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How to Stop
Negative Self-Talk
Debbie W.
Wilson
Who hasn’t
experienced negative self-talk?
Years ago, a
knowledgeable guide delighted our group of moms and kids on a field trip to a
local historic site.
But I sensed her
emptiness and wanted to talk to her about the Lord. My conversation didn’t go
as I’d hoped.
Accusations
pelted me as I drove away, “Why did you say that? You really botched an
opportunity. You’re a poor excuse for a Christian.”
Have you ever left a
conversation where you wanted to help someone know God better and been besieged
by negative thoughts?
Or maybe you attended
a Bible study and left feeling like you shouldn’t have opened your mouth.
Have you ever
wondered what’s up with that?
The Bible
says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against … the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
We have an enemy who
doesn’t want people to know the truth about God.
When we try to grow
closer to God or tell others about Him, we invite spiritual attacks. This
knowledge shouldn’t scare us but prepare us.
Paul told us how to
win the battle in our minds.
"...
we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
Here are two filters
to help you recognize and defeat damaging self-talk.
1. Know the
Truth
Those trained to
identify counterfeit money study real money. The better we know the truth the
quicker we’ll discern lies. God’s Word is truth.
Notice the difference
between what Satan said to Jesus and what the Father said about Jesus.
Satan: "If you
are the Son of God, …” Matthew 4:3 (NLT)
The Father: "This is my
dearly loved Son, ...” Matthew 3:17 (NLT)
Do you know what the
Father has said about you? Do you know the truth about how He sees you?
When we know the
truth, we’ll recognize the lies.
2. Know the
Shepherd’s Voice
It’s not enough to
know what the Bible says. We must know the character of the One who wrote it.
Satan knows the Bible
better than we do. He quoted Psalm 91 to tempt Jesus.
But Jesus knew
Scripture was never intended to tempt, harm, or condemn God’s children. God’s
word corrects, comforts, instructs, and strengthens us.
Do you hear a harsh
tone when you read the Bible? Are your thoughts condemning and accusing? That
is not the voice of our gentle Shepherd.
The better we know
our shepherd’s voice, the quicker we’ll take every thought captive.
The better we know Jesus, the
quicker we discern and defeat our enemy.
We must learn to filter
our thoughts. Ideas that argue against the truth or don’t line up with our
Shepherd’s voice must be captured and made to submit to Him.
“My sheep
listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27(NIV)
Drawing
from her personal walk with Christ, 24 years as a Christian counselor, and
decades as a Bible teacher, Debbie W. Wilson speaks, coaches, and writes to
connect people’s hearts to God and help them discover relevant faith. She is
the author of Little
Women, Big God and Give Yourself
a Break. She and her husband, Larry, founded Lighthouse
Ministries in 1991. Dark chocolate and her two standard poodles keep
her smiling. Her ministry assignments have taken her across the USA and back.
She currently lives in North Carolina. Share her journey to refreshing faith
at debbieWwilson.com.
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