Have you considered your inner dialogue? You know, those internal conversations you have with yourself. The one-liners you speak over yourself or others, and you’re the only one who can hear them. Your inner dialogue may be one of the things that hinders you from becoming the full expression of who you are in Jesus Christ. In numerous cases, people hold those conversations which contradict the Word of God. At times, they lack mercy and are extremely judgmental. Those words have more power in your life than you might think.
Your inner voice has influence with you. At times, it reflects what you truly believe. If you pay attention to what you tell yourself, you might discover that sometimes you are your worst enemy. “Wait a minute, I thought the devil was my worst enemy.” True enough; but remember, his power and authority were stripped from him (see Colossians 2:14-15). He only has much influence in your life as you give him. Granted, there are moments when outside voices try to mimic or pervert your inner voice, but ultimately, you have a choice in what you say to yourself.
You can sabotage yourself by what you speak over yourself. Some of you believe lies that were spoken over you. You’ve taken to heart what was said, and you repeat it to yourself. Jesus said, “Of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Again, what you say may very well reveal what you truly believe. Other times, not so much. To be fair, there are instants when a person may speak from the top of his head, even though his heart knows better. Those heat of the moment renderings of nonsense are not always from your true-blue self. So, cut yourself some slack if that has happened to you.
The words you speak to yourself can, in one sense, become self-fulfilling prophecy as they direct your thoughts into a course of action. This is one way you can sabotage yourself. For example, someone begins a new endeavor, and immediately he says to himself, “You can’t do this. As soon as you put your hands to work, it’s going to fail.” Sure enough, what happens? He fails. On the other hand, if he were to say to himself, “Yes, this is new, but you’re going to succeed,” the results will be much more positive. How about this one: “You’re an idiot! You’re too stupid to do this!” Here’s another: “You’re not worthy!” Those statements will not help you get where you’re supposed to be. Instead, try this on for size: “Jesus is worthy for me to succeed!”
You can either reinforce the old way of thinking by continually saying the same things to yourself, or you can destroy the strongholds by agreeing with the Word of God. What do you suppose would happen if your inner dialogue reflected what our Heavenly Father actually says about you? Do you realize by speaking and praying in the Spirit, you actually edify yourself (see 1 Corinthians 14:2-4, 15; Jude 1:20)? His Word also renews your mind and helps to change your dialogue. So, go ahead and put those three by five cards with Scripture on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator –wherever you can see them. Read them out loud. Let them become part of your inner dialogue. Ask Abba to speak to you about what He sees in you. Write down what you feel He’s saying to you. Read it out loud and internalize it. Why do you suppose God made all these things so available to you?
If anyone prefers to stay in a pit, all he or she has to do is continue to listen to the lies, and internalize them. Gather a bunch of Job’s friends, and take counsel from them. If you are the one in a pit, and you want to get out, you have to make the necessary changes to see it happen. That might mean changing your circle of friends. Stop hanging out with those who constantly berate you, or at least put up some boundaries. Not hanging out, doesn’t mean you stop loving them; it means you’re going to treat yourself the way God wants you to be treated. Setting boundaries simply means you let them know that you’re not going to allow them to harangue you anymore. “If you keep speaking that way to me, I’m not going to stay around you anymore.” Ask the Lord for the wisdom on how to specifically handle your situation. You cannot afford to internalize words that are contrary to the Word of God.
Obviously, it’s not just changing friends; it might mean changing what you watch, read or what you listen to. Again, ask for wisdom, and make the changes. His grace will enable you!
Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
