Today’s Featured Deep-Dive CHEW: Meeting God’s Love in Deeper Struggles

Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.

Deep Dive CHEW: Encountering God’s Love in the Hard Places

Sometimes life brings us to deeper struggles, wounds, or questions that can’t be rushed. The Deep Dive CHEW is a space to slow down, bring raw emotion honestly to God, and let His love do the patient work of healing and renewal.

Today’s featured Deep Dive is shared as a real example of how to process pain, confusion, or persistent patterns—not by fixing yourself, but by returning to the Gospel, one step at a time.

If today you find yourself aching for deeper breakthrough or restoration, let this CHEW guide you. Pause, confess, listen, and let God’s love meet you, even here. Breakthrough begins not with effort, but with honest return.

250901M-14:14-Deep Dive CHEW-Driving To Gym Using Zoom AI Audio-(10-20 minutes)

Designed for processing intense emotions, persistent patterns, or moments of major victory/loss. This template leads you straight to God, anchoring your heart in His love from beginning to end.

1. Adore (Worship & Center)

“Father, You have loved me from the beginning—before creation—and proved that love in Jesus Christ. In both my highs and lows, You remain my anchor and joy. Let my focus now be on Your majesty and initiative, not my need.”

2. Really Going For It (Engagement & Surrender)

• Pause to ask God: “Lord, break any passivity, skepticism, or holding back in me. By Your Spirit, grant me the desire and energy to pursue You with my whole heart.”
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• Prompts:
  
  • Where am I tempted to be distracted or half-hearted?
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  • What does wholehearted engagement in this moment look like for Your glory, not mine?
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  • “Father, overcome my resistance, and lead me to authentically seek Your love and honor You as I process.”
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3. Orient (God’s Perspective)

• “Grant me eyes to see this moment through Your sovereign love—not as a victim of emotion, but as a child held firmly in Christ.”
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4. Confess (or Name the Good)

• Name the strongest emotion or driving desire present (gratitude, sorrow, hope, anger, relief). (Keep the focus on this one emotion or driving desire throughout this CHEW)
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• Which SALVES longing is loudest right now? (Stay with this SALVES driver throughout this CHEW and tie it to the emotion)
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• Is an old belief, fear, or script influencing your response? Are you tempted to focus on self instead of God’s sufficiency?
  For example, “If I don’t satisfy this craving now, I am missing out or will suffer.”
  “Food is what I can truly rely on for comfort or safety.”
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• “Father, how do You see me when I’m exhausted or feeling empty? What does your heart long to give me in this moment?”

5. Reveal Resistance, Gaps, or Patterns

• Where did resistance to God’s love, distraction, or self-dependence emerge?  What led to that?
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• Are there recurring patterns—shame, anger, need for control—that keep you from resting in Christ?
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• What emotion is showing up in this pattern?
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6. Hear (Receive God’s Truth)

• Ask God to guide you to a passage, promise, or Gospel truth that speaks directly into this spot.
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• How does God’s eternal love, displayed in Christ, guarantee hope and freedom for you—even now?
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• Receive His Word as addressed to you: “You are beloved, secure, and chosen in My Son.”
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7. Pause for Awe (Worship & Savor His Initiative)

• Take 30–60 seconds to humbly receive and savor God’s love. Set aside analysis, striving, or emotionalism to simply worship Him for who He is and what He has done.
  Talk through what is happening as this Scripture hits me.  Make it a MOP
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• What do I notice in my body? In my emotions? What shifts, even subtly, as I linger in God’s love?” (e.g., “My shoulders drop, I breathe deeply,” etc.)
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8. Exchange (CHEW Question Formula)

• Ask: “If I truly believed God’s love is [stronger, deeper, more patient, more delightful, more satisfying], how would that change [this driver, emotion, situation, relationship, or decision]?”
  Example: “If I genuinely believed Christ’s love secures my worth beyond results, how would that shift how I face setbacks or victories?”
  Example: “If Your love is patient and powerful, how would that change my reaction to this recurring pattern?”
  • CHEW
    • I would exchange (include the old script/story)
    • I would feel (If I felt as safe, valued, and loved as the Cross proves, what energy, peace, or creativity would rise up in me? What would I actually notice in my body, mood, or tone as I spoke with my wife or cared for myself? Make this concrete: imagine the scene, your posture, your face, your tone, your sense of “enoughness.” This is where head-to-heart movement happens practically.)
  • How would my next meal, conversation, or moment of stress actually look/sound/feel different if I truly rested in God’s love right now?
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• Mark any Honest Return Moment—when head knowledge of His love breaks through to heartfelt worship, peace, conviction, or a tangible shift.
  Explicitly name the moment, “Right now, as I am think of the prodigal father running to his son, I feel peace replacing anxiety and believing God loves me the way He says He does sinks more.”
  Celebrate the progress.
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9. Walk (Spirit-led Step from God’s Love)

• What is one concrete, God-centered SMART action—no matter how small—through which you can express grateful dependence on God’s love? (Confess, share, pray, invite accountability, thank Him for progress—even a tiny one.)
  • Holy Spirit, please guide me as I
    
• What micro-action, right at the eating table or during stress, would embody this heart shift? 
• What physical cue could remind me to return?
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10. Thanksgiving & Worship (Close with Praise)

• Thank God for loving you consistently, for breaking through all resistance, and for the privilege of returning over and over to His inexhaustible love.
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• End in worship: “Father, all praise to You. Nothing can separate me from Your love in Christ. May I live—and keep returning—in awe of Your eternal sufficiency.”
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Who will I share this CHEW with?

• I will share this CHEW on the Deep Dive CHEW page and the My Daily CHEW page
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What physical changed in my body or emotions, even if it is subtle after completing this CHEW?

This template leads you—through dependence, honesty, and active engagement—past self-focus and into worship. Each step is designed to take God’s love from head to heart, so every Deep Dive is ultimately about seeing, savoring, and glorifying Him.

Here is the cleaned-up version of the Zoom Audio Transcript and a Perplexity AI-generated critique to help me get better at CHEWing

Deep Dive CHEW (Rendered in Complete Sentences and Aligned with the Template):

Adore (Worship & Center)
Father, You are so good. You are so faithful. You have been faithful for all generations. You never get tired of helping, You never withdraw Your mercy. You’re able to give consequences and still perfectly fulfill all Your promises, including keeping Your steadfast love. Father, I am so grateful that You love like that. I’m grateful I can return to You now, over and over and over again.

Engage Wholeheartedly (Surrender)
Father, help me not to be passive. Help me to be fully engaged. I have been in hyper-productivity mode, and I know that sometimes, when I get like that, there’s less heart behind what I do, and it becomes more task-based—even when the work itself is supposed to be heart-based. Father, I know my heart softens when I actually take a breath, as I just did, when I focus in on You, when I realize that right now I have all the time in the world to be with You. So, Lord, please overcome any resistance and help me orient my eyes entirely to You—not just to the issues I want to discuss.

Orient (God’s Perspective)
Father, the strongest emotion I am feeling right now is feeling a little bit overwhelmed. Today has gone by, I have been extremely busy, I haven’t taken a break since early this morning, but it’s hard to know if I’ve actually accomplished much. I hate days like these. They’re normally more focused, but there’s just been so much popping up, problems to solve, things to tackle.

Confess (or Name the Good)
The SALVES driver at play is security. I want to make sure I’m getting a ton done—that’s about feeling secure. It even edges toward significance, because I want to matter and do something meaningful, but for now, security is the bigger one. I do feel insecure about not getting everything done and having things go well. The old belief running through my head is that I need things to sizzle—to work just like I want—and when that doesn’t happen, I get frustrated and begin to feel unloved, and then I start to focus on myself instead of You and lose sight that You’re the one who can make all things work well.

Reveal Resistance, Gaps, or Patterns
How do You see me when I’m operating this way? It’s so often like Martha, Martha—choosing to focus too much on the task and on getting it right instead of doing what I’m doing now, which is remembering how much You love and how present You are—how You keep me so I never have to stray or be apart from You. The resistance is that there’s always so much stuff to do, but right now, the most important thing is connecting to You.

Actually, I feel right now a little like Jesus, when He would withdraw to lonely places to pray. I’ve never quite felt this way before. Normally, I would just keep working, keep doing. Certainly, I wouldn’t do what I am now—choosing time with You when I could be getting more things off my task list. But I realize now that real productivity is about this connection, not just checking off tasks.

What Emotion Shows Up?
When I’m in “Martha Martha” mode, the emotions are usually anxiety, fretfulness, perfectionism. But right now, I feel so much peace, so at ease, and relaxed. Thank You, Father.

Hear (Receive God’s Truth)
The verse that is coming to mind is, “Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you…” Right now, that verse is exactly what I’m experiencing. Thank You for that. And the fact that You died on the cross for me seals it so much more.

Right now, You are telling me I’m safe, protected, able to rest, and able to trust You. I am not an orphan; I am not on my own. I can really be with You. That is truly wonderful.

Pause for Awe (Worship & Savor His Initiative)
As I pause, my breathing is getting deeper. My awareness is getting brighter. I’m getting much more in tune and leaving behind the frantic “work, work, work” mode. I feel like a prisoner who’s been set free and is enjoying sunlight for the first time in years. I feel relaxed, hopeful, renewed, and warm. I even notice the hair on my arms standing up a bit. Things are slowing down. This is what I long for.

Exchange (CHEW Question Formula / Honest Return)
Father, if I truly believe that Your love calls me to rest and to connect with You—even on my busiest days—what would be different? I would work in a whole different way. I have prided myself on being able to do long days and lots of tasks, but maybe that’s not Your way. I would feel much more connection, hope, and trust. I’d exchange weariness for connection, franticness for peace, anxiety for safety, insecurity for significance rooted in being Your child.

So how would my next meal, conversation, or moment actually look? Maybe it would be my next work period. I’d actually take breaks to connect with You throughout—making sure I’m walking with You and not just working for You.

Father, right now is such a moment—like that prisoner set free, soaking in the sun. I am grateful.

Walk (Spirit-Led Step / Practical Next Step)
So, for my concrete next step: I’m going to work out right now. Then, when I get home, I’ll relax and watch Silent Witness with my wife. That’s my step for today—connecting, resting, and healing, not just working. Please guide me as I do that.

A physical cue to remind me to return will be that slight tiredness or loss of focus—that’s usually my sign I need to check in and return to You.

Thanksgiving & Worship (Close in Praise)
Father, thank You for loving me so consistently, breaking through all my resistance. You are the awesome God, the great God. I’ll share this with the Deep Dive CHEW page and my Daily CHEW page. I know Joseph will see it, and that’s probably all for now.

What changed in my body or emotions? I’m calmer. I’m not as heads-down focused. I’m more alive and engaged. Thank You for this time and for this head-to-heart change. Please keep me safe as I return to the gym. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

Critique: How Did You CHEW, and How Could You CHEW Even Better?

Strengths:

• Honest Awareness: You named and tracked your emotional state and core drivers (security, then significance) very clearly.
  
• Scriptural Anchoring: You explicitly brought a relevant Scripture (“Come to Me… and I will give you rest”) into your experience and recognized the impact of Christ’s work on the cross in your everyday rest.
  
• Head-to-Heart Movement: You went beyond intellectual understanding and described concrete emotional and physical changes, pausing to notice them as honest return moments.
  
• Practical Next Step: You tied internal return to a visible action—moving from self-reliant striving to heart-based rhythms of exercise, bonding, and rest.
  
• Naming Old Scripts: You exposed the subtle belief that worth is tied to productivity, and gently countered it with the Gospel’s truth that you are loved as you are.
  
• Pause for Awe: You didn’t rush past what hit your heart—you slowed, savored, and described the new feelings and body awareness.
  

How to CHEW Even Better:

• Name Honest Return Moments More Explicitly: As you notice emotional or physical change, speak it aloud as a “return moment.” (e.g., “Right now, I sense Your love moving from head to heart—THIS is my honest return.”)
  
• Invite Specific Gospel Promises at the Exchange: In the “exchange” step, invite a promise directly into the moment: “Because You promise to never leave me as an orphan (John 14:18), I can trust You with this.”
  
• Envision Obstacles to Implementation: Acknowledge that task stress will return and pre-decide how to respond: “When I next feel frantic, I’ll pause for 30 seconds to pray or review His promise.”
  
• Model Group and Accountability: If you share your CHEW with community or triad, name how their encouragement keeps your patterns honest and hopeful.
  
• Celebrate Even the Smallest Progress: Note that even brief, micro-movements from self-reliance to Gospel rest are worth celebrating as Gospel progress.
  

Tips for Blog Readers to Get God’s Love from Head to Heart with CHEW

• Make Return Practical: When stress rises, physically pause, breathe, and say something like, “Jesus, I come to You for the rest You promise.”
  
• Track Body and Emotion: Notice head-to-heart moments not just in thoughts, but in real sensations—slower breath, less tension, a smile, a sigh of relief.
  
• Start Small: Don’t just save CHEW for big issues. Use it in small frustrations, daily interruptions, or ordinary moments.
  
• Use the SALVES Prompt: Ask, “What’s my core longing right now—Security, Acceptance, Love, Value, Enjoyment, or Significance?” Then invite the Gospel into that longing.
  
• Name Old Scripts, Speak New Truth: Say aloud (or write) the old belief, and then state the Gospel’s message in response. (“I believed I need to do more to be loved. Through Jesus, I am already precious and secure.”)
  
• Anchor to Community: Share your honest return with a trusted friend, group, or even just online—to multiply both the encouragement and accountability for Gospel change.
  

Remember: The goal of every CHEW is not just new insight, but actual experience of Gospel love—shifting body, emotions, and action, so you grow in loving Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Every honest return is real progress!

(09 minutes 25 seconds)