationship or identity in Christ. Understanding the value of our identity in Christ influences our mental well-being. It shapes who we are, how we relate to others, and our purpose in life. God created us and made each person perfect. God values you, not what you’ve done. Repeat, meditate on, and memorize these.

1. I am safe from the enemy. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. (Psalms 107:2)
2. I am chosen. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9)
3. I am a new creature. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
4. I am the apple of My Father’s eye. “He shielded him and cared for him;
   he guarded him as the apple of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10)
5. I am a blessed, victorious child of God. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. (Revelation 21:7)
6. I am free. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-33)
7. I am rescued from the power of darkness and made a part of God’s kingdom. “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)
8. I am the head and not the tail. “If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:13)
9. I am strong in the might and power of the Lord. “If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. (Ephesians 6:10)
10. I am being transformed by renewing my mind. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(Romans 12:1-2)

Other areas of affirmation that may help include:

1. Affirming God’s Power working through us. “God’s power works best in my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9}

2. Affirming God’s Work in Our Life. Because I place my hope in God, I can soar like an eagle, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

3. Affirming the positive works of our mind. God’s Holy Spirit, who lives in me, opens my mind to the deep truths in God’s Word. 1 John 2:27

4. Affirmations of Assurance I give my anxieties to God and know that he’ll take them because he loves me. This gives me peace. 1 Peter 5:7

5. Affirming Positive Thoughts. My negative feelings don’t come from God, so I don’t have to put up with them! 2 Timothy 1:7

Affirming thoughts promote health and well-being. See how many affirming thoughts you can find in the Bible. Write them down so that you can return to them when you need them.

A chronological Bible reading plan organizes the Bible's contents by the order of events, enhancing your understanding of the history and the connections between the Scriptures. It gives the reading as it occurs in history. This approach helps readers see the connections between different books and events, making it easier to understand the Bible's overarching narrative. This plan is a week-by-week reading plan with questions to answer. You may answer questions in one section or all three sections. Some people use this reading plan for three years by answering questions in a new section each year.

January 1

Genesis 1-3

January 2

Genesis 4-6

I Chronicles 1:1-4

January 3

Genesis 7-10

I Chronicles 1:5-24

January 4

Genesis 11-14

I Chronicles 1:24-27

January 5

Genesis 15-17

January 6

Genesis 18:1-21:7

January 7

Genesis 21:8-24

January 1

Genesis 1-3

1) How did God describe his creation in Genesis 1:31?

2) How does Genesis 3:1 describe the serpent?

January 2

Genesis 4-6

1) Consider who the Nephelites might have been?

I Chronicles 1:1-4

2) According to I Chronicles 1:1-4, who were the descendants of Noah?

January 3

Genesis 7-10

1) In Genesis 7:11, where does the flood waters come from?

I Chronicles 1:5-24

2) In I Chronicles 1:19, who is the first son of Eber and what does his name mean.

January 4

Genesis 11-14

1)What did God tell Abram to do in Chapter 12?

I Chronicles 1:24-27

2) Who is Abram in verse 1:27?

January 5

Genesis 15-17

What promises did God give Abraham in Genesis 15:4 and 15:18?

What covenant did God make in chapter 17?

January 6

Genesis 18:1-21:7

1) Consider Genesis 18:1-15. Have you ever laughed at something impossible in your way? Has someone else laughed at your thoughts or dreams? Too often, like Sarah, our minds are too small for God’s plans. Pray that God will enlarge your perspective.

2) In Genesis 19, what stands out to you in this story?

January 7

Genesis 21:8-24

1) Who was Sarah, and who are her descendants?

2) Who was Hagar, and who are her descendants?

3) How do Sarah and Hagar part ways?

January 1

Genesis 1-3

1) How did God describe his creation in Genesis 1:31?"He saw that it was very good."

2) How does Genesis 3:1 describe the serpent? "The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made."

January 2

Genesis 4-6

1) Who might the Nephilites have been? This is an interesting question, but one that scholars have debated. Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33 refer to these giants with the same Hebrew name. Many theories exist but Christianity.com covers four popular theories. Who Are the Nephilim in the Bible? Four Theories

2) According to I Chronicles 1:1-4, who were the descendants or specifically the sons of Noah? The sons of Noah were[fn] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

January 3

Genesis 7-10

1) In Genesis 7:11, where does the flood waters come from? "The same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

I Chronicles 1:5-24

2) In I Chronicles 1:19, who is the first son of Eber, and what does his name mean? His name was Peleg, which means division, or specifically, the earth was divided. This could refer to the division of the continents as a result of the flood, but that might have been four generations before his time. Or it could refer to Genesis 11 and the Tower of Babel where God divided the people through confusion of their languages. Carefully consider the proof for both. Which do you concur with?

January 4

Genesis 11-14

1)What did God tell Abram to do in Chapter 12? Get up and go to the land I will show you.

I Chronicles 1:24-27

2) Who is Abram in verse 1:27? Abram is renamed Abraham.

January 5

Genesis 15-17

What promises did God give Abraham in Genesis 15:4 and 15:18? Abraham will have a son who will be given the land of Israel.

What covenant did God make in chapter 17? Abraham will be the father of many nations.

January 6

Genesis 18:1-21:7

1) Consider Genesis 18:1-15. Have you ever laughed at something impossible in your way? Has someone else laughed at your thoughts or dreams? Too often, like Sarah, our minds are too small for God’s plans. Pray that God will enlarge your perspective. (Consider using this as a personal prayer challenge for the year.)

2) In Genesis 19, what stands out to you in this story? (Your choice)

January 7

Genesis 21:8-24

1) Who was Sarah, and who are her descendants? Sarah is the wife of Abraham, the mother of Issac, and the grandmother of Israel. (Genesis 21:3; Genesis 32:28). Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish people.

2) Who was Hagar, and who are her descendants? God promised Abraham to take care of Hagar and Ishmael. The Bible says Ishmael would become a great nation (Genesis 21:17–18). Ishmael married an Egyptian woman, and they had twelve sons who became a nation of people. (Genesis 21:21). The Muslims consider themselves descendants of Ishmael.

3) How do Sarah and Hagar part ways? Abraham sends Hagar away.

Questions? Call Pastor Val at 907-952-3317 or email pastorval@bristolbay.church

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