At the Feet of Jesus by Joanna Weaver – Day 8
Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Luke 24:38
Negative self-talk often slips into my mind before I even have time to think. Satan disguises lies as personal assessment, and he plays and replays the demeaning statements inside my head like a never-ending song:
• “There’s no use starting this project—I’ll never finish it.”
• “I can’t believe I forgot to do that! I’m such a flake.”
• “I’m a domestic nightmare—even the dog won’t eat my cooking.”
Your self-talk tapes may be different from mine, of course. They are shaped by your own experiences and misconceptions about life (with a little help from the enemy of your soul). As a result, they’re beautifully adapted to your specific core issues. That’s why they’re so hard to see—and so hard to change.
But change is possible. That’s the whole point of renewing the mind. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to recognize the lies. We can learn to push stop on the constant playback of these mind tapes, to eject the “if only” videos that replay our failures, and erase the “what if” software that exploits our fears.
Next time you and I are tempted to verbally assault ourselves, let’s choose “the law of kindness” instead (Proverbs 31:26, nkjv). Encouraging ourselves with edifying words that build up rather than negative words that tear down. Choosing to offer ourselves the same grace we’d give to a stranger.
—Having a Mary Spirit
Read: 2 Corinthians 10:5
Reflect: What are you to do with thoughts and self-talk that exalt themselves in your mind?
Excerpted from At the Feet of Jesus by Joanna Weaver. Copyright © 2012 by Joanna Weaver. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
