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Welcome, welcome, my golly beauties, to the Self-Love Journaling with God podcast. I am your host, Shonda, and I am so grateful you have joined me today. You know, this podcast is about more than just journaling. It's about doing the heart work with God as we heal, as we grow and learn to love ourselves the way God does. One journal page and one prayer at a time. So I want you to take a deep breath here with me right now. Just breathe. You made it here today, and that matters. And so, my sisters, I don't know where you are in your journey right now. Maybe you're in a season of rebuilding, piecing yourself back together after something hard. Or maybe you've been running on empty, pouring into everyone else and forgetting to pour into yourself. Or maybe you're just starting to explore what it even means to love yourself in a way that honors God. Wherever you are, this episode is for you. Today, we're talking about something that has completely changed how I see my own self-love journey. We're talking about the Holy Spirit and the six powerful ways He shows up to support us, guide us, and carry us as we learn to love who God made us to be. So settle in, grab your journal if you have it nearby, and let's do this together. In this episode, you will learn that you are never alone in your self-love journey. The Holy Spirit is actively working on your behalf in six distinct powerful ways, and you will take with you a deeper understanding of your divine partnership with the Holy Spirit, along with practical tools to invite his presence into your healing right now, right now, today. Before we dive into this deeper, I really want to take you somewhere here. I want you to picture this. Jesus has just told his disciples, the people who walked with him, who knew him, who depended on him, that he was leaving, and they were devastated. They were afraid, they didn't know what was coming next. And in the middle of their fear, Jesus said something so beautiful. He said, I will not leave you comfortless. He promised them a helper, a comforter, a counselor. He promised them the Holy Spirit. Now let that sink in there. Here's what gets me every time I read that passage. Jesus knew they would struggle. He knew they would doubt. He knew they would face moments when they felt completely alone, completely unseen, completely unworthy. And his answer to all of that was, I am sending someone to be with you. That's beautiful right there. That same promise, my sister, is yours and is mine right now, today. So our anchor scripture for this episode comes from John the 14th chapters, verses 16 and 17 in the King James Version, and it says this, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. Did you catch that? He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. The Holy Spirit is not somewhere far away hoping things would work out for you. He is in you. He is with you. He is for you. And that changes everything about how we walk this journey of self-love. I want to take a moment to sit with one word from that scripture. Comforter. The Greek word used here is pericletus. Para meaning beside and caleo meaning to call. Now, studying the Bible, both with the Greek and the Hebrew, shared so much of a deeper insight. And it really helps us in our walk. So I definitely encourage you to take your study in the word to a higher level. Okay, so paracletus is literally the one called to stand beside you. Like I said, the Greek word used here, para and cletus. Para means beside and cleo meaning to call. Not behind you, not in front of you, beside you. Now in the ancient world, a paraclete was an advocate. Someone who came alongside you in a court of law when you couldn't speak for yourself. Someone who stood in the gap when you were overwhelmed, when the accusations were too loud, when you didn't have the words. So can I tell you something here? That is exactly what self-love requires sometimes. We need someone to stand beside us when the voices in our head are too loud, when we can't see ourselves clearly, when the lies feel louder than the truth. Now, here's something I really need to address because the world has a lot to say about self-love, and it doesn't always align with what God says. Psychology tells us that self-love is built through self-affirmation, personal boundaries, and developing a secure sense of self through experiences and relationships. And listen, there is real value in that framework. Understanding your patterns matters, therapy matters, self-awareness matters. But here's where psychology hits a ceiling. It places the full burden of your transformation on you. And so, my sister, you were never meant to carry that alone. What God says is radically different. God says you are already seen, already known, already chosen. And he says he didn't leave you to figure it out by yourself. He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of you as your helper, as your teacher, your comforter, your guide. And so psychology says, fix yourself. God says, let me heal you. Psychology says, build your confidence, and God says, I will remind you who you are. That is the difference. And it is everything. So why does this matter specifically for your self-love journey? Because so many of us have been trying to do this work from the outside in. We read the books, we journal, we say the affirmations, we do the work, and those things are good, but when healing stays on the surface, it doesn't stick. Real lasting self-love, the kind that holds up even when life gets hard, even when people disappoint you, even when you disappoint yourself, that kind of love has to be rooted in something deeper than your own effort. It has to be rooted in the spirit. When the Holy Spirit is part of your self-love journey, you are no longer doing it alone. You have a divine partner who knows every broken place, every wound, every lie you've believed, and is actively working to heal, restore, and remind us of that truth. That is transformation. All right. So let's get into the heart of today's episode. Sixth way, the Holy Spirit shows up for you and me on this journey. I really want you to receive each one of these personally. Let it be for you. And so the first one is the Holy Spirit comforts you in your pain. The very first row, Jesus' name, it was comforter. And there is a reason he led with that, I believe. Because healing is uncomfortable. Wouldn't you agree with that? Looking at yourself honestly, doing the inner work, sitting with grief or shame or old wounds, it hurts. And the Holy Spirit is right there in the middle of that hurt with you. He doesn't rush your healing, he doesn't tell you to get over it. He sits with you in the ache and he brings a peace that, as Paul says in Philippians, passes all understanding. When you feel too broken to love yourself, the Holy Spirit comes close and he comforts you. That is his nature, that is his promise to you. So I want you to kind of breathe into that. And so the next one is the Holy Spirit teaches you the truth about who you are. And that naturally leads us to the second role. Because once you receive comfort, you need truth. And the Holy Spirit is your teacher. So in John 14, verse 26, Jesus says, The Holy Spirit shall teach you all things, all things, including the truth about your identity. He is the one who whispers to your spirit, you are loved, you are worthy, you are not what they said about you, you are not your worst mistakes. Self-love struggles when we believe lies about ourselves. And the Holy Spirit is actively working to replace those lies with truth. Every time you open your Bible, every time you pray, every time you sit quietly with God, the Holy Spirit is teaching you. He is revealing who you really are through the lens of God's love. And when truth comes, it can sometimes create confusion. Because truth often challenges what we've always believed. That's where the Holy Spirit steps in as your counselor. He gives us wisdom. In James 1, verse 5, it tells us that if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously without finding fault. The Holy Spirit is the channel of that wisdom. When you don't know what to do with your emotions, when you're not sure if a boundary is loving or fearful, when you don't know whether to stay or go, to speak up or be still, the Holy Spirit counsels you. I love that. He speaks in that still, small voice. He helps you discern what is of God and what is of fear. You are not navigating this alone. Now, this next one, the Holy Spirit helps you in your weakness. This one is very tender to me because one of the biggest barriers to self-love is our own weakness. We try to be better and we fall back into old patterns. We try to speak kindly to ourselves and we hear the inner critic again. We try to believe we are worthy, and the doubt creeps in. And so in Romans 8 26, it says, likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. Our infirmities, did you hear that? Our weaknesses, our limitations. The Holy Spirit helps us precisely where we are weak. You don't have to be strong enough to love yourself perfectly. The Holy Spirit helps you. He intercedes, He carries what you cannot carry, He makes up the difference. That is grace in its most practical, personal form. And so the fifth role of the Holy Spirit flows beautifully from the fourth. Because when we are weak, we forget. We forget what God said. We forget what we know to be true. We forget our own worth. And Jesus said in John 14, verse 26 that the Holy Spirit shall bring all things to your remembrance. He is your divine reminder. We have a divine reminder on the inside of us. Every time a memory surfaces that you need to heal, every time you open your journal and a truth comes to mind you didn't even know you needed. Every time you wake up in the morning with the scripture on your heart, that is the Holy Spirit reminding you. He is constantly pointing you back to truth, back to love, back to God's perspective of you. So you are not forgotten, you are not overlooked. The Holy Spirit keeps reminding you you are God's beloved. And this is where it all comes together. Because self-love isn't just about feeling better about yourself, it's not just about that, it's about becoming who God made you to be. And that transformation, it happens through the Holy Spirit. So in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, it says we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. So glory to glory, this is a process, this is a journey. And the Holy Spirit is the one doing the transforming. We just have to cooperate. He is sanctifying you, setting you apart, making you whole, restoring what was broken, healing what was wounded, and growing you into the fullness of who God designed you to be. That is why your self-love journey is holy work, because the Holy Spirit is in it. Every journal entry, every prayer, every honest conversation with God, the Holy Spirit is taking all of it and using it to make you more whole, more free, and more you. Start here. Invite him in consciously, daily, in the small moments, before you journal, pray this. Holy Spirit, be my comforter, my teacher, my helper today. Give him access to the tender places. Our anchor scripture reminds us he already dwells with you and is in you. You're not summoning him from far away. You're simply turning toward the one who is already there with you. Then when the lies come and they will, don't fight them alone. Say out loud, Holy Spirit, teach me the truth about this. Let Holy Spirit counsel you. Let him remind you. You are not trying to out argue your inner critic. You are inviting the spirit of truth to do what only he can do. And as you practice this day by day, page by page, you will begin to notice the shift. Not because you got stronger, because you got more surrendered, right? You surrendered more to the Holy Spirit. And so now, my sister, it is time to put that pen to the paper. This is the moment where what we have talked about moves from your mind into your heart. And this is where real transformation happens. So definitely leave me a comment, let me know what you have been getting out of this episode. I really want to hear from you. And so I want you to grab your journal, find a quiet, comfortable spot, take a few slow deep breaths, and let yourself arrive fully in this moment. Today's journaling prompt is this Which of the six roles of the Holy Spirit do I need most right now? And why? What would it look like to invite the Holy Spirit into that specific area of my self-love journey this week? Now give yourself a few minutes to sit with that before writing. Here's an example to help you get started here. Maybe you're in a season where you've been believing a lie about your worth, that you're too much or not enough, or that you don't deserve good things. You might write, I need the Holy Spirit as my teacher right now. I need him to teach me the truth about who I am because I keep believing what others said about me. This week, I want to invite the Holy Spirit into my morning routine by reading one scripture about. My identity and asking him to make it real to me. See how personal and specific that is? That is exactly the kind of honest and heart level journaling that creates real change. You don't have to have it all figured out here. You just have to be honest. And here's the beautiful thing every word you write is seen by God. Every honest sentence is an act of trust. The Holy Spirit honors that. So I want to leave you with an affirmation to carry with you this week. And so say this with me. Say it out loud if you can. I am not alone. The Holy Spirit is with me, in me, and for me. He comforts me, teaches me, guides me, helps me, reminds me, and transforms me. I welcome his presence into every part of my journey. Say it again if you need to. Say that over yourself every morning this week. Write it on a sticky note, put it on your mirror, let it become a declaration you reach for when the doubt comes. Because my sister, it is not just a nice thing to say, it is the truth. So before I close this out, I just want to take a moment to celebrate you. You showed up today, you carved out time, and whatever season of life you are in, whatever was pulling at your attention, and you chose to invest in your own healing and growth. That is not small, that is significant. You are not behind on this journey, you are not too far gone, too broken, too complicated for the Holy Spirit to reach. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. And the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, he lives in you. He is at work in you right now. Every single role we talked about today: comforter, teacher, counselor, helper, reminder, transformer, every single one of them is available to you. Not someday, now, today. In your next journal entry, in your next prayer, in the next quiet moment when you turn your heart toward God. You are loved with a love that has no conditions. And the Holy Spirit is here to make sure you never forget that. So let me take this moment to pray over you right now. Lord, I come before you right now on behalf of the beautiful souls listening to this. Father, you promised that you would not leave us comfortless. And you kept that promise. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells with us and is in us, just as your word says in John 14. Holy Spirit, I ask that you make your presence known to my sister right now. Be her comforter in the place that still hurt. Be her teacher in the places where she's still believing lies. Be her counselor, Lord, when she doesn't know which way to go. Be her helper in the moments when she feels too weak. Remind her again and again of who she is and how deeply she is loved. And Lord, transform her, not in a way that erases her, but in a way that restores her to the fullness of who you made her to be. Let her know she is never ever alone in Jesus' name. Amen. And so, my sister, if today's episode stirred something in you, if you felt the Holy Spirit moving as we talk through these six rows, I really want to invite you to go deeper with me. Come on over to my Substack in my Self-Love Journaling with God newsletter. I share extended journal prompts, scripture-based reflections, and practical tools that go hand in hand with exactly what we're doing here on the podcast. And so you can find the link in the show notes. So come join our community over there. We are doing this hard work together, and there is a seat at the table for you. So I just want to thank you for spending this time with me. Remember, every open journal is an invitation for God to move. Until next time, keep rising, keep journaling, and keep becoming who God made you to be.