Language Guide

 

Core Language

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False Refuges

What it means: Places we run for safety, control, or worth apart from trusting God.
Scripture: Jer. 2:13; Ps. 20:7; Prov. 18:11
Examples: control, performance, approval, withdrawal, numbing
Notice where you tend to run when trust feels risky.

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Old Self Patterns

What it means: Learned ways of living that surface when we are not trusting Christ.
Scripture: Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9
Key distinction: Pattern doesn't equal identity
This is something you do, not who you are.

 

False Narratives

What it means: Stories we live from that shape reactions more than truth.
Scripture: Gen. 3:1–5; Rom. 12:2
Examples: “I’m on my own.” “God won’t come through.” “I must earn love.”
What story starts playing when things don’t go your way?

 

Apart-from-Me Living

What it means: Life lived from self-reliance rather than abiding in Christ.
Scripture: John 15:5
Focus: Christ-centered, not behavior-centered
Apart from trusting Jesus, what do you tend to rely on?

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Selective Language

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Survival Strategies

What it means: Protective responses learned after the fall.
Scripture: Gen. 3:7–10
Examples: hiding, blaming, managing, striving

 

Disconnection

What it means: The result of sin, loss of trust, not God’s absence.
Scripture: Isa. 59:2; Acts 17:27–28

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Distorted Desires

What it means: Good desires bent to carry what only God can.
Scripture: James 1:14–15

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New Life Language

 

 

Abiding

What it means: Staying connected to Christ rather than managing alone.
Scripture: John 15:4

 

New Creation Identity

What it means: In Christ, we are made new.
Scripture: 2 Cor. 5:17

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Living From Union

What it means: The Christian life lived from Christ, not for Christ.
Scripture: Gal. 2:20

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