The TRUTH Framework: Build Mental, Emotional, And Spiritual Strength

We share a simple, faith-centered framework for mental, emotional, and spiritual steadiness and show how one shaky ladder inspired a clearer way to check our foundations. Five steps—TRUTH—help us capture thoughts, find the root, replace lies with truth, and choose the next right action.

• Wheel of Life as a guide to balance
• TRUTH framework overview and purpose
• Take every thought captive with awareness
• Recognize the root in fear, shame, or influence
• Uncover the lie and test alignment with God
• Tell yourself the truth through writing and mirror work
• Honor God with your next step and behavior
• Heart–mind harmony and fruits that signal peace
• Free worksheet download!

If you found value in anything we said today, please share this episode
You can leave us a comment or a rating, or there's an option in our show notes where you can text us.
And then don't forget that there are resources and free downloads in the show notes!
Be sure to subscribe and share it with someone who's ready to roll toward a more balanced life
Always do your own research and talk to a qualified expert before making big decisions

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Wheel of Life Worksheet

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Transcript

The Ladder Story And Foundations

Why Mindset Feels So Hard Today

Introducing The TRUTH Framework

T: Take Every Thought Captive

R: Recognize The Root

Heart–Mind Harmony Insight

U: Uncover The Lie

T: Tell Yourself The Truth

Sponsor: Optimal Health Fat Reduction

H: Honor God With Your Next Step

The Worksheet And Free Resources

Closing, Feedback, And Disclaimers

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the D Times 2 podcast, hosted by Sisters Denise and Deborah. We are all about finding balance in the various parts of life. Using the Wheel of Life as our guide, we explore how to keep each spoke rolling smoothly. We discuss health and wellness, education and spirituality, as well as mental and emotional growth. Join us for real conversations, practical tips, and a few laughs as we share stories, insights, and strategies to help you create a life that feels balanced, purposeful, and designed by you. Hey Deb. Hi Denise. Good to see you today. You too. How have you been? Good. I've been really good. Good? Yeah. Busy, traveling, seeing grandbabies. It's been fun. All the fun stuff. Yeah. How about you? I've been good. I've been, I'm gonna say mostly homebound. I'm not just stuck at my house, but I've been, you know, I haven't gone anywhere like you have. We've been doing a lot of yard cleanup for fall. And the other day it was so funny because Tom was out cleaning the gutters of the leaves that are just continuously falling. Like it's almost a pointless exercise at this point. Almost. But he got to a point on our house where he was on his ladder that's two stories tall. And I came outside to see how he was doing, and he yelled at me, hey honey, can you come hold the ladder for me? And I was like, sure. So when I got over there and saw what he was doing, there were only three legs on the ground. And he was at the top of this two-story ladder. So, hey, honey, can you hold be the fourth leg of this ladder? Was really the question. No kidding. And I was just like, he can't fall off of this thing. It's already like wet and drizzly. And anyway, I gave him a hard time about you, don't use a ladder that way. And that's a lot of weight for me to hold up as the fourth leg. But it really made me think about having a firm foundation. Oh, yes. Because he did not have a firm foundation. And that firm foundation kind of connected with what I wanted to talk about today, which has to do with mental, emotional, and spiritual help. That I'm gonna say that spoke of our wheel, mental, emotional, spiritual. Because I think when your mind and your spirit are right, you have that firm foundation in place. Things are more easily built upon that. Yes. Are you tracking? I am tracking with you. That makes perfect sense. So I had recently been listening to someone who has quite a bit of experience in coaching people on mindset. And they were discussing a specific model that they use. And I tweaked it a little bit to fit kind of our parameters and I'm gonna say how things have been asked of me where people need help. Okay. Because I hear quite often from people that they're really struggling mentally, or they're emo like they just feel unstable, or they're very anxious, or like there's just things that aren't right. And a lot of it comes down to that mental, emotional, spiritual help. That's true. There are that is a big struggle right now with people. It really is. So let's talk about this. I I developed it as a framework. So think of it as the truth framework. And each letter in the word truth represents an area, like the process of the framework that you are going to go through, basically to work on your own mindset. Okay. Steps to follow. Yes. Does that make sense? Yes. How I'm saying it. Yes. Okay. Raise your hand if you have a question. So the first one, T, is to take every thought captive. Because sometimes we get cycling with thoughts, or we have thoughts just enter our head that are not correct thoughts. So take it captive, catch it before it takes root. Nice. Okay. I like that. It can be a seed that blows through in the wind, but it blows through. We don't want anything to take root. So I associated each of these steps in the framework with a scripture. So we're working on mental, emotional, and spiritual. All of the scriptures are coming from the Bible. So the scripture that goes with this one is 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5. Okay. Can you read that for us? I would be happy to. Okay. 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. So that really, in my mind, connects with that taking every thought captive, because we have to keep our eyes single to God and the things that exalt God and what He wants exalted in our lives. That's true. And this says bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. So bringing it into alignment with Him and His ways, not craziness. Right? Yeah, or the like I'm gonna say the deceptions of the devil or the evilness of men or the comparison that we often run into in our modern life. Like keep it focused on truth. So the next letter in truth is R. And R stands for recognize the root. So what is the root cause of that thought? Is it come coming from fear or shame? Need for comfort? Is it coming from trauma? Yeah. They can come from any past life experiences or weaknesses that we have. Or influences from people around us or social media that we look at or friends. Yeah. Or not friends. Yeah. I actually had someone talking to me about this the other day who I was working with one-on-one, and she said that someone in her life regularly chastises her because of who she is and how she lives. That's a rough one. It's very rough. It's very someone very close to her. And I said, I'm gonna take a moment and give you some validation because this is what I see in you, and this is what you should honor in you. But some of it for her is where she's like she knows it's not a good source that's causing some of those thoughts to take place in her, but it's coming from a need to feel validated by someone who's close to her. The scripture that ties in with this is Proverbs chapter four, verse 23. Do you mind if I just read that real quick? Go for it. It's a short one. It says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Keep thy heart with all the diligence. You know, to me, that means to protect yourself from negative outside influences. Yeah. Protect your heart, protect that inmost part of you. Because that's the root from where things should flow. Yes. I want to take just a moment. It's a little sidetrack from our truth framework, but it has to do with the heart and the brain, which physiologically, a lot of things in the mind will manifest through the brain, and a lot of things from the spirit will manifest through the heart. It's important to have the brain and the heart, or the mind and the spirit in harmony with each other. And I think rooting back to that, like we can feel the truth of things, the rightness of things in our heart. For sure. So when I feel something is truly right, it does copy a phrase burn in the bosom. Yeah. And that's you can feel that validation, that that testament, I guess, in the heart area. And that's where we want the root of the thoughts to be. So recognize where the root is. That's good. I like it. Okay. So back to our truth framework. That was just a little aside of getting the heart and the mind in harmony with each other. Okay. So then the you in truth stands for uncover the lie. Where is the lie in that thought that you're having? And does that thought, for one, is it true? And it's not, if there's a lie in it. And does that thought align with what God wants for you? That's good. Does that align with what God wants for you? So how do you determine what God wants for you? How you in your life, how do you determine that? Sometimes through prayer, seeking for his guidance in my life, but ultimately I feel it in my heart. Yeah. Yes. Right? Yeah. It just like that's when I know. Like I just sometimes I know it in my mind and in my heart, but I ask for guidance. And when I receive guidance, like I am pretty strongly can just feel, yes, that's a good course for you, or that's a bad course, or it's up to you. But when it comes to the thoughts, there's not usually that it's up to you middle ground. True. That's true. Yeah. I like that one. So there's a scripture that connects with that also. It's Romans chapter 12, verse 2. Okay. And be not conformed to this world. Oh, I like that. Yep, that's Denise's interjection. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I really like that. That's a really good one, Deborah. It it really connects nicely with that too, right? To uncover the lie. So you were asking, how do I know what's right? And as you read that scripture, and actually as I was creating this before, it also made me think of a scripture. Think it's in Galatians. The fruits of the spirit are oh yes. Like there are things that point to good, and there are things that point to bad. So those fruits of the spirit also help me to know. That's true. Those fruits of the spirit are yeah, look that one up. Go to your Google and look that one up. That one is good. The fruits of the spirit, peace, love. Yeah. I I think I have a reference in my head, but I don't want to give the wrong reference. So okay. The next letter in truth is T, our second T. And this one is to where you really take action. You tell yourself the truth. So I say to speak it verbally or write it down. Because when you write, I'm gonna say the counterpart to whatever that lie is, that thought is, when you tell yourself the truth and write it, it connects to your cells in a different way. That neurological connection helps to embed it into who you are. That's true. But verbally saying it out loud is the next most powerful. You can also just think it. But saying it, especially if you're saying it to yourself in a mirror, yes, is can can really be powerful for telling yourself the truth. There is science behind the writing. Like when we write things down, we remember it better, it becomes deeper in us, embedded in us. So yeah, I agree. That is the first one. The second one, I'm glad you said looking in the mirror and speaking it, because you're talking to yourself literally. You can see yourself, and when you say it to yourself in the mirror, look like you really mean it. So that you can see yourself really mean it. That's I'm gonna say one of the practices I've done in my life is to talk to myself in the mirror. And it's funny because sometimes I'll repeat the same couple of things over and over. And I can see myself have more conviction in my eyes every time I say it as I'm looking in the mirror. Yeah. I remember hearing a story about a woman who she was basically told she would didn't have much worth. Oh. And which is really sad. Like that's such a sad thing to believe and and to uh force it's so completely false. So false. So she decided she was going to try the experiment of talking to herself in the mirror. And she every morning when she was getting ready would tell herself that she is a child of God, she's a beloved daughter of God, and she has divine and infinite worth. And she would say it every day. The first couple times she said it, she said she would just break down crying. Yeah. Because it was so hard. But it became so much a part of her, it transformed her whole life because she told herself who she really was and she started to believe it. That mirror work has power. It does. There's another way to do it too, where depending on how long or how short, and also your thing that you're writing is or saying is, and also how repetitive of a thought pattern it is that you're working against, because some people have the same intrusive thoughts all the time. And sometimes going through this framework can just clear it out and you're done with it. But sometimes they'll cycle back around. So another exercise that you can do is each day write it down. You can use your fancy glitter pen if you want, make it pretty, and then hold that, take it to the mirror, and speak it, like read your writing to yourself in the mirror. So you're getting the best of both. That's great. The written and the verbal looking yourself in the eye. That's great. That would be very powerful. And it does a lot of things do take repetition. So do it until you feel it in your heart. Yeah. And your mind believes it. You believe it, you feel it, and it is who you are now. Yeah. So tell yourself, tell yourself the truth. The scripture that I have that goes along with that is from the book of Proverbs, chapter 18, verse 21. And that scripture says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. I got the full body chills when I just read that. Yeah. Like death and life are in the power of the tongue. The tongue is an unruly member. It can be. So this second part that and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. So to me, that love it means speak the truth, say good things. Yeah. I like it. To yourself and to others. For sure. For sure to yourself and to others. Love yourself. Show love to yourself by speaking kindly to yourself. With the foundation of truth, always. Always. 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So it's a complete balance of pure protein, essential fats, and carbs that simplifies balanced nutrition while supporting weight management. You can get your fat reduction pack at optimalhealthsystems.com and use the code D times2. That's DX2 to get a great discount. Make your holiday season not one where you gain 15 extra pounds. And then the last letter in the truth framework is H. And that one is to honor God with your next step. So you've gone through this framework, you've captured the thought, you've recognized the root of it, you've uncovered the lie, and you've told yourself the truth. Now honor God with your next steps. Honor God with your next thoughts. Honor God with your behavior moving forward. That's beautiful. Thank you. Really, like when we honor God with our steps, our speech, our behavior, our love to others, it makes everything in your life better. Because it can only be good. Yeah. I like that. There's a scripture that also connects with that, if you would be so kind as to read it for us. It's in the book of Psalms, chapter 37, verses 23 and 24. Okay. That one reads, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. That gave me the full body chills again. We have so much support if we will call on it and ask for it and live according to the principles. Can you read that one more time? You bet. Just underscore a couple of things in there. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he does. Lighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. So not every step is perfect. No. We are mortal, we will fall. For sure. But we will be upheld. By his loving, omnipotent hand. Yeah. I love that. So that last one is to honor God with your next step. And ultimately, hopefully, with every step, but you can't keep a bad thought cycle or a bad thought that's stuck in there and move forward with it and honor God at the same time. They conflict with each other. So you can do one or the other. Yes, they are opposites. Yeah. I like that. Those are good things to think about. So I put together like a truth framework worksheet because I think it's good to do this with your big intrusive thoughts. Not every little thing that comes along takes root. But there are some things where you need to sit down and work through the process. You might need to write some things down. So I put together just a little worksheet with this spelled out, the scriptures included. We use the King James version of the Bible. You can use whatever version you want. It's all going to come along with the same concept of those scriptures that connect to each one of the letters in truth. But I think when you do have either you get in a bad mental cycle, a bad emotional cycle, or there's something that's just super intrusive and won't leave you alone, that it's it's good to go through this and just work it out and then move forward with steps honoring God. I really like that. Well, thanks for the worksheet. Of course. We'll attach it as a download in the show notes of this episode so that people can do that and use it as often as you need to. Yeah. You get more than one bad intrusive thought. And some of them do just blow right through, and some of them do stick. And the ones we that stick are the ones that we can take these steps to uproot and toss out like the autumn trash. You mean the autumn trash, like the leaves that my husband was cleaning up at the beginning of our whole discussion? Yes. Yes, like those ones. Thank you, Deborah. You're welcome. I hope that helps. If you found value in anything we said today, please share this episode. We'd love to hear your thoughts on it. So you can leave us a comment. Or a rating, or there's an option in our show notes where you can text us. Yep. We like to have your feedback. It really helps us. And then don't forget that there are resources and free downloads in the show notes. So you can always go there to get some of the things that we've talked about. And if you go back to episode four, it's the Wheel of Life worksheet. And that kind of helps helps you figure out where you are in life. And it could actually show you some untruths that you could use the truth worksheet to help you work through. So yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Appreciate your insights too. So until next time, you guys, keep your wheel rolling smoothly with purpose. Thank you. Bye. Thanks for listening to the D-Times 2 podcast with Denise and Deborah. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Be sure to subscribe and share it with someone who's ready to roll toward a more balanced life. Your support means the world to us. And just a quick note we're sharing our own experiences and ideas, not professional advice. Always do your own research and talk to a qualified expert before making big decisions. Until next time, keep your wheel rolling strong.