What You Say About Yourself....

The other day, I found my inner child fussing at myself. Basically, my mind had watered some seeds of pessimism that had sprouted into words spoken about myself by myself. In that moment, I realized that this negative self-talk was more than just a momentary lapse. It was a conditioned habit, rooted in a self-loathing that I have felt for decades. For most of my entire life, I have battled an inner belief that I was just not good enough. A lingering doubt about whether I really measured up. Expectations I have imagined that others had made me question my self-worth constantly. It didn’t matter whether it was parents, or bosses or friends or family. I would often spend so much emotional energy convincing myself that I had somehow let them down, that those thoughts became ingrained into my very personhood. You might think I am being too self-absorbed, but what I’m talking about are inner most thoughts of the human heart. My heart. Yours. The thoughts that each of us cultivate to peer into the depths of our souls. The thoughts that pervade our thinking and then cross our lips as self-talk. The truth is that what we say about ourselves to ourselves has a great deal to say about our faith in God.

The Bible says that there is “there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:1-2).

Paul writes these words to the Romans because they are having trouble with the idea of law and grace. Many in the church were still trying to obey their Old Testament rituals rather than living in freedom of the Spirit. They were legalistic and rigid in their thinking always trying to measure up to what they thought God expected. And when others in the church didn’t follow suit, these Christians looked down their pious noses and judged. Paul sets the record straight. The Apostle knew that God had abolished the old system by offering His Son as the ultimate sacrifice; as the Lamb of God who had taken away the sins of the world.

Yet, how many of us are just like them? We race around wearing our spirituality like a new pair of Nikes. We hope that if it is bright and bold enough, God will take notice and be pleased. But inside we still doubt. We still wonder if we have really arrived. We question quietly if we measure up to God’s plan and purpose. We allow the accusations of the enemy to whisper that our faith is weak, and that no matter what we do, we will never please God enough to garnish His favor. When you and I find our hearts voicing condemnation about ourselves, it is not a lack of faith in ourselves, but in God. We are simply saying that we do not believe that God is capable to work in us and through us for His good purpose. In short, we are shackling ourselves back into bondage to the law of sin and death.

I wonder if you noticed one small word in the verse above. It is the word – now. The funny thing about the word now is that it can be applied to any current moment. No matter what you are involved in or are doing at any given moment – it is now, isn’t it? In other words, when you find yourself questioning your self-worth, remember in that moment that God has decreed that there is no condemnation in Christ. When you find yourself giving into your negative thoughts about yourself, you have God’s permission to stop speaking doubt that very second. In that instant, you can stop whispering unbelief to your heart and mind, and in that “now”, you can start believing that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. You can overcome. You don’t have to measure up to God, because Christ has already done that for you. If you are a child of God, Christ Jesus has imparted His righteousness to you. Your heart is filled with the perfect holiness of God’s Son. It might not feel like it, but let me tell you, that doesn’t make this truth any less true. We do not have to measure up to anything because God has done what we could not.

Is it easy? No. It is not a simple task to change years (decades) of inner conditioning. We must fight daily (moment by moment – in the very “now”) against the Great Accuser who would plant these doubts and worries in our hearts and minds and souls. The Devil knows that if he can get us to listen to self-doubt then he has succeeded in binding again what Christ has set free. A child of God who lives in the prison of negativism and pessimism can never truly experience the light of freedom and peace completely. Because the truth is that without faith it is impossible to please God. That doesn’t mean faith in God, but also faith in God’s work in ourselves.

So today, what are you saying to yourself about yourself? Is it positive, uplifting, inspiring you to be what God has called you to be, or is it more self-loathing? Self -hatred? Unbelief? Do you find yourself glorifying God’s work in your heart, or are you too busy trying to prove your spiritual worth before the Father? Relax. Take God’s peace into your heart and mind, and let it transform your self-thought and self-talk. Let God be so present in you that His very nature engulfs your mind and heart that you breathe the praises of God like the air that fills your lungs.

Maybe then, you and I can stop fussing so much at ourselves. The truth is what you say to yourself about yourself says more about your faith in God than you realize.