Episode 00016: Your Word Is Your Bond
December 20, 2025
Greeting
Welcome back to The Daily Spirit. Saturday, December 20th, 2025. Five minutes of spirit-filled encouragement to start your weekend.
Opening Hook
Do you keep your promises?
Not just the big ones. The small ones. The "I'll get back to you" that you actually get back to. The "I'll be there" that you actually show up for. The commitments you make when you're excited, and then have to follow through on when you're not.
I had lunch yesterday with a guy who gave me one of the best pieces of life advice I've heard in a while.
Scripture & Core Message
Numbers 23:19: "God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does he speak and not do what he says? Does he promise and not come through?"
God keeps His promises. Every single one. He is faithful. When He says something, it happens. That's His character.
And here's the thing. We're made in His image. We're supposed to be like that too.
The Story
I had lunch with a guy named Mark. He's a director of developer community at NVIDIA. He's worked at Apple, Google, all the big names. Nearly 50 years old. And he told me something that stuck.
He said he's only applied for two jobs in his entire life. Two. Everything else came to him through relationships. Through reputation. Through people knowing that when Mark says he's going to do something, he does it.
He said: "The amazing thing about the biology of humans is you can recover and heal. Broken promises are hard to recover. Physically, you can heal. But it's hard to heal broken promises."
And then he said something else. He said: "Be careful what you promise. Because when I was young, I wasn't good at that. I'd get excited and commit to things, and then later I'd be like, why do I have to do this?"
So here's the wisdom. Keep your word. And be careful about what you give your word to.
Sabbath Connection
God promised rest. And He delivers on it.
"By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day because on that day he rested from his work."
God rested. And He invites you to rest too. That's a promise. And He keeps it.
So today, as you rest, think about this. You're resting in the faithfulness of God. And you're called to be faithful too. To be someone whose word means something. Whose yes is yes and whose no is no.
Your reputation is built over a lifetime. Protect it. Be like God. Keep your promises.
Affirmations
Let's speak some truth over your character. I'll say it, you repeat.
[Pause after each for repetition]
My word is my bond.
I keep my promises.
I am careful about what I commit to.
I am faithful like God is faithful.
My reputation is built on integrity.
I rest in God's faithfulness today.
Closing
That's it for today.
Rest well this weekend. Be fed. Spend time with people who fill you up. And let God's faithfulness remind you of who you're called to be.
God is with you. See you Monday.
Substack Post Copy
Title: Your Word Is Your Bond (Saturday, December 20th, 2025)
Subtitle: A word on keeping promises. And why faithfulness is godly.
Body:
Blessed morning!
Do you keep your promises? Not just the big ones. The small ones too.
Yesterday I had lunch with a guy who's nearly 50 and has only applied for two jobs in his entire life. Everything else came through reputation. Through people knowing that when he says something, he follows through.
His wisdom: "Physically, you can heal. But it's hard to heal broken promises."
God keeps His promises. We're made in His image. We should too.
"God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does he speak and not do what he says? Does he promise and not come through?"
— Numbers 23:19 (MSG)
Hit play. And rest well this weekend.
Love,
Gary