SELF TALK
The tongue also is a fire,
a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets
the whole course of his (her) life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
James 3:6
For most of my
life I’ve read the James chapter 3 “Taming the Tongue” passage with the focus
on what my tongue has the potential to do in the lives of others. Like a bit in
the mouth of a horse or a tiny rudder on a massive ship, our tongues can steer
people toward Jesus or away from Him. Our tongues can set the world on fire for
Jesus or destroy like fire when we gossip, lie, swear, brag, exaggerate,
complain, manipulate, and mislead. The tiny tongue is a massive weapon of
destruction or a tender instrument of healing and an arsenal of truth.
That was the primary
Communications 101 lesson I gathered from James 3 until the theme, Think Right: Win the Fight! Now I’ve
come to fully understand that what’s true for what we speak to others, also
holds true for what we speak to ourselves.
Your and my
steady stream of self-talk has the potential to steer us toward Jesus or away
from Him. It can set our hearts on fire as we speak His promises and focus on
His presence, or it can destroy us when we lie to ourselves to cover up guilt
and shame, when we are proud and consider ourselves and our choices better than
our neighbors, or when we grumble in our spirits about mornings, long lines,
and short weekends.
The words we
speak to ourselves today set the course for all our tomorrows. Do you want to
know what your life will look like 5, 10, 20 years from now? Don’t look in the
mirror. Look in your thought closet. The words you speak to yourself are the
bit and rudder that are steering you to the woman you will become.
The way we use
our tongues, whether talking to ourselves or to others, demonstrates who we are
and to Whom we belong. Our words align us with God or the father of lies. We
know what it is to talk out of both sides of our mouth, don’t we? Sometimes our
words are right, true, and pleasing to God. Other times we use the language of
the enemy – speaking words that destroy and devour.
James says that
this must not be! Out of the same mouth
come praise and cursing. My brothers (and sisters!) this should not be (v. 10). It shouldn’t be, but we know it is!
What do we do? Outside of Christ, we can’t do a thing. We are incapable of
perfect obedience. We need Christ. And when we cry out to Him, He will answer and help.
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ (1
Corinthians 15:57).
Think on it: What is the speech pattern of your
self-talk? Ask Jesus for His power to speak Philippians 4:8 words to your
soul.
The
things we think about, focus on, and surround ourselves with will shape who we
become.
Author Unknown
grace and peace,
Lenae
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