One of the emotional healing layers I've been working on for quite some time is my self talk. I tend to expect perfection from myself: very often holding myself to a standard that I would never hold another to. When I fall (because I am imperfect!), I notice that my self talk is something like this, "You are stupid!" "Why would you do that?" "That's a dumb mistake!" "You are a loser!" Perhaps sometimes whispered in my ear by the enemy but probably more often just my default nature in which I revert to, and it's wrong.
Negative self talk does not honor the Lord. Scripture clearly teaches us that we were created by God, Himself (Psalm 139). If we believe this is true, who are we to condemn ourselves over silly mistakes? Proverbs 23:7 says,
"As a man thinks, so he is."
This reiterates the idea that I should think good things about myself even in the light that I am not perfect. This default self talk can be healed by speaking right and true statements over ourselves from Scripture. For example, "God, you know I'm an imperfect sinner. Thank you for promising me that you will work all things together for my good. Please restore my spirit and help me redeem my mistake."
The essential key to reversing negative self talk is to stop it before it takes root. If you are like me, it will be a skill that takes time (even years) to turn around, but I fully believe it is God's will for us to speak good things over our lives.
The other really important idea to overturning this negative self talk is to enlist a friend or two to hold you accountable for the words you speak over yourself. A couple of my friends really encourage me to allow myself the grace I would provide others with. They also help guide my words to what God thinks and says about me.
With some practice, we can do this! I encourage you to enlist the help of a friend as well as write down a few Scriptures that you can speak over yourself. This retraining of self talk will lead us to Wholly Healing and freedom in our position in the Kingdom.
My Prayer: God, help us view ourselves the way you see us. Holy Spirit, guide our hearts and minds to speak good and true things over our lives. Thank you for my sisters who continue to hold me accountable and love me in spite of myself. I pray for those who, like me, condemn themselves when they make a mistake. Help us lift up ourselves so that we can live in life and in the light of abundance. In Jesus' name!
Recent Comments