Deep Dive CHEWs: When You Need More Than a Quick Reset

The Daily CHEW™

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

Last Wednesday, after closing a major deal that had taken months of preparation, I found myself sitting in my car in the parking lot, thrilled with the opportunity. I thanked God profusely. I quickly called my wife to celebrate and then called a team member so we could map out the process of delivering this deal to the client. But in the process of mapping it out, some doubt crept in. I wondered how this engagement was going to go. What are the things that can sabotage this engagement? Where does my team and I need to grow? What do I need to plan out and control? And just like that, I went from thanking God, celebrating, to being in orphan mode. Instead of turning back to God and receiving His love that would remind me that He is the One who holds their hearts and mine in His hands and will help us to be fruitful and multiply this deal into one that brings this company into further alignment with Him, I found myself thinking about how He will allow things that can derail it.

Maybe you know this exact pattern: the way celebration can shift to control in a matter of minutes. Maybe you’ve experienced the frustration of watching your heart slide from gratitude to anxiety, from trust to self-reliance, even in your moments of greatest professional victory. Maybe you’re tired of the cycle where external wins fail to produce lasting internal peace, where success becomes another platform for worry rather than worship.

This isn’t about needing better emotional management or more positive thinking. The deeper issue is that persistent emotional patterns—like the quick slide from celebration to control—are anchored in core beliefs about ourselves, God, and life that operate below the surface of conscious decision-making. Only when we bring these beliefs into sustained contact with God’s love—not in a rushed moment, but with the time and space they deserve—can real transformation begin to take root at the foundational level.

Join me for the Deep Dive CHEW—designed for those moments when you need more than a quick reset, when the pattern feels too familiar and too stubborn for a surface-level fix.

The Deep Dive CHEW: When You Need More Than a Quick Reset

The Deep Dive CHEW (10-20 minutes)
Best used: For big emotions, wounds, persistent patterns, or when you need thorough processing

1. Focus on God’s Love

Begin by centering your heart in God’s character:

• “Father, You are wise, powerful, and loving. You are amazing.”
• Remind yourself: You don’t need to have all the answers—just bring your real self to God

2. Confess: What’s Weighing on Your Heart?

• What’s weighing on your heart or mind right now?
• Name the emotion, fear, hope, question, or situation that feels most urgent
• Go deeper: What are you avoiding, denying, or afraid to feel? Be as specific and honest as possible
• Bring it to God honestly—don’t just name the surface issue

3. Hear: Listen for God’s Truth

• What does God’s Word say about this?
• If you’re unsure, browse these targeted categories to find the biblical truth your heart most needs right now. You can also use a verse like John 15:9—”As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you”
• Trust Scripture to shape your heart and perspective

4. Pause for Awe: Linger in God’s Presence

• Take 30-60 seconds to simply be with God
• Ask: How does this truth land in my heart? What am I really feeling? What am I afraid to see?
• Don’t rush to solutions—let yourself grieve, lament, or even be angry in God’s presence
• Notice any shift, comfort, or challenge—even if you feel nothing, God’s love remains true

5. Exchange: Let God’s Love Reshape You

Use this question:
If I really believed God’s love is [truth or characteristic], how would that change [my situation, feeling, or response]?

Answer honestly and in detail. Explore the ripple effects:

• What would change in your thoughts, feelings, habits, or relationships if you truly believed God’s love is exactly as He says?
• How would this truth reshape your response to your current struggle?
• What would shift in your heart if you really believed God’s love is bigger than this?

Don’t move on until you’ve really sat with it.

6. Walk: Take a Spirit-Led Step

• What is one Spirit-led action or next step you can take, trusting God’s love?
• Sometimes the step is simply to rest, worship, thank God, or grieve
• Be practical—no step is too small

7. Celebrate Every Honest Shift

• What changed in you after this CHEW? How did God’s love shape your heart, thinking, or actions?
• Why does this shift matter for your life or faith?
• Celebrate every honest moment of awareness—notice and thank God for any shift, even if it’s just a willingness to stay present with Him
• Remember: You don’t need to be perfect, just real. Even a small, honest answer is significant progress.

Summary Table: Deep Dive CHEW Steps

Why Deep Dive CHEWs Matter for High Performers

As achievement-oriented leaders, we’re often tempted to treat spiritual growth like any other project—something that should show measurable results quickly. But the deepest patterns and wounds in our hearts weren’t formed overnight, and they won’t be transformed overnight either. Deep Dive CHEWs create space for the kind of patient, thorough work that God wants to do in the depths of our hearts.

Research shows that sustainable high performance actually flows from secure identity rather than driven striving. The Deep Dive CHEW helps you address the core beliefs and emotional patterns that either fuel sustainable excellence or undermine it with anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout.

When to Use Deep Dive CHEWs

• After major setbacks when you need to process disappointment, failure, or unexpected challenges
• During seasons of transition when old patterns surface more intensely
• When persistent patterns resist change despite your best efforts at discipline or willpower
• For processing old wounds that still influence your leadership, relationships, or decision-making
• During times of success when achievement doesn’t bring the satisfaction you expected
• When you notice the slide from celebration to control and need to understand the beliefs driving that pattern

Real-Life Deep Dive CHEW Example

The Celebration-to-Control Pattern:

Focus: “Father, You know how quickly I can shift from gratitude to anxiety. You love me in both celebration and control mode.”

Confess: “I’m frustrated that I can’t stay in celebration. Even in victory, I immediately start cataloging what could go wrong. What am I afraid of under this need to control?”

Hear: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9)

Pause: “God, what are You inviting me to see about my relationship with You when things are going well?”

Exchange: “If I really believed God’s love means He holds this client’s heart and mine in His hands, how would that change my response to success? I would celebrate longer, trust deeper, and plan from security rather than fear.”

Walk: “I’ll call my wife back and share what I learned about this pattern, and I’ll pray for this client before our next planning meeting.”

Celebrate: “I notice my shoulders relaxing as I remember God is sovereign over this engagement, not me.”

Normalize the Process

Deep Dive CHEWs aren’t about achieving perfect insight or immediate resolution. They’re about creating consistent space for God to work in the deeper places of your heart. Some sessions will feel breakthrough-heavy, others might feel like ordinary conversations with God, and both are exactly what you need. God delights in your willingness to bring the real, messy, complex parts of your heart into His presence—not your ability to generate spiritual insights or emotional breakthroughs.

CHEW On This™:

If you really believed that God’s love is patient enough to work through the patterns that have resisted quick fixes and powerful enough to transform what seems impossible, how would that change your approach to the areas where you most need breakthrough?

Community Call

Deep transformation happens best in the context of authentic relationships. Consider sharing your Deep Dive CHEW journey with a trusted mentor, counselor, or accountability group. The patterns that feel most shameful or resistant to change often lose their power when brought into the light of honest community anchored in God’s love.

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