The Necessity and Power of Self-Talk

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 43:5 (New American Standard Bible)

There were times David would cry out to God in difficult times. But he also knew the power and necessity of self-talk. This self-talk included questions as well as reminders. It redirected his focus and brought about internal change that acted as rungs of a ladder in order to climb out of emotional pits. We as believers would do well to follow his example.

Recently, I saw first hand how valuable and powerful this can be in my own life. After several hours of battling negative emotions, I took a piece of paper and began writing a note to myself. It was filled with reminders of truth about myself, my situation, and most importantly, my God! It is what others would have told me had they been able to come along side me to encourage me in the right direction. That would have been nice but I would have missed the experience of realizing once again that I have the mind of Christ and His Spirit dwelling in me. God wanted me to know that He will help me to draw out of my own reserves wise counsel and applicable knowledge. He is helping me to see that all the time I have spent in His Word, reading countless Christian books, and sitting under godly teaching has not been wasted. It has become a warehouse of wisdom within me and I am free to draw upon its contents at any time. The note took several minutes to write and was about a paragraph in length but the result was a shift in my thinking as well as my spirit. I had come out of my mental pit and the change was profound.

Does this replace prayer and seeking the advice of others? No. But it does give me a powerful tool to use. I have used it twice now and found the same results both times. David’s example is now becoming my personal experience and I stand in awe of the results. To say I am ecstatic is an understatement! I now plan to fill notebooks with these moments and later on have the joy of reviewing this aspect of my journey. I look forward to the moments God lets me know what to say to myself and how productive the discussion will be!

Father, my excitement is matched by my amazement. You have given me a precious key that unlocks yet one more door to freedom. I praise You! Amen.